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Charles Dance
Highest Rated: 100% Lancaster (2022)
Lowest Rated: 9% Despite the Falling Snow (2016)
Birthday: Oct 10, 1946
Birthplace: Redditch, Worcestershire, England, UK
After a brief dalliance with leading-man status in the 1980s, Charles Dance built a career of playing highborn heels with a distinctive capacity to menace more heroic types with a suave, icy indifference. The English-born Dance honed his skills with the Royal Shakespeare Company before scoring his breakthrough screen role in the epic miniseries "The Jewel in the Crown" (ITV/PBS, 1984). Able to mix dashing and savoir faire with layered vulnerability, he landed a flurry of above-title bills in award-bait dramas such as "Plenty" (1985), "White Mischief" (1987) and "Pascali's Island" (1988). As of his turn in "The Golden Child" (1986), however, he developed a niche playing frosty yet textured villains in big-ticket projects such as "Last Action Hero" (1993), "Michael Collins" (1996) and the miniseries "Bleak House" (BBC, 2005), as well as lighter fare a la "Ali G Indahouse" (2002) and "Terry Pratchett's Going Postal" (Sky1, 2010). The early 2000s saw him increasingly bringing his arch-villainy to highbrow television projects such as the drama series "Trinity" (Channel 4, 2009), the international intrigue series "Strike Back" (Sky1/Cinemax, 2010-15) and, to much fanfare, HBO's fantasy phenomenon "Game of Thrones" (2011- ). Though he proved himself adept at many character types across stage and screen, Dance showed time and again that few could play the bad guy with such devilish aplomb.
Photos
Filmography
Movies
| Credit | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 81% | 70% | The First Omen | Father Harris (Character) | $14.7M | 2024 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Liar | Tickford (Character) | - | 2024 |
| 56% | 73% | Against the Ice | Neergaard (Character) | - | 2022 |
| 100% | 92% | Lancaster | Narrator | - | 2022 |
| No Score Yet | 62% | The Hanging Sun | Jacob (Character) | - | 2022 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Savage Waters | Narrator | - | 2022 |
| 40% | 80% | The King's Man | Kitchener (Character) | $37.2M | 2021 |
| 83% | 63% | Mank | William Randolph Hearst (Character) | - | 2020 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Book of Vision | Dr. Johan Anmuth (Character) | - | 2020 |
| 95% | 48% | The Delivered | John Lye (Character) | - | 2019 |
| 22% | 23% | Iron Mask | Lord Dudley (Character) | - | 2019 |
| 42% | 83% | Godzilla: King of the Monsters | Alan Jonah (Character) | $110.5M | 2019 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Hero | Charles Reynard (Character) | - | 2018 |
| 94% | 79% | Spitfire: The Plane That Saved the World | Narrator | - | 2018 |
| 86% | 54% | Happy New Year, Colin Burstead | Bertie (Character) | - | 2018 |
| 50% | 50% | That Good Night | The Visitor (Character) | - | 2017 |
| 19% | 33% | Euphoria | Mr. Daren (Character) | - | 2017 |
| 9% | 47% | Despite the Falling Snow | Old Alexander (Character) | - | 2016 |
| 21% | 49% | Underworld: Blood Wars | Thomas (Character) | $30.3M | 2016 |
| 74% | 49% | Ghostbusters | Harold Filmore (Character) | - | 2016 |
| 54% | 73% | Me Before You | Steven Traynor (Character) | $56.2M | 2016 |
| 47% | 45% | Pride and Prejudice and Zombies | Mr. Bennet (Character) | $10.9M | 2016 |
| 67% | 81% | Admiral | King Charles II (Character) | - | 2015 |
| 26% | 37% | Victor Frankenstein | Frankenstein (Character) | $5.7M | 2015 |
| 29% | 42% | Child 44 | Major Grachev (Character) | $1.2M | 2015 |
| 57% | 79% | Woman in Gold | Sherman (Character) | $33.3M | 2015 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Retrospective | Jonathan Hoyle (Character) | - | 2014 |
| 90% | 91% | The Imitation Game | Commander Denniston (Character) | $91.1M | 2014 |
| 25% | 58% | Dracula Untold | Master Vampire (Character) | $55.9M | 2014 |
| 13% | 36% | Justin and the Knights of Valor | Legantir (Voice) | - | 2013 |
| 73% | 29% | Patrick | Doctor Roget (Character) | - | 2013 |
| 18% | 34% | St George's Day | Trenchard (Character) | - | 2012 |
| 25% | 62% | Underworld: Awakening | Thomas (Character) | $62.3M | 2012 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Mapmaker | Rowan (Character) | - | 2011 |
| 43% | 41% | Ironclad | Archbishop Langton (Character) | - | 2011 |
| 27% | 34% | Your Highness | King Tallious (Character) | $21.6M | 2011 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Paris Connections | Aleksandr Borinski (Character) | - | 2010 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Clerk's Tale | Ralph (Character) | - | 2010 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Going Postal | Unknown (Character) | - | 2010 |
| No Score Yet | 18% | Intervention | Private Investigator (Character) | - | 2007 |
| No Score Yet | 28% | The Contractor | DCS Andrew Windsor (Character) | - | 2007 |
| No Score Yet | 76% | By the Pricking of My Thumbs | Septimus Bligh (Character) | - | 2006 |
| No Score Yet | 46% | Twice Upon a Time | Le maître de cérémonie du Battar (Character) | - | 2006 |
| 90% | 66% | Starter for 10 | Michael Harbinson (Character) | $210.1K | 2006 |
| 41% | 55% | Scoop | Unknown (Character) | $10.5M | 2006 |
| 64% | 66% | Ladies in Lavender |
Director, Writer, Executive Producer |
$6.8M | 2004 |
| No Score Yet | 70% | Saint John Bosco: A Mission to Love | Marchese Clementi (Character) | - | 2004 |
| No Score Yet | 76% | Henry VIII | Unknown (Character) | - | 2003 |
| 83% | 67% | Swimming Pool | John Bosload (Character) | $10.1M | 2003 |
| 43% | 63% | Black and White | Roderic Chamberlain (Character) | - | 2002 |
| 56% | 54% | Ali G Indahouse | David Carlton (Character) | - | 2002 |
| 62% | 83% | Dark Blue World | Wing-Commander Bentley (Character) | $258.2K | 2001 |
| 87% | 78% | Gosford Park | Raymond, Lord Stockbridge (Character) | $41.3M | 2001 |
| 83% | 59% | Don't Go Breaking My Heart | Frank (Character) | - | 1999 |
| No Score Yet | 41% | Blood Oranges | Unknown (Character) | - | 1999 |
| 88% | 83% | Hilary and Jackie | Derek du Pré (Character) | $4.9M | 1998 |
| No Score Yet | 50% | What Rats Won't Do | Gerald (Character) | - | 1998 |
| No Score Yet | 33% | In the Presence of Mine Enemies | Captain Richter (Character) | - | 1997 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Blood Oranges | Cyril (Character) | - | 1997 |
| 17% | 31% | Space Truckers |
Nabel/ |
- | 1997 |
| 78% | 84% | Michael Collins | Soames (Character) | $11.1M | 1996 |
| No Score Yet | 45% | Undertow | Lyle Yates (Character) | - | 1996 |
| No Score Yet | 9% | Exquisite Tenderness | Dr. Ed Mittlesbay (Character) | - | 1995 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Shortcut to Paradise | Quinn (Character) | - | 1994 |
| 40% | 41% | China Moon | Rupert Munro (Character) | $2.7M | 1994 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Kabloonak | Robert Flaherty (Character) | - | 1994 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Desvío al paraíso | Unknown (Character) | - | 1994 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Nanook | Robert Flaherty (Character) | - | 1994 |
| 41% | 48% | Last Action Hero | Benedict (Character) | - | 1993 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Century | Professor Mandry (Character) | $3.5K | 1993 |
| 48% | 47% | Alien 3 | Clemens (Character) | $54.8M | 1992 |
| No Score Yet | 67% | Phantom of the Opera | Erik The Phantom of the Opera (Character) | - | 1990 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Goldeneye | Ian Fleming (Character) | - | 1990 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Out of the Shadows | Michael Hayden (Character) | - | 1988 |
| 69% | 62% | Pascali's Island | Anthony Bowles (Character) | $861.1K | 1988 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | First Born | Edward Forester (Character) | - | 1988 |
| No Score Yet | 20% | Hidden City | James Richards (Character) | - | 1987 |
| No Score Yet | 75% | Out on a Limb | Gerry Stamford (Character) | - | 1987 |
| 80% | 73% | Good Morning Babylon | D. W. Griffith (Character) | $26.5K | 1987 |
| 80% | 54% | White Mischief | Josslyn Hay (Character) | $24.5K | 1987 |
| 21% | 47% | The Golden Child | Sardo Numspa (Character) | $78.1M | 1986 |
| 59% | 52% | Plenty | Raymond Brock (Character) | $6.1M | 1985 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The McGuffin | Paul Hatcher (Character) | - | 1985 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Secret Servant | Harry Maxim (Character) | - | 1985 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Thunder Rock | Charleston (Character) | - | 1985 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Rainy Day Women | Captain John Truman (Character) | - | 1983 |
TV
| Credit | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 38% | 50% | Testament: The Story of Moses | Narrator | 2024 |
| 76% | 84% | Rabbit Hole | Dr. Ben Wilson (Character) | 2023 |
| No Score Yet | 85% | Rise of Empires: Ottoman | Narrator | 2020 2022 |
| 100% | 84% | The Serpent Queen | Pope Clement (Character) | 2022 |
| 88% | 80% | The Sandman | Roderick Burgess (Character) | 2022 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Savage Kingdom | Narrator | 2016-2017 2019-2020 |
| 17% | No Score Yet | The Singapore Grip | Mr Webb (Character) | 2020 |
| 81% | 92% | The Crown | Lord Mountbatten (Character) | 2019 |
| 57% | 59% | The Widow | Martin Benson (Character) | 2019 |
| 95% | 80% | The Little Drummer Girl | Unknown (Character) | 2018 |
| 94% | 86% | Hang Ups | Jeremy Pitt (Character) | 2018 |
| 80% | 65% | The Woman in White | Mr Fairlie (Character) | 2018 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Who Do You Think You Are? | Host | 2017 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Celebrity Antiques Road Trip | Guest | 2016 |
| 81% | 91% | And Then There Were None | Justice Lawrence Wargrave (Character) | 2015 |
| 70% | 78% | Childhood's End | Karellen (Character) | 2015 |
| 89% | 85% | Game of Thrones |
Tywin Lannister (Character), Unknown (Guest Star) |
2011-2015 |
| No Score Yet | 63% | Top Gear | Guest | 2013 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Coup | John Hodder (Character) | 2012 |
| 85% | 64% | Strike Back: Origins | Conrad Knox (Character) | 2012 |
| 57% | No Score Yet | Neverland | Fludd (Character) | 2011 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Trinity | Unknown (Character) | 2009 |
| 85% | 88% | The Adventures of Merlin | Unknown (Guest Star) | 2009 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Masterpiece Theatre | Unknown (Character) | 2004 2006 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Mystery! | Unknown (Character) | 2006 |
| No Score Yet | 83% | Bleak House | Mr. Tulkinghorn (Character) | 2005 |
| No Score Yet | 96% | Foyle's War | Guy Spencer (Character) | 2002 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Phantom of the Opera | Erik (Character) | 1990 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Tales of the Unexpected | Robert Smythe (Character) | 1987 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Jewel in the Crown | Unknown (Character) | 1984-1985 |