Adrian Townsend Schiller was born in
Oxford on 21 February 1964. He described himself as "a Jew, but not Jewish", as he "was brought up outside of any sort of Jewish tradition". An actor on stage and screen with a career spanning over thirty years, Schiller began his television career appearing in an episode of
Prime Suspect in December 1992.
Theatre As a British stage actor, he did substantial work at major
UK companies including
Royal Shakespeare Company,
National Theatre,
Young Vic,
Shakespeare’s Globe,
ETT, and
Hampstead. Notable performances include Kulygin in
Three Sisters at the Young Vic (2012), and Shylock in
The Merchant of Venice at the
Sam Wanamaker Playhouse (2022). Throughout his career, he continued taking demanding stage roles alongside his screen work. Shortly before his death, he toured internationally in a production of
The Lehman Trilogy, directed by
Sam Mendes. From 2018-2022, he played Ealdorman Aethelhelm for three seasons of
The Last Kingdom. ==Death==