Bio
Andrew Scott is an Irish actor best known for his roles as Tommy McGann in the 2003 feature film Dead Bodies, Paul McCartney in the BBC television drama Lennon Naked and arch-villain Jim Moriarty in Sherlock, for which he was awarded the British Academy Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in 2012.
Scott was born in Dublin, the only boy in his family, with a sister, Sarah, two years older, and a sister, Hannah, several years younger. His father, Jim, worked in an employment agency, and his mother, Nora, taught art at a secondary school.
Growing up, Andrew attended an exclusive, academically challenging, Jesuit boys' school on the south side of Dublin. While there he took part in youth theatre and was in two commercials for Irish television.
At 17 he was chosen for a starring role in his first film, Korea. Andrew then matriculated into Trinity College in Dublin to begin a degree in drama, but soon elected to leave feeling the course of little value to him since he was already an established actor in some demand, and the curriculum of listening to lecturers rather than getting up and doing the work struck Andrew as a waste of his time.
He went on to The Abbey Theatre, where he eventually performed in six plays.
A move to London in 1999 resulted in consistently rave reviews for his frequent appearances on stage, and a solid reputation as a versatile and brilliantly talented performer. He received an Olivier award, and several other film and theater awards in the early part of the 2000's.
Frequent film and television work in Britain, Ireland and America broadened his appeal even more. In 2006, Andrew made his Broadway debut in David Hare's The Vertical Hour starring with Bill Nighy and Julianne Moore. He was nominated for a Drama League award for this role.
In the less than nine minutes that he was seen on the television screen as evil master criminal Jim Moriarty in the BBC 2010 production of Sherlock, Scott created a riveting portrait of an intense, psychotically unbalanced, flirty, and cool as a male model in a designer suit, madman.
His acting choices threw him into the international viewing consciousness, instantly upping his visibility. Add to that, the supposedly gay man he played earlier in the episode effecting a totally different British accent and acting style, and his versatility was evident.
Scott continues to work in theatre, film, television and other venues on both sides of the Atlantic, and wherever a challenging acting opportunity presents itself.