8 Things You Didn’t Know About Ian McShane

Ian McShane, the classically educated, award-winning actor who has captured the attention and appreciation of audiences and critics worldwide, is a natural at portraying nuanced anti-heroes and charming heavies.

If you are one of his fans who is interested in learning more about him. Then these 8 unknown facts about this talented man are for you.

8 Things You Didn’t Know About Ian McShane

1. Also A Director

In the United States, he rose to prominence as British film director Don Lockwood in Dallas and as a British cockfighting enthusiast in Roots.

2. Best Known For

In the United States, he is most known for his portrayal of historical character Al Swearengen in the HBO series Deadwood, for which he received a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Television Drama in 2005. ^[1]

3. Prestigious Nominations

Ian was also nominated for an Emmy Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award in 2005. McShane is most recognised in the science fiction world for his role as Dr. Robert Bryson in Babylon 5: The River of Souls. ^[2]

4. His Love Life

In the 1960s, McShane married and divorced Suzan Farmer. He began dating Sylvia Kristel in 1977 after meeting her on the production of The Fifth Musketeer. His marriage to his second wife, model Ruth Post, with whom he had two children, Kate and Morgan, was ended by the affair.

5. Never Intented To Be An Actor

McShane, who has been delighting audiences across the performing spectrum for nearly sixty years, acknowledges that he did not set out to be a performer while he was growing up in Manchester, England.

6. Broke His Leg Once Playing Soccer

After breaking his leg playing soccer, McShane ended up appearing in the school theatrical production of Cyrano De Bergerac, where he met his life-long friend and instructor, Leslie Ryder.

7. Regret Taking A Role Of Bryson

McShane remarked in a 2004 interview with The Independent that he regretted he had rejected down the role of Bryson because he struggled with the technical dialogue and found himself glancing at Martin Sheen.

8. Used To Share A Flat With His Oldest Friend

McShane shared a flat with Hurt, whom he referred to as his “oldest buddy in the business,” and was still a student at RADA when he acted in his debut film, The Wild and the Willing, alongside Hurt (1962). ^[3]