1990s Macfadyen's first role was Philip in the film made for television
The Lost Language of Cranes (1991). He portrayed a young man who must tell his parents that he is gay. Playing the role of his father was fellow Scottish actor
Brian Cox. Macfadyen then acted in five episodes of
Soldier Soldier before appearing in the television film
15: The Life and Death of Philip Knight (1993) and also on the television series ''
Takin' Over the Asylum'' (1994) about a salesman who runs a radio station in a mental institution. That role led to his role as
Robert the Bruce in
Mel Gibson's film
Braveheart (1995). In 1995 he also portrayed
Richard Burton in the TV miniseries
Liz: The Elizabeth Taylor Story. After
Braveheart won Best Picture at the Academy Awards, Macfadyen acted in the independent film
Nevada (1997), before giving the most over-the-top performance of his career in the action/fantasy
Warriors of Virtue (1997). He also co-starred alongside
Don Cheadle and
Ray Liotta when he played Peter Lawford in the HBO film
The Rat Pack (1998). His dark presence causes controversy in the local port town of New Providence, especially among Gov. Charles Eden (Chamberlain) and his
adopted daughter Charlotte (Chastain), who is being wooed by Lt. Robert Maynard (Umbers). His next big role was that of
Jeff Denlon in
Saw III (also 2006). Jeff is a man obsessed with revenge, and he is led into a series of traps that test his ability to forgive. The film was a smash hit for its $10 million budget, earning almost $200 million worldwide. Macfadyen then co-starred in the
box office bomb Redline and
Saw IV (both 2007), which was also a box office success. Macfadyen continued making films, starring as the outlaw Will Tunney in his western film
Shadowheart (2009). He has appeared on television on the series
Killer Wave (2007) and
Californication (2008) He has also acted in the mystery film
San Saba (2008) and the thriller film
Clean Break (aka,
Unnatural Causes, 2008).
2010s Macfadyen has appeared in two thrillers:
Pound of Flesh (2010) alongside
Malcolm McDowell, which revolves around a corrupt college professor, and the crime thriller
Shadows of the White Nights (aka,
Assassins Run, 2013) alongside
Christian Slater. He starred as Lucas Blackstone in the Christian film
Taken by Grace (also 2013). Additionally, Macfadyen was part of the cast of the
USA Network's television series
Psych, the
Cameron Crowe feature film
We Bought a Zoo (2011) starring
Matt Damon, and the final season of
Chuck as villain Nicholas Quinn. Macfadyen also starred as
Robert Rogers in
AMC's historical drama series ''
Turn: Washington's Spies (2014–17), and Allan Pinkerton on the first-run syndicated series The Pinkertons (2014–15). He appeared opposite Charlie Hunnam and Robert Pattinson as biologist James Murray in the 2016 biographical drama The Lost City of Z.'' In 2021, Macfadyen was cast as
Jor-El in
Superman & Lois. ==Filmography==