Mark Rylance
Birth Place: Ashford, Kent, England, UK
COPLAND & TWAIN to Make NY Premiere at Chelsea Music Festival (Jun 3, 2026)
UNZIPPED to Make Live Debut With TRU Voices New Musicals Series (Jun 2, 2026)
TRU and League of Professional Theatre Women Team Up for Women Warriors Town Hall (May 5, 2026)
BIO
Mark Rylance made his professional acting debut in Desperado Corner at the Glasgow Citizens’ Theatre (1980). He performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company (1982–1983), appearing in The Taming of the Shrew, The Tempest, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and earned a Laurence Olivier Award nomination for Arden of Faversham (1983). He played Hamlet with the RSC in 1988 on tours of the UK, Ireland, and the U.S. In 1990, he co-founded the theatre company Phoebus’ Cart, which staged The Tempest (1991).
His early film work included the lead role in The Grass Arena (1991). He starred in Much Ado About Nothing (1993), winning the Olivier Award for Best Actor.
Rylance served as the first artistic director of Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre from 1995 to 2005, directing and acting in productions including Twelfth Night and Richard III, and presenting new plays such as Augustine’s Oak (1999) and The Golden Ass or the Curious Man (2002).
Screen and stage projects in the 2000s included Intimacy (2001), The Government Inspector (2005), Boeing-Boeing (London 2007; Broadway 2008, Tony Award), and Jerusalem (2009).
He starred in La Bête (2010), winning an Olivier Award, and later won a Tony Award for Jerusalem on Broadway (2011). In 2013, he appeared on Broadway in Twelfth Night and Richard III, winning another Tony Award.
Television and film roles included Thomas Cromwell in Wolf Hall (2015), Bridge of Spies (2015), for which he won the Academy Award, BAFTA Award, and other major honors, The BFG (2016), Dunkirk (2017), Ready Player One (2018), Waiting for the Barbarians (2018), and the Broadway production of Farinelli and the King (2018), earning a Tony nomination.
He co-wrote and starred in Nice Fish (stage premieres 2013–2016).
Recent work includes The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020), Don’t Look Up (2021), Dr Semmelweis (stage, 2022; West End transfer 2023), The Outfit (2022), Bones & All (2022), Inland (2022), Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light (2024), and the West End revival of Juno and the Paycock (2024).
Photos
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STAGE CREDITS
Writing
Movies
[ 1987 ] Fizz
[ 1991 ] Ferdinand
[ 1995 ] Jakob
[ 1995 ] William Adamson
[ 2001 ] Jay
[ 2008 ] Sir Thom Boleyn
[ 2011 ] Condell
[ 2011 ] Roberts
[ 2013 ] Olivia
[ 2014 ] Stephen
[ 2015 ] Rudolf Abel
[ 2015 ] Terrance Cox
[ 2016 ] BFG
[ 2017 ] Mr. Dawson
[ 2018 ] Anorak, Halliday
[ 2019 ] Magistrate
[ 2020 ] William Kunstler
[ 2021 ] Maurice Flitcroft
[ 2021 ] Peter Isherwell
[ 2022 ] Dunleavy
[ 2022 ] Leonard
[ 2022 ] Sully
TV Shows
Flop, Flop UK & US
Thomas Cromwell
Awards and Nominations
Mark Rylance, Farinelli and The King
Mark RylanceFarinelli And The King
Mark Rylance, Twelfth Night
winner
Mark Rylance, Twelfth Night
Mark Rylance, Richard III
Mark RylanceTwelfth Night
winner
Mark Rylance, Jerusalem
Mark Rylance, Jerusalem
winner
Mark Rylance, Jerusalem
winner
Mark Rylance, La Bete
winner
Mark Rylance, La Bête and Jerusalem
Mark Rylance, La Bete
winner
Mark Rylance, Jerusalem
winner
Mark Rylance, Jerusalem
winner
Mark Rylance, Jerusalem
winner
Mark Rylance, Jerusalem
winner
Mark Rylance, Jerusalem
winner
Mark Rylance, Boeing-Boeing
Mark Rylance, Boeing Boeing
winner
Mark Rylance, Boeing-Boeing
winner
Mark Rylance, Boeing-Boeing
Mark RylanceTwelfth Night
winner
Mark RylanceMuch Ado About Nothing
Mark RylanceArden Of Faversham
Videos
Video: Jeremy Strong Talks Theatre Roots and ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE on CBS SUNDAY MORNING
by Blair Ingenthron - 2023-05-14 10:54:58
VIDEO: Ariana Grade & Kid Cudi Share 'Just Look Up' Performance Video
by Michael Major - 2021-12-10 10:51:06
VIDEO: Sacha Baron Cohen Talks TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7 & BORAT on JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE!
by Sarah Leiber - 2021-03-05 09:29:58
VIDEO: Yahya Abdul-Mateen Talks Gambling With Mark Rylance on LATE NIGHT WITH SETH MEYERS
by Sarah Leiber - 2020-10-22 09:43:28
VIDEO: Watch the Official Teaser Trailer For THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7
by Stephi Wild - 2020-09-14 05:30:01
VIDEO: 30 Days of Tony! Day 23- Mark Rylance Scoops Up A Tony for BOEING, BOEING!
by A.A. Cristi - 2018-06-03 12:00:48
VIDEO: Check Out the Latest Trailer for Upcoming Spielberg Flick READY PLAY ONE
by Macon Prickett - 2018-02-15 12:55:36
Theater Talk: Mark Rylance & Claire van Kampen Explain FARINELLI AND THE KING
by Theater Talk - 2018-01-22 09:05:38
VIDEO: 'See the Future' in New READY PLAYER ONE Promotional Video
by Stephi Wild - 2018-01-21 19:21:02
TV: Mark Rylance & Company Celebrate Opening Night of FARINELLI AND THE KING
by TV - Opening Night Special - 2017-12-18 18:00:42
VIDEO: Tom Hardy & More in New TV Spot for Action Thriller DUNKIRK
by Caryn Robbins - 2017-07-05 09:28:35
VIDEO: Mark Rylance, Kenneth Branagh Star in Christopher Nolan's DUNKIRK
by Caryn Robbins - 2016-12-14 11:05:47
VIDEO: Tour The Fascinating Artifacts of The British Library's 'Shakespeare In Ten Acts'
by Michael Dale - 2016-07-22 12:50:08
VIDEO: First Look - Mark Rylance Stars in Spielberg's THE BFG
by Caryn Robbins - 2016-04-05 11:50:41
VIDEO: Mark Rylance's Academy Award Takes A Surprise Bow At NICE FISH
by Michael Dale - 2016-03-10 17:48:06
VIDEO: JIMMY KIMMEL's Guillermo Does Shots with Charlize Theron & More on OSCAR Red Carpet!
by Caryn Robbins - 2016-03-01 11:43:43
News
by A.A. Cristi - Jun 3, 2026
Concert Theatre Works' theatrical concert COPLAND & TWAIN, directed by Bill Barclay, will blend Aaron Copland's incidental music with Mark Twain's writings at Open Jar Studios, conducted by Ken-David Masur.
by A.A. Cristi - Jun 2, 2026
Theater Resources Unlimited will present a free live reading of UNZIPPED, a new musical by Eva Margolies and Douglas J. Cohen, at Theater 555 in NYC, followed by an industry talkback panel.
by Stephi Wild - May 5, 2026
Theater Resources Unlimited and the League of Professional Theatre Women will present a Town Hall discussion on gender equality in theater, hosted at Polaris North Studio in NYC with simultaneous streaming available.
by Stephi Wild - Apr 30, 2026
A brand-new production of Molière's comedy classic, Tartuffe, will make its world premiere starring Mark Rylance in the titular role. Learn more about the production here!
by Kat Mokrynski - May 7, 2026
Showstopper! The Improvised Musical is a unique production where a group of comedians, singers and musicians come together to create a new musical every night before an audience. Over the years it’s been running, Showstopper! has won an Olivier Award and even recently reaching 1,500 performances.
by Stephi Wild - Mar 31, 2026
Performances are now underway for Manhattan Theatre Club's world premiere of The Balusters, a new play by Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize winner David Lindsay-Abaire, directed by Tony Award winner Kenny Leon. Meet the cast of The Balusters here!
by Kat Mokrynski - Feb 27, 2026
Recently, we had the chance to speak with Alfred Enoch about taking on the titular role of Shakespeare's Henry V. We discussed how he has been connected with the Bard of Avon since his theatrical beginnings, what it is like to be a part of the legacy of the Royal Shakespeare Company and even his own hypothesis on what makes Shakespeare such a legendary writer!
by Stephi Wild - Jan 14, 2026
The Royal Shakespeare Company has announced the cast for the US premiere of HAMNET, set to run from February 10 to March 8. This highly anticipated production will showcase a talented ensemble at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, offering audiences a fresh interpretation of Shakespeare's legacy through the lens of his son's perspective.
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Dec 15, 2025
Antonia Franceschi has been appointed Interim Artistic Director at New York Theatre Ballet. Franceschi's appointment fills the role of former artistic director Steven Melendez who stepped down in November 2025.
by Stephi Wild - Nov 25, 2025
Intermission Youth has announced the appointment of three new ambassadors to its fold. Learn more about Kathryn Hunter, Malachi Kirby and Indra Ové here.
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Nov 3, 2025
Diaspora House will present a limited engagement of Blackbird, David Harrower’s searing psychological drama, running for eight performances only at Theater Row.
by Cheryl Markosky - Oct 22, 2025
An exhilarating new satire on social media, class and how we live in unreal worlds bursts onto the Donmar stage in a frenzy of must-see vigour. Writer/director Kip Williams – who made his West End debut with Olivier and Tony award-winning The Picture of Dorian Gray, starring Succession's Sarah Snook – returns with his bang up-to-date adaptation of Jean Genet's play based on sisters Christine and Lea Papin, who murdered their employer and her daughter in 1933.
by Cheryl Markosky - Sep 24, 2025
Douglas Hodge commendably leads a star-studded cast in Lindsay Posner's new adaptation of Endgame at Theatre Royal Bath's intimate Ustinov Studio.
by Natalie O'Donoghue - Jul 28, 2025
Inspired by the Book of Jonah – and probably God – award-winning shunt veteran, Mitchell and Webb writer, John Finnemore's Souvenir Programmer (and Keith Darren Dean in Ghosts), Simon Kane, regurgitates his highly acclaimed, horrifyingly evergreen divine comedy about the extremist in us all.
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Jul 22, 2025
A dependable haven for artists in isolation, Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU) is celebrating its fifth year of non-stop weekly Community Gatherings. Up next is a Free Introduction to their Producer Development & Mentorship Program.
by Stephi Wild - Jun 18, 2025
Nottingham Playhouse has announced that Tony and Olivier-nominated Samuel Barnett completes the casting for the world premiere of Caroline Bird's The Last Stand of Mrs. Mary Whitehouse, alongside the previously announced Maxine Peake.
by Stephi Wild - Jun 3, 2025
When Nüwa created humanity, she believed they would live in joy and harmony forever. She mended the sky with five-colored stones, halted the great Catastrophe, and ascended-confident her work was complete. But thousands of years later, humanity obliterated itself with the press of a few tiny buttons
by A.A. Cristi - Apr 3, 2025
New Jersey Symphony will present Music Director Xian Zhang conducting Mozart, Bach and Abels, with the Symphony’s principal violins, Eric Wyrick and Francine Storck, stepping up to perform Bach’s Double Concerto with the orchestra.
by A.A. Cristi - Feb 13, 2025
The Dryden Ensemble is entering an exciting new chapter as lutenist Daniel Swenberg steps into the role of artistic director, succeeding founder and former artistic director Jane McKinley.
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Jan 18, 2025
Claire Louise van Kampen, Lady Rylance, has died this morning, Saturday the 18th of January at 11:47, in the ancient town of Kassel, Germany, surrounded by her family. Learn more about her life and legacy.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Mark Rylance has appeared on Broadway in 6 shows.
Mark Rylance has appeared on London's West End in 9 shows.
Mark Rylance's first West End show was La Bete which opened in 2010
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play (Tony Awards) for Farinelli and The King, Best Actor (Olivier Awards) for Farinelli And The King, Outstanding Actor in a Play (Outer Critics Circle Awards) for Twelfth Night , Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play (Tony Awards) for Twelfth Night, Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play (Tony Awards) for Richard III, Best Actor (Olivier Awards) for Twelfth Night, Best Leading Actor in a Play (BroadwayWorld Awards) for Jerusalem, Outstanding Actor in a Play (Drama Desk Awards) for Jerusalem, Distinguished Performance Award (Drama League Awards) for Jerusalem, Distinguished Performance Award (Drama League Awards) for La Bete, Special Citations (New York Drama Critics Circle Awards) for La Bête and Jerusalem, Best Actor (Olivier Awards) for La Bete, Outstanding Actor in a Play (Outer Critics Circle Awards) for Jerusalem, Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play (Tony Awards) for Jerusalem, Best Actor (Olivier Awards) for Jerusalem, Best Actor (Olivier Awards) for Jerusalem, Best Actor (Evening Standard Awards) for Jerusalem, Outstanding Actor in a Play (Drama Desk Awards) for Boeing-Boeing, Best Actor (Olivier Awards) for Boeing Boeing, Performance (Theatre World Awards) for Boeing-Boeing, Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play (Tony Awards) for Boeing-Boeing, Best Actor (Olivier Awards) for Twelfth Night, Best Actor (Olivier Awards) for Much Ado About Nothing and Actor of the Year in a Supporting Role (Olivier Awards) for Arden Of Faversham.
Mark Rylance has received numerous prestigious awards throughout his career, including: - Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play (Tony Awards) for Twelfth Night - Best Leading Actor in a Play (BroadwayWorld Awards) for Jerusalem - Distinguished Performance Award (Drama League Awards) for Jerusalem - Distinguished Performance Award (Drama League Awards) for La Bête - Special Citations (New York Drama Critics Circle Awards) for La Bête and Jerusalem - Outstanding Actor in a Play (Outer Critics Circle Awards) for Jerusalem - Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play (Tony Awards) for Jerusalem - Best Actor (Olivier Awards) for Jerusalem - Best Actor (Evening Standard Awards) for Jerusalem - Outstanding Actor in a Play (Drama Desk Awards) for Boeing-Boeing - Performance (Theatre World Awards) for Boeing-Boeing - Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play (Tony Awards) for Boeing-Boeing - Best Actor (Olivier Awards) for Much Ado About Nothing.
Mark Rylance has written 1 shows including Nice Fish (Author).
Videos
