in 1963 In the
United Kingdom, McShane's best known role is antiques dealer
Lovejoy in the
eponymous series (1986, 1991–1994). ''
If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium, Battle of Britain (both 1969), Pussycat, Pussycat, I Love You (1970), Sitting Target (1972), The Last of Sheila (1973) and The Fifth Musketeer'' (1979). He has also enjoyed success in the
United States as Don Lockwood in
Dallas and is known for the role of
Al Swearengen in the
HBO series
Deadwood, In a 2004 interview with
The Independent, McShane stated that he wished he had turned down the role of Bryson since the technical dialogue was a struggle and he found looking at
Martin Sheen, who wore an eye in the middle of his forehead, to be the most embarrassing experience that he had ever had while acting. In 1985 McShane appeared as MC on
Grace Jones'
Slave to the Rhythm, a
concept album featuring his narration interspersed throughout. It sold more than a million copies worldwide. In 1992 he recorded and released a solo studio album,
From Both Sides Now, in which he sang
cover versions of popular songs. The album reached number 40 in the
UK Albums Chart. His other roles include that of
armed robber and
gangland boss Jack Last in the
Minder episode
The Last Video Show. As
Captain Hook in
Shrek the Third,
Ragnar Sturlusson in
The Golden Compass,
Tai Lung in
Kung Fu Panda (for which he received an
Annie Award nomination), crime boss Teddy Bass in
Sexy Beast, and Mr. Bobinsky in
Coraline. In live-action he has performed in
Hot Rod, the action/thriller
Death Race, and
The Seeker. He has appeared in
The West Wing as a Russian diplomat. During 2007–08, he starred as Max in the 40th anniversary
Broadway revival of
Harold Pinter's
The Homecoming, co-starring
Eve Best,
Raúl Esparza, and
Michael McKean, and directed by
Daniel Sullivan, at the
Cort Theatre (16 December 2007 – 13 April 2008). In 2009 he appeared in
Kings, which was drawn from the biblical story of
David. His portrayal of King Silas Benjamin, an analogue of
King Saul, was highly praised, with one critic writing: "Whenever
Kings seems to falter, McShane appears to put bite marks all over the scenery." In 2010 McShane starred in
The Pillars of the Earth as Bishop Waleran Bigod. The series was a historical drama set in 12th-century England and adapted from
Ken Follett's
novel of the same name. That same year it was confirmed that McShane would portray
Edward "Blackbeard" Teach in the
Walt Disney Company/
Jerry Bruckheimer film
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. McShane reprised the role of Blackbeard in
Pirates of the Caribbean in
Disneyland and
Walt Disney World, as well as the interactive quest ''A Pirate's Adventure: Treasure of the Seven Seas'' at
Magic Kingdom. In 2013 he played King Brahmwell in
Bryan Singer's
Jack the Giant Slayer. Since 2010 McShane has narrated the opening teases for each round of
ESPN's coverage of
The Open Championship. In 2012 McShane had a guest role for two episodes as Murder Santa, a sadistic serial killer in the 1960s in the
second season of
American Horror Story. In 2016, he joined the cast of
Game of Thrones in
Season 6 as Septon Ray. McShane announced in 2017 that a script for a two-hour
Deadwood film had been submitted by creator
David Milch to HBO and that a film was close to happening. "[A] two-hour movie script has been delivered to HBO. If they don't deliver [a finished product], blame them," McShane said. The film began production in October 2018.
Deadwood: The Movie was released on 31 May 2019, concluding the story of the series. ==Personal life==