---
name: "Alan Cox"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/alan-cox"
fi1m_id: "alan-cox"
imdb_id: "nm0184893"
tmdb_id: 70881
wikidata_id: "Q4706436"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "6 August 1970"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 4
average_fi1m_score: 67
average_as: "actor"
average_over: 4
updated: "2026-10-07T14:06:31.097771+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Alan Cox

## Identity

Alan Cox

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/alan-cox
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** alan-cox
- **IMDb ID:** nm0184893
- **TMDB ID:** 70881
- **Wikidata ID:** Q4706436
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Cox_(actor), https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4706436, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0184893/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/70881

Actor. Born 6 August 1970 in London, England, UK.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 6 August 1970, London, England, UK
- **Active:** 1985–present
- **Average Fi1m score:** 67, as actor, over 4 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1980s 68 (1), 1990s 66 (1), 2000s 81 (1), 2020s 52 (1)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 67 to 64 across 4 titles
- **Score spread:** 1 at 80+, 2 at 60–79, 1 under 60
- **Lead roles:** 1 of 2 acting credits billed first or second
- **Genres:** Drama 3, Mystery 2, Adventure 1, Comedy 1, Crime 1, Romance 1
- **Screen time:** 4 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $116m across 2 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Cox_(actor), https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4706436, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0184893/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/70881

## Streaming the US now

- **HBO Max:** [*Magic Mike's Last Dance*](https://film.one/film/magic-mikes-last-dance.md) (52)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Fi1m on Alan Cox

> Alan Cox gives *Young Sherlock Holmes* a friendship worth watching, making a self-assured Holmes tolerable company. We recommend him on the strength of that partnership, rather than assuming his smaller film parts tell the whole story.

Nicholas Rowe’s Holmes is sure of himself; Alan Cox’s Watson gives him someone worth talking to. In Barry Levinson’s *Young Sherlock Holmes* (1985), the pleasure is in how readily the two seem to take an interest in each other, rather than simply waiting for their next useful line. We warmed to them more quickly than we expected, because Cox makes the friendship credible while allowing Holmes his assurance. Before the mystery has properly established itself, another adventure with these two already seems an agreeable prospect.

Cox’s Watson matters as much as Rowe’s Holmes, although the title gives no indication of it. Wanting to spend more time with the pair makes us more forgiving when the mystery gives way to effects and action. The film remains entertaining, but liking its leads does not mean we stop noticing how much less interesting their adventure becomes when the spectacle takes over.

There is no tidy screen progression from that teenage Watson to a succession of leading roles. The film work instead includes supporting appearances in Mike Newell’s *An Awfully Big Adventure* (1995) and *Mrs Dalloway* (1997), with Cox as Geoffrey and young Peter respectively. His work with the Royal Shakespeare Company and National Theatre, and his Vanya in Terry Johnson’s stage adaptation of *Uncle Vanya* (2018), make the screen credits an incomplete account. We would be wary of treating the size of those film parts as a measure of what he can do.

The distinction matters with Steven Soderbergh’s *Magic Mike’s Last Dance* (2023), in which Cox plays Roger Rattigan. Our disappointment concerns the neglected ensemble, the shortage of jokes and the long wait for a worthwhile finale. We would not recommend it merely for having him in the cast. Start with *Young Sherlock Holmes* for Cox and Rowe, and allow for an adventure that gets distracted by its effects.

## Biography

Alan Cox is a British actor born on 6 August 1970 in London. He is the son of actors Brian Cox and Caroline Burt, and was educated at St Paul's School in London. He began acting as a child, with early television roles including a 1982 adaptation of *A Voyage Round My Father*.

Cox is best known for playing a teenage Dr Watson in *Young Sherlock Holmes* (1985). His other film credits include *An Awfully Big Adventure* (1995), *Mrs Dalloway* (1997), *The Auteur Theory* (1999) and *Magic Mike's Last Dance* (2023), in which he played Roger Rattigan. He has also appeared in television series such as *New Amsterdam* (2018) and *The Good Wife* (2009), and in stage productions.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com, screenrant.com.*

## On Fi1m (4)

- *Magic Mike's Last Dance* (2023), Fi1m 52, as Roger Rattigan — [page](https://film.one/film/magic-mikes-last-dance.md)
- *John Adams* (2008), Fi1m 81, as William Maclay — [page](https://film.one/tv/john-adams.md)
- *Midsomer Murders* (1997), Fi1m 66, as Stephen Bannerman — [page](https://film.one/tv/midsomer-murders.md)
- *Young Sherlock Holmes* (1985), Fi1m 68, as John Watson — [page](https://film.one/film/young-sherlock-holmes.md)

## Complete filmography (44)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Glenrothan* (2026), as James
- *The Man with the Plan* (2026), as The Devil
- *Joke* (2026), Actor
- *Dante: Inferno to Paradise* (2024), series, as Narrator (voice)
- *The Gold* (2023), series, as Henry — Fi1m 80, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-gold.md)
- *Magic Mike's Last Dance* (2023), as Roger Rattigan — Fi1m 52, [page](https://film.one/film/magic-mikes-last-dance.md)
- *Watch on the Rhine* (2021), as Kurt
- *Say My Name* (2018), as Father Donald Davies
- *New Amsterdam* (2018), series, as Lyle Redmond
- *Before We Go* (2014), as Rich Guy
- *Lucan* (2013), series, as Ian Maxwell-Scott
- *The Dictator* (2012), as BP Executive
- *The Speed of Thought* (2011), as Alexei
- *Act Naturally* (2011), as Cory Beck
- *The Nutcracker* (2010), as Gielgud (voice)
- *The Good Wife* (2009), series, as Douglas — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-good-wife.md)
- *Margaret* (2009), as Gordon Reece
- *August* (2008), as Barton
- *John Adams* (2008), series, as William Maclay — Fi1m 81, [page](https://film.one/tv/john-adams.md)
- *M.I. High* (2007), series, as David DeHaverland
- *Elizabeth David: A Life in Recipes* (2006), as Cuthbert
- *Not Only But Always* (2004), as Alan Bennett
- *Ladies in Lavender* (2004), as Obsequious Man
- *Justice* (2003), as Palm Sunday
- *The Dinosaur Hunters* (2002), as Richard Owen
- *Die Wasserfälle von Slunj* (2002), as Donald Clayton
- *Cor, Blimey!* (2000), as Orsino
- *The Auteur Theory* (1999), as George Sand
- *The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Adventures in the Secret Service* (1999), as Dmitri
- *Mrs. Dalloway* (1997), as Young Peter
- *The Odyssey* (1997), series, as Elpenor
- *Midsomer Murders* (1997), series, as Stephen Bannerman — Fi1m 66, [page](https://film.one/tv/midsomer-murders.md)
- *The Thin Blue Line* (1995), series, as Bob Tough
- *An Awfully Big Adventure* (1995), as Geoffrey
- *Crown Prosecutor* (1995), series, as David Ellery
- *Adam Bede* (1992), as Seth Bede
- *Death of a Schoolboy* (1990), as The Anarchist
- *Casualty* (1986), series, as Joshua — Fi1m 68, [page](https://film.one/tv/casualty.md)
- *Young Sherlock Holmes* (1985), as John Watson — Fi1m 68, [page](https://film.one/film/young-sherlock-holmes.md)
- *A Voyage Round My Father* (1984), as Son as Boy
- *Jane Eyre* (1983), series, as Young John Reed
- *If You Go Down in the Woods Today* (1981), as Cub Scout
- *Shoestring* (1979), series, as John
- *A Divorce* (1976), series, as Jason

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/alan-cox