“The Manhunter”, “X-Men 2”, “Rushmore Academy”, “Troy” - paintings that made the public famous for Brian Cox. The filmography of the star was discovered back in 1965. Currently it contains about 200 film projects and series. An extraordinary actor, who recently celebrated his 70th birthday, continues to act actively, and often acts as a director. What is known about him?
Brian Cox: childhood
The future winner of the Emmy Award and other honorary awards was born in the small Scottish town of Dundee. It happened in June 1946. Brian Cox comes from a large family. By the time the boy was born, his parents already had four children. The ancestors of the actor were not related to the world of cinema. And he managed to become the first star in his family.
The childhood of the future artist can hardly be called cloudless. Brian Cox only managed to celebrate his eight-year anniversary when the family lost the breadwinner. The father, who owned a small store, passed away after a long illness. All the hardships associated with caring for food fell on the shoulders of the mother. Little Brian saw her extremely rarely, as she constantly disappeared at work. Elder sisters, who had not yet managed to grow up, were forced to look after him. It is not surprising that the child had to become independent early.
Choice of profession
Brian was 14 years old when the theater entered his life. The future actor combined the last years of study at school with performances as part of a local troupe. His love for the art of drama grew and grew stronger. After school, Brian Cox went to London, where he became a student at the Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.
Shortly after moving to the capital of Great Britain, the young man was taken into his arms by the Birmingham Repertory Theater. Almost immediately after that, the debut of the future owner of the Emmy took place on the London theater stage. The first professional production, in which the aspiring actor took part, was the play "How do you like it." The plot of the play was borrowed from the Shakespearean comedy of the same name, Brian got the role of the young Orlando.
First roles
Brian Cox is an actor who managed not to meet serious obstacles to fame. Already in 1965, the young man received a small role in the television project "Games on Wednesdays." Of course, almost no one paid attention to his character, but the beginning was laid. This was followed by a game in the historical drama Crown of the Devil, released in 1968. In this series, the aspiring actor embodied the image of the mysterious ruler Heinrich the Second.
A breakthrough in Brian's career happened in 1971. Franklin Schaeffner entrusted a little-known actor with one of the key roles in the biographical film "Nikolai and Alexander", which earned two Oscars and six nominations for this award. The drama tells about the last years of the life of the Russian tsar. In this film, Cox brilliantly played Leon Trotsky, for the first time attracting the attention of viewers and critics.
Finest hour
At the moment, no one doubts that Brian is a bright character actor, able to create the most unexpected images, often shocking the audience. The world first learned about this in 1986. This happened thanks to the thriller "Manhunter", shot by Michael Mann.
The mysterious maniac Hannibal Lecter is the character played by Brian Cox in this sinister film. Films in which the actor starred after this, received more popularity, but it was the role of Lecter that made him a star. Interestingly, he became the first person to embody the image of this sinister character on the screen. Nevertheless, for most viewers, Lecter is still associated with Anthony Hopkins, who played him later.
Villains and heroes
Cox is an actor that directors love to work with. This is primarily due to the fact that Brian equally organically fits in the role of inveterate villains and fearless heroes. He had the opportunity to create images of villains in many paintings. For example, Brian Cox, whose photo can be seen in this article, starred in the fantastic film "X-Men 2", trying on the role of the insidious William Stryker. It was this actor who became the ill-fated king Agamemnon, one of the most interesting characters in the film "Troy." He also played the ruthless ghost emperor in the animated television show Danny the Ghost. In "Identification of Bourne" the actor had the opportunity to visit the deputy director of the CIA.
As already mentioned, Cox has bright positive characters on his account. For example, the crime drama “25th Hour”, in which the actor embodied the image of the good father of the protagonist, acquired a lot of fans. In the detective comedy Super Police, he played the good-natured captain. What successful films have Cox Brian Denis played relatively recently? The films "Iron Knight", "Zodiac", "Adaptation" are able to please not only fans of a talented actor.
Personal life
Coke can not be classified as monogamous. In his life there were many novels. The actor entered into official marriage twice. His first choice was Caroline Burt, who gave birth to a star of two children. The divorce of a married couple after a long marriage was a surprise for all their friends, since from the side of the couple it always seemed safe. Brian's second wife is his colleague Nicole Ansari. He still lives with this woman, and also has two children from her. The marriage, which turned out to be strong, was concluded in 2002.
Interesting Facts
Brian Cox is known to viewers not only as an artist. In 1993, he first took on the role of producer in creating the painting "Chain of Desire." I had a chance to visit the star in the shoes of the operator. This happened during the filming of "Bypass" and "Mel." Has Brian and experience in directing. However, so far it can boast of only one picture - “The Scorpion's Sting”.
Coke is not afraid to test his strength in various activities. However, his love for the acting profession remains unchanged. In recent years, Brian has been entrusted mainly with the images of noble aristocrats, with whom the talented actor perfectly copes. It is also known that in the past he often had to play Scots, which is associated with the origin of the star.