Ken Stott
Scottish stage, television and film actor
title: "Ken Stott" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1954-births", "20th-century-scottish-male-actors", "21st-century-scottish-male-actors", "alumni-of-the-mountview-academy-of-theatre-arts", "scottish-people-of-italian-descent", "laurence-olivier-award-winners", "living-people", "scottish-male-shakespearean-actors", "people-educated-at-george-heriot's-school", "male-actors-from-edinburgh", "royal-shakespeare-company-members", "scottish-male-film-actors", "scottish-male-radio-actors", "scottish-male-stage-actors", "scottish-male-television-actors", "scottish-male-voice-actors"] description: "Scottish stage, television and film actor" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ken_Stott" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Scottish stage, television and film actor ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox person"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| image | File:Ken Stott (cropped-J1).jpg |
| caption | Stott at the Hobbitcon II convention in Bonn, Germany 2014 |
| birth_name | Kenneth Campbell Stott |
| birth_place | Edinburgh, Scotland |
| education | |
| occupation | Actor |
| years_active | 1974–present |
| known for | {{ubl |
| awards | |
| spouse | |
| children | 1 |
| :: |
|image = File:Ken Stott (cropped-J1).jpg |caption = Stott at the Hobbitcon II convention in Bonn, Germany 2014 |birth_name = Kenneth Campbell Stott |birth_date = |birth_place = Edinburgh, Scotland |death_date = |death_place = |education = |occupation = Actor |years_active = 1974–present |known for = {{ubl | Rebus (2000–2007) | Takin' Over the Asylum (1994) | The Missing (2014) | The Hobbit film trilogy (2012–2014) |awards = |spouse = |children = 1 Kenneth Campbell Stott is a Scottish stage, television, and film actor who won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role in 1995 in the play Broken Glass at Royal National Theatre. He portrayed the dwarf Balin in The Hobbit film trilogy (2012–2014).
His most notable roles in UK television include the title character DI John Rebus in the crime fiction-mystery series Rebus (2000–2007) and DCI Red Metcalfe in Messiah (2001–2005). He played Edward 'Eddie' McKenna in the Scottish BBC miniseries Takin' Over The Asylum (1994) co-starring with David Tennant, and Ian Garrett in the 2014 BBC TV mini-series The Missing alongside James Nesbitt.
Early life and education
Kenneth Campbell Stott was born in Edinburgh, Scotland. His mother, Antonia (née Sansica), was a Sicilian lecturer, his father, David Stott, was a Scottish teacher and educational administrator. Stott was educated at George Heriot's School in Lauriston, Edinburgh. For three years in his youth he fronted a pop band, but left to pursue his career in acting.
After attending Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts in London, Stott began working in the theatre for the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC), but for some years his earnings from acting were minimal and he was forced to support himself by also working as a double glazing salesman.
Career
Theatre
Stott's career began in 1974 at the Lyric Theatre, Belfast. His early work in theatre included a notable leading role in the dramatisation of Dominic Behan's play about the Northern Ireland troubles The Folk Singer, where he also played the part of Judas in the first regional production of Jesus Christ Superstar directed by Michael Poynor (1973).
In 1996, he created the leading role in The Prince's Play, a translation and adaptation by Tony Harrison of Victor Hugo's Le Roi s'amuse, for the National Theatre, London, 1996. In 1997, he was nominated for the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor for his role in the Yasmina Reza play Art, in which he appeared with Albert Finney and Tom Courtenay at Wyndham's Theatre.
In 2008 Stott starred in another West End production of a Reza play, this time God of Carnage, alongside Tamsin Greig, Janet McTeer and Ralph Fiennes at the Gielgud Theatre. He starred in a revival of Arthur Miller's A View From The Bridge at the Duke of York's Theatre in early 2009, and reprised his role of Michael in God of Carnage on Broadway (as a replacement for James Gandolfini) at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre in New York.
He returned to the Duke of York's Theatre in 2016 to play " Sir" (alongside Reece Shearsmith) in Ronald Harwood's The Dresser.
Television and Film
Stott appeared in BBC series Secret Army (1977), The Complete Dramatic Works of William Shakespeare (King Lear, 1982), and Dennis Potter's The Singing Detective (1986). He also featured in an advert for the British COI's "Drinking And Driving Wrecks Lives" campaign, playing a fireman.
His television roles have included hospital radio DJ Eddie McKenna in BBC Scotland's Takin' Over The Asylum, the leading character, DCI Red Metcalfe, in the BBC crime drama series Messiah (BBC One, 2001–05); DI Chappell in ITV police drama The Vice (1999–2003); as a drunk who fantasises about finding redemption by joining the Salvation Army in Promoted to Glory (ITV, 2003); as Adolf Hitler in Uncle Adolf (ITV, 2005), and as a fictional Chancellor of the Exchequer in Richard Curtis's The Girl in the Café (BBC One, 2005). 2006 saw him take over the title character in detective series Rebus, a television adaptation of the Ian Rankin novels which had previously starred John Hannah. In 2021, he appeared as Chief Superintendent Bob Toal in the police procedural Crime.
In 2008 Stott was nominated for a Scottish BAFTA for his performance as comedian Tony Hancock in BBC Four's Hancock and Joan. He played the father of cookery writer Nigel Slater in the BBC One adaptation of Slater's autobiographical novel Toast, opposite Helena Bonham Carter and Freddie Highmore. In 2015, Stott played Arthur Birling in Helen Edmundson's BBC TV adaptation of J. B. Priestley's An Inspector Calls.
On the big screen, he has tended to play mostly supporting parts, such as DI McCall in Shallow Grave (1994), Ted in Fever Pitch (1997), Marius Honorius in King Arthur (2004), an Israeli arms merchant in Charlie Wilson's War (2007), and Trufflehunter, a badger loyal to Prince Caspian in The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008). However, he has had occasional starring roles in the cinema, most notably opposite Billy Connolly and Iain Robertson in The Debt Collector (1999), and Plunkett and Macleane of the same year. Most recently, he has starred as Balin in the live-action adaptation of The Hobbit, and played the role to critical acclaim. Stott played a supporting role as Dexter Mayhew's father in One Day (2011) starring Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess.
He narrated for the series Send in the Dogs, following the work of UK Police Officers and their canine partners.
Personal life
Stott has a son, David (born 1985), by his first marriage, which ended in divorce. He married his long-time partner, the artist Nina Gehl, in 2016. Stott is a supporter of Heart of Midlothian Football Club.
Filmography
::data[format=table]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Secret Army | Baroja | Series 1 Episode 4: Child’s Play |
| 1982 | King Lear | Curan | TV film |
| 1983 | The Beggar's Opera | Jemmy Twitcher | TV film |
| 1985 | Taggart | Dr. MacNaughten | TV series: 1 episode |
| 1986 | The Singing Detective | Uncle John | TV miniseries: 2 episodes |
| 1988 | London's Burning | Cyril | First episode |
| For Queen and Country | Civil Servant | ||
| 1990 | Your Cheatin' Heart | Fraser Boyle | TV series: 6 episodes |
| 1991 | All Good Things | Lawrence Wilson | TV series: 5 episodes |
| 1993 | Elvis and the Colonel: The Untold Story | TV | |
| Anna Lee | Bernie Schiller | TV | |
| Franz Kafka's It's a Wonderful Life | Woland the Knifeman | Short film | |
| Being Human | Gasper Diez | ||
| 1994 | Takin' Over the Asylum | Eddie McKenna | TV series: 6 episodes |
| Shallow Grave | DI McCall | ||
| 1996 | Saint-Ex | Prevot | |
| Silent Witness | Sergeant Bob Claire | TV series: 2 episodes | |
| A Mug's Game | McCaffrey | ||
| Rhodes | Barney Barnato | TV miniseries: 5 episodes | |
| 1997 | The Boxer | Ike Weir | |
| Stone, Scissors, Paper | Redfern | TV | |
| Fever Pitch | Ted, the Headmaster | ||
| 1999 | Dockers | Tommy Walton | TV |
| The Debt Collector | Gary Keltie | ||
| Plunkett & Macleane | General Chance | ||
| Vicious Circle | Martin Cahill | TV | |
| 1999–2003 | The Vice | DI Pat Chappel | TV series: 22 episodes |
| NominatedBritish Academy Television Award for Best Actor | |||
| 2000–2007 | Rebus | DI John Rebus | TV series: 14 episodes |
| 2000 | The Miracle Maker | Simon Peter | Voice only |
| 2001 | Messiah | DCI Red Metcalfe | TV miniseries |
| 2002 | Messiah 2: Vengeance is Mine | DCI Red Metcalfe | TV miniseries |
| 2003 | Promoted to Glory | Mike | TV |
| The Key | Billy | TV | |
| I'll Sleep When I'm Dead | Frank Turner | ||
| 2004 | Messiah 3:The Promise | DCI Red Metcalfe | TV miniseries |
| King Arthur | Marius Honorius | ||
| Spivs | Jack | ||
| 2005 | Casanova | Dalfonso | |
| Messiah: The Harrowing | DCI Red Metcalfe | TV miniseries | |
| The Girl in the Café | Chancellor | ||
| The Mighty Celt | Good Joe | ||
| Uncle Adolf | Adolf Hitler | TV | |
| 2007 | Charlie Wilson's War | Zvi Rafiah | |
| 2008 | The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian | Trufflehunter | Voice only |
| Hancock and Joan | Tony Hancock | TV | |
| Scottish BAFTA for Best Acting Performance in Television | |||
| NominatedBritish Academy Television Award for Best Actor | |||
| 2010 | Toast | Alan Slater | TV film |
| 2011 | The Runaway | Joey Pasqualino | |
| * One Day* | Steven Mayhew | ||
| 2012 | The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey | Balin | |
| 2013 | The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug | ||
| 2014 | The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies | ||
| Man Up | Bert | ||
| The Missing | Ian Garrett | TV series | |
| 2015 | An Inspector Calls | Arthur Birling | TV film |
| 2016 | War & Peace | Bazdeev | TV series |
| Café Society | Marty Dorfman | ||
| 100 Streets | Terence | ||
| 2017 | Fortitude | Erling Munk | TV series: Season 2 |
| 2018 | The Mercy | Stanley Best | |
| 2018 | Strike | The Boss | Animated film; voice only |
| 2021 | The Dig | Charles Phillips | |
| 2021-2023 | Crime | Chief Superintendent Bob Toal | TV series |
| :: |
Awards and nominations
BAFTA TV Awards
0 win, 3 nominations
::data[format=table title="[[British Academy Television Awards]]"]
| Year | Nominated work | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | The Vice | 2001 British Academy Television Award for Best Actor | ||
| 2009 | Hancock and Joan | 2009 British Academy Television Award for Best Actor | ||
| 2015 | The Missing | 2015 British Academy Television Award for Best Supporting Actor | first=Alex | |
| :: |
BAFTA Scotland Awards
2 win, 2 nominations
::data[format=table title="[[BAFTA Scotland]]"]
| Year | Nominated work | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Hancock and Joan | 2009 British Academy Scotland Awards for Best Actor in Television | ||
| 2015 | The Missing | 2015 British Academy Scotland Awards Best Actor in Television | ||
| :: |
Laurence Olivier Awards
1 win, 4 nominations
::data[format=table title="[[Laurence Olivier Award]]"]
| Year | Nominated work | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | The Recruiting Officer at the National Theatre | 1992 Laurence Olivier Awards Best Actor in a Supporting Role | ||
| 1995 | Broken Glass at the National Theatre Lyttelton / Duke of York's | 1995 Laurence Olivier Awards Best Actor in a Supporting Role | ||
| 1997 | Art at Wyndham's Theatre | Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor | title= Olivier Awards 1997 | |
| 2010 | A View from the Bridge as Eddie Carbone at the Duke of York's | 2010 Laurence Olivier Awards Best Actor in a Lead Role | ||
| :: |
Royal Television Society
0 wins 1 nomination
::data[format=table title="[[Royal Television Society]]"]
| Year | Nominated work | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | The Vice | Royal Television Society Award Best Actor | |
| :: |
References
References
- Banks-Smith, Nancy. (7 February 2007). "Last night's TV". [[The Guardian]].
- (3 February 2007). "Ken gets a taste of the past". [[Daily Record (Scotland).
- Fulton, Rick. (8 December 2005). "Born to be Rebus". [[Daily Record (Scotland).
- Black, Claire. (20 May 2009). "Ken Stott interview: View from the top". The Scotsman.
- Taylor, Paul. (21 April 1996). "Theatre: The Prince's Play, Royal National Theatre". [[The Independent]].
- "Ken Stott - Past Performances". theatricalia.com.
- "Ken Stott biography".
- "Ken Stott Credits". tvguide.com.
- (14 May 2012). "Edinburgh A-list stirred by Scottish Cup final derby". BBC Sport.
- Ritman, Alex. (8 April 2015). "BAFTA TV Awards: Benedict Cumberbatch Gets Third Nomination for 'Sherlock'". [[The Hollywood Reporter]].
- (1 January 2009). "Olivier Awards 1997". westendtheatre.com.
::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::