My Take
Simon McBurney is one of those rare theatre artists who genuinely makes you rethink what a stage can do. As the founder and driving force behind Complicité, he has spent decades turning spare, physically alive performance into some of the most intellectually thrilling work in contemporary theatre — productions like The Encounter or Mnemonic aren't just shows, they're experiences that linger for years. What I find remarkable is how he moves between worlds: a haunting presence in films like The Last King of Scotland and Harry Potter, yet clearly most at home dismantling theatrical convention. The Laurence Olivier Award, the OBE, the 1997 Europe Theatre Prize — the establishment keeps recognising him, and honestly they should. Born in Cambridge, trained at King's College School, he somehow became the restless European avant-garde's most essential English voice.
Overview
Simon Montagu McBurney (born 25 August 1957) is an English actor, playwright, and theatre and opera director. He is the founder and artistic director of the Théâtre de Complicité, London. He has had roles in the films The Manchurian Candidate (2004), Friends with Money, The Last King of Scotland (both 2006), The Golden Compass (2007), The Duchess (2008), Robin Hood, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 (both…
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Simon McBurney
- Name (Japanese)
- サイモン・マクバーニー
- Reading
- さいもん・まくばーにー
- Born
- August 25, 1957 (age 68)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Virgo / Rooster
- Origin
- Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- theatre director / actor / screenwriter / film producer / playwright
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- King's College School
Awards & achievements
- Laurence Olivier Awards
- Officer of the Order of the British Empire
- 2008 Konrad Wolf Prize
- 1997 Europe Theatre Prize
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
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.