1992–2009 In 1992 he portrayed Stan in the
Neil Simon play
Brighton Beach Memoirs at Andrew's Lane in Dublin. Scott made his film acting debut in the Irish drama
Korea (1995), which premiered at the
Toronto International Film Festival. Scott worked with film and theatre director
Karel Reisz in the
Gate Theatre, Dublin, production of ''
Long Day's Journey into Night'' (1998), playing the role of Edmund Tyrone, the younger son, in
Eugene O'Neill's play about a wealthy but tortured Irish family living in Connecticut in 1912. He won Actor of the Year at the
Sunday Independent Spirit of Life Arts Awards 1998 and received an
Irish Times Theatre Award nomination in 1998 for Best Supporting Actor. Scott had a small role as Michael Bodkin in the film
Nora, and another small role in a television adaptation of
Henry James's
The American, before making his London theatre debut in
Conor McPherson's
Dublin Carol at the
Royal Court Theatre. He appeared briefly in the BAFTA-winning drama
Longitude (2000) opposite Sir
Michael Gambon, whom he called "a brilliant actor" and "the best actor in England". He also acted in
Steven Spielberg's World War II miniseries
Band of Brothers (2001). In 2004, he was named one of European Film Promotions' "Shooting Stars." After starring in
My Life in Film for the BBC, he received his first
Laurence Olivier Award for his role in
A Girl in a Car with a Man at The Royal Court, and the
Theatregoers' Choice Award for his performance in the
Royal National Theatre's
Aristocrats. He also originated the roles of the twin brothers in the Royal Court's world premiere production of
Christopher Shinn's
Dying City, which was later nominated for a
Pulitzer Prize. In 2006, he made his
Broadway debut in the
Music Box Theater production of
The Vertical Hour written by
David Hare and directed by
Sam Mendes. Scott starred alongside
Bill Nighy and
Julianne Moore. He was nominated for a
Drama League Award for this performance. Scott appeared as Col. William Smith in the historical miniseries
John Adams. In 2009, he appeared in
Sea Wall, a one-man show written especially for him by playwright
Simon Stephens. His film appearances include a role in
Chasing Cotards (a short film made for IMAX); a role in the short film,
Silent Things; and the role of
Paul McCartney in the BBC film
Lennon Naked. He also stars in the critically acclaimed 2010 film
The Duel.
2010–2017 He gained prominence for his role as
Sherlock Holmes' nemesis
Jim Moriarty opposite
Benedict Cumberbatch in the drama series
Sherlock, which he played from 2010 to 2017. He had a guest role in the second series of ''
Garrow's Law'' playing a gay man on trial for sodomy. In 2010, he appeared in the Old Vic production of
Noël Coward's
Design for Living directed by
Anthony Page. He had a part in the drama
The Hour as Adam Le Ray, a failed actor. The series starred
Dominic West and
Romola Garai. In addition to his stage and TV work, Scott is known for his voice acting in radio plays and audiobooks, such as the roles of
Jay Gatsby in
F. Scott Fitzgerald's
The Great Gatsby and
Stephen Dedalus in
James Joyce's
Ulysses. In November 2013, Scott took part in the
Royal National Theatre's
50 Years on Stage, a theatrical event which consisted of excerpts from many plays over the National's fifty-year run and was broadcast live on television. Alongside
Dominic Cooper, Scott performed a scene from
Tony Kushner's epic play
Angels in America about the
AIDS crisis in New York City. In 2014 Scott took to the stage in
Birdland, written by Simon Stephens and directed by
Carrie Cracknell at the Royal Court Theatre, playing the central character of Paul, a rock star on the verge of a breakdown. Scott received positive reviews for the performance, with comments such as "beautifully played" and [he] "pulls off the brilliant trick of being totally dead behind the eyes and fascinating at the same time, an appalling creature who's both totem and symptom". In 2015, he appeared in the
James Bond film Spectre as Max Denbigh, a member of the British government intent on shutting down the Double-0 section. The following year he appeared in the romantic drama film
This Beautiful Fantastic (2016), directed and written by Simon Aboud. Also in 2016, he portrayed solicitor
Anthony Julius in the film
Denial alongside
Rachel Weisz,
Timothy Spall and
Tom Wilkinson. In 2017, Scott's performance in the title role of
Hamlet won critical acclaim and earned him the nomination for
Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Play. The play was directed by
Robert Icke and first produced at the
Almeida Theatre. Michael Billington of
The Guardian praised Scott's performance, writing, "Scott's Hamlet is most memorable for his charm, self-mockery and ability to speak directly to the audience." The production was filmed and broadcast on BBC Two at Easter 2018. Scott also voiced Obake in
Big Hero 6: The Series (2017).
2018–present Scott portrayed Edgar in the television adaptation of
William Shakespeare's
King Lear (2018). Scott starred alongside
Anthony Hopkins,
Emma Thompson, and
Florence Pugh. The following year, he portrayed The Priest in series two of the comedy-drama
Fleabag (2018), created by
Phoebe Waller-Bridge. For his performance, he received acclaim and nominations for a
Golden Globe Award and
Screen Actors Guild Award, and won a
Critics' Choice Television Award. In 2019, he appeared in the anthology series
Black Mirror, as the lead character Chris in the Season 5 episode "
Smithereens" for which he was nominated for the
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series. Also in 2019, he acted in the
Sam Mendes drama
1917, which received acclaim as well as an
Academy Award for Best Picture nomination. In June to August 2019, Scott starred as the matinee idol Garry Essendine in
Matthew Warchus's revival of Noël Coward's
Present Laughter at the Old Vic in London. He received acclaim for the role as well as the
Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor. He portrayed Colonel John Parry/
Jopari/Stanislaus Grumman in an adaptation of
Philip Pullman's
His Dark Materials from 2019 to 2022. He played Lord Merlin in the miniseries
The Pursuit of Love (2021). Also that year, he portrayed
Terje Rød-Larsen in the film
Oslo (2021). The following year, he acted in the comedy
Catherine Called Birdy (2022). In 2023, Scott starred opposite
Paul Mescal in the romantic drama
All of Us Strangers. His performance earned him a nomination for the
Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama at the
81st Golden Globe Awards. He also starred in
Vanya, a one-man production of
Anton Chekhov's
Uncle Vanya, which earned him acclaim. Scott next starred as
Tom Ripley in
Ripley, a television series adapted from
Patricia Highsmith's
Ripley novels. For the role, he received nominations for the
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie and the
Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film. In June 2025, Scott was invited to join the
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Later that year, he starred as part of an ensemble cast in the murder mystery
Wake Up Dead Man, the third film in the
Knives Out series. ==Personal life==