- Tobias Menzies plays Prince Philip in The Crown seasons 3 and 4.
- The English actor is known for previous roles on Outlander and Game of Thrones.
- Menzies told the New York Times that Philip "seemed like an exciting, challenging role to take on.”
Tobias Menzies is such a convincing Prince Philip in The Crown, the Netflix original series that follows Queen Elizabeth's life throughout the decades of her reign, that you may forget Matt Smith ever held the role. Such is the magic of The Crown, a show that wholly switches its cast ever three seasons (Jonathan Pryce will play Queen Elizabeth II's husband in seasons 5 and 6).
In season 3, as Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip move into the 1960s and '70s, the roles previously played by Claire Foy and Matt Smith were portrayed by Olivia Colman and Tobias Menzies. Season 4 follows the middle-aged royals through the '80s, including Margaret Thatcher's time as prime minister and the introduction of Diana Spencer (a.k.a Princess Diana) into their lives.
While American audiences have gotten to know Colman in recent years—particularly with her 2019 Best Actress Oscar win for The Favourite—you may be wondering where you've seen Menzies before.
Here's everything you need to know about Tobias Menzies, as you become charmed by his Prince Philip on The Crown, for the last few episodes. "It’s been a real joy working with this team and [creator] Peter Morgan’s writing. It’s been a really interesting character to explore. I will definitely miss the job," Menzies told Deadline in 2020.
Menzies played two different people on Outlander.
On season 1 through season 4 of Outlander, the Starz historical-fantasy drama based on Diana Gabaldon's book series, Menzies played Frank Randall, Claire Beauchamp Randall Fraser's kind but beleaguered historian husband in the 20th century.
He was also Jonathan "Black Jack" Randall, a sadistic British knight obsessed with Claire and her 18th-century husband Jamie. Menzies managed to play both one of the most evil TV villains on recent memory and his wildly different ancestor so effectively, it was easy to forget they were the same actor.
He's also a Game of Thrones alum.
Menzies played Edmure Tully, Catelyn Stark's brother and Lord of Riverrun, on three seasons of the HBO series. While his role was relatively minor among such a massive cast of characters, Menzies's Tully is best remembered for his surprise appearance in the very last episode. His scene was a rare moment of joy in the divisive Game of Thrones season 8 finale.
Menzies was already a fan of The Crown.
The actor had watched the first two seasons before he was even up for his role, and told the New York Times that "Philip had struck me as an interesting and complicated person." Focusing on nailing the prince's voice and physical quirks, he added that he fell down the "crazy rabbit hole" of endless photos, footage, and books that cover the royal family.
"There’s a heat to him," Menzies elaborated in a November 2019 Vulture interview. “There’s a pent-up energy. A suppression. An alpha maleness that has had to be diverted in different directions."
The Crown creator Peter Morgan told the New York Times that Menzies brought “a real stillness, maturity and dignity” to the role of Philip. “Personally, I don’t know how he isn’t a household figure already."
Menzies isn't married, and leads a private life.
The 45-year-old actor isn't known to be currently dating anyone. Menzies told Vulture that he wants kids someday, but hasn't "found a situation yet where it seems right or possible."
Part of his instinct not to share who he's involved with may stem from his experience with a headline-making relationship back in 2006. Menzies began dating actress Kristin Scott Thomas when the two starred in a stage play in London. Scott Thomas was married to her husband of 17 years at the time, and her romance with Menzies was thought to be the cause of their separation that same year. While it's unclear exactly when Menzies and Scott Thomas split, the two are not together.
Menzies seems to have no urge to be famous at all. "It does feel different, and I am trying not to think about it," he told the New York Times of his higher profile after being cast in The Crown. “I like being invisible in my life around London.”
Environmental causes are very important to him.
Menzies isn't on Instagram, but he does update his Twitter regularly. He rarely if ever shares personal info, preferring to signal-boost worthy causes: He's recently become U.K. ambassador to international clean water nonprofit WaterAid, shares and promotes information on tree preservation, and is a big fan of Swedish environmentalist Greta Thunberg.
He never got to say a proper goodbye to The Crown.
The Crown finished filming in February of 2020. Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Menzies and his fellow cast-members were deprived of a goodbye party before the cast switched out. "We never had a big send-off and I don’t think we will now. We were planning a fairly drunken farewell," Menzies said.
You can watch him on Hulu comedy This Way Up.
Earlier this year, he appeared as a potential love interest on this year's This Way Up, a comedy-drama starring Aisling Bea as a woman recovering from mental health issues, which Americans can watch on Hulu. Menzies confirmed to Deadline that Bea is writing the next season. Costume dramas, comedy—what can't Tobias Menzies do?
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Samantha Vincenty is the former senior staff writer at Oprah Daily.
