Simon McBurney

Simon Montagu McBurney OBE was born on 25 August 1957 in Cambridge, England. As an English actor, playwright, and theatre and opera director, Simon McBurney has left a significant impression in the world of theatre and cinema. He is the founder and artistic director of the Théâtre de Complicité, London. His acting prowess is not limited to the stage sector but his skill on the big screen has also been notable and acclaimed. He has acted in various films, such as 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 2010), Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011), Magic in the Moonlight, The Theory of Everything (both 2014), and Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015). His TV roles include playing Cecil the choirmaster in BBC's The Vicar of Dibley (1994–2004). McBurney has also directed several operas and is an established screen actor.

He was born to Charles McBurney, an American archaeologist and academic of Scottish descent. His mother, Anne Francis Edmondstone, was a British secretary of English, Scottish, and Irish ancestry. McBurney studied English literature at Peterhouse, Cambridge, graduating in 1980. He subsequently moved to Paris and trained for theatre at the Jacques Lecoq Institute. Due to his undeniable talent and vision in the theatre industry, he was awarded the Europe Prize Theatrical Realities in 1997. He directed the Complicité production Shun-kin, based on two texts by Jun'ichiro Tanizaki. It was produced in London and Tokyo in 2010 and has been highly praised. Beyond directing, he also contributed significantly as a screen actor, starred in The Encounter at the 2015 Edinburgh International Festival, and in 2016, portrayed a paranormal investigator in the horror film sequel The Conjuring 2.