Photo: Bernard Gotfryd / Public domain (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Ian Richardson is one of those Scottish actors I file under quietly devastating. Born in Edinburgh in 1934, he gave the world Francis Urquhart in the BBC's House of Cards, a politician so silkily ruthless that 'you might very well think that, I couldn't possibly comment' became shorthand for political menace. I love that he built menace out of restraint rather than volume. His Bill Haydon in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy works the same way. A CBE and a Drama Desk Award say the establishment agreed. He died in 2007, but every smiling television schemer since owes him a quiet debt, whether or not they'd admit it.
Overview
Ian William Richardson CBE (7 April 1934 – 9 February 2007) was a Scottish actor. He was best known for his portrayal of Conservative politician Francis Urquhart in the BBC's House of Cards (1990–1995) television trilogy, as well as the pivotal spy Bill Haydon in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (1979).
Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Ian Richardson
- Name (Japanese)
- イアン・リチャードソン
- Reading
- いあん・りちゃーどそん
- Born
- April 7, 1934 – February 9, 2007
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Aries / Dog
- Origin
- Edinburgh, United Kingdom
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- stage actor / film actor / television actor / actor
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Tynecastle High School
- University
- Private
Awards & achievements
- Commander of the Order of the British Empire
- Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Stage actor — see all → · Film actor — see all → · More people from United Kingdom →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.