Photo: Christian Michelides / CC BY-SA 4.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
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.
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
- Occupation
- theatre director / actor / screenwriter / film producer / playwright
2. Background
- 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
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Simon McBurney born?
Born August 25, 1957 (age 68).
Where is Simon McBurney from?
Simon McBurney is from Cambridge, United Kingdom.
What does Simon McBurney do?
Simon McBurney works as theatre director, actor, screenwriter, film producer, playwright.
Theatre director — see all → · 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 or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.