Christian McKay

Christian McKay
Christian McKay in 2013
Born	Christian Stuart McKay[1] 11 November 1973[2] Bury, Lancashire, England, UK
Nationality	British
Occupation	Actor
Years active	2004–present
Spouse(s)	Emily Allen

Christian Stuart McKay (born 11 November 1973^[2]) is an English stage and screen actor. He is well known for his portrayal of Orson Welles in the 2008 film Me and Orson Welles, which received critical praise and was nominated for awards such as the BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor. He also appeared in movies such as You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and Rush.

Early life

McKay was born in Bury, Lancashire. He has two siblings, Karen McKay and Tony Gardner. His mother, Lynne, is a hairdresser, and his father, Stuart, is a railway worker.^[3] He studied piano as a youth,^[4] and performed the Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 3 at age 21.^[3] McKay subsequently halted his concert career^[5] and enrolled at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art to study acting.

Career

In the theatre, McKay has portrayed Orson Welles in the one-man play Rosebud: The Lives of Orson Welles at a number of venues, including the Edinburgh Festival^[6] and King's Head (London).^[7] He subsequently reprised the role in the US at the 2007 "Brits Off Broadway" festival.^[8]

McKay's television appearances include portraying conductor Pierre Monteux in the BBC TV production Riot at the Rite (2005).^[9] His first film appearance was in Abraham's Point (2008).

After seeing a performance of Rosebud at the 2007 "Brits Off Broadway" festival, Richard Linklater cast McKay as Welles in his film Me and Orson Welles, retaining McKay over the subsequent producer objections to his casting.^[10] In this, his second film, McKay received critical praise for his performance as Orson Welles.^{[11][12][13][14]}

In 2013, McKay played Gerard in Strangers on a Train^[15] at London's Gielgud Theatre.^[16]

McKay has recently been seen in the biographical drama Rush, alongside Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Brühl, the BAFTA-nominated music film Northern Soul, and the Oscar-winning biographical drama The Theory of Everything, alongside Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones. All of these were met with critical acclaim, with The Theory of Everything receiving a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Picture.

Personal life

McKay is married to the actress Emily Allen.^[4]

Filmography

Year	Film	Role	Notes
2008	Abraham's Point	Robert
2009	Me and Orson Welles	Orson Welles	Austin Film Critics Association Award for Breakthrough Artist San Francisco Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor Utah Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated — BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated — British Independent Film Award for Most Promising Newcomer Nominated — Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated — Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated — Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Most Promising Performer Nominated — Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated — Denver Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated — Detroit Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated — Evening Standard British Film Award for Best Actor Nominated — Houston Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated — Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male Nominated — International Cinephile Society Award for Best Supporting Actor [17] Nominated — London Film Critics Circle Award for British Actor of the Year Nominated — National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor (3rd place) Nominated — New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor (2nd place) Nominated — San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor Nominated — Toronto Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated — Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Breakthrough Performance
2010	You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger	Poker Friend
	Mr. Nice	Hamilton McMillan
	The Road to Coronation Street	Harry Elton	TV Movie
2011	I Melt With You	Tim
	Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy	Mackelvore
	Borgia	Cardinal Sforza	TV series: 9 episodes
2013	Rush	Alexander Hesketh
	The Devil's Violinist	John Watson
2014	Closer to the Moon	Iorgu
	Northern Soul	Dad
	The Theory of Everything	Roger Penrose
2015	Creditors	Grant Pierce
	Jekyll and Hyde	Maxwell Utterson	TV Series
2016	The Young Messiah	Cleopas

References

1. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVWK-59LX
2. http://m.cineplex.com/m/Movies/Cast-Archives/4382502/Christian-McKay.aspx
3. John Millar (2009-12-06). "Christian McKay's Obsession with Orson Welles". Daily Express. Retrieved 2009-12-12.
4. Sam Allis (2009-12-06). "Getting Orson Welles just right". Boston Globe. Retrieved 2010-01-10.
5. "Linklater's film depicts young Orson Welles". CBC News. 2009-12-09. Retrieved 2009-12-12.
6. Lyn Gardner (2004-08-17). "Rosebud (Assembly Rooms, Edinburgh)". The Guardian. Retrieved 2010-01-10.
7. Maddy Costa (2006-01-09). "Rosebud (King's Head, London)". The Guardian. Retrieved 2010-01-10.
8. Gina Bellafante (2007-06-06). "Finding Room for an Actor Fit for the Stage". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-01-10.
9. Kenneth Archer and Millicent Hodson (February 2006). "Reading the Riot Act". ballet.co magazine. Retrieved 2010-01-10.
10. Cath Clarke (2009-10-15). "First sight: Christian McKay". The Guardian. Retrieved 2010-01-10.
11. Philip French (2009-12-06). "Me and Orson Welles". The Observer. Retrieved 2010-01-10.
12. Anthony Quinn (2009-12-04). "Me and Orson Welles (12A)". The Independent. Retrieved 2010-01-10.
13. "Me and Orson Welles, review". Telegraph. 2009-12-03. Retrieved 2010-01-10.
14. A.O. Scott (2009-11-25). "When a Bombastic Young Man Bestrode the Boards of the Mercury Theater". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-01-10.
15. "Strangers On A Train". delfontmackintosh.co.uk. Delfont Mackintosh. Retrieved 16 January 2014.
16. "Fatal Attraction and Strangers On A Train head to West End stage". bbc.co.uk/news. BBC News. 20 September 2013. Retrieved 16 January 2014.
17. "International Cinephile Society Likes "Basterds," "Serious Man"". indieWire. 2010-01-20. Retrieved 2012-10-15.

External links

• Christian McKay at the Internet Movie Database