---
name: "Mark Rylance"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/mark-rylance"
fi1m_id: "mark-rylance"
imdb_id: "nm0753314"
tmdb_id: 40900
wikidata_id: "Q324572"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "18 January 1960"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 7
average_fi1m_score: 68
average_as: "actor"
average_over: 7
updated: "2026-10-07T14:12:41.922904+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."
---

# Mark Rylance

## Identity

Mark Rylance

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/mark-rylance
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** mark-rylance
- **IMDb ID:** nm0753314
- **TMDB ID:** 40900
- **Wikidata ID:** Q324572
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Rylance, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q324572, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0753314/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/40900

Actor. Born 18 January 1960 in آشفورد بمقاطعة كينت، إنجلترا.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 18 January 1960, آشفورد بمقاطعة كينت، إنجلترا
- **Active:** 1991–present
- **Also known as:** David Mark Rylance Waters, 마크 라이런스, 马克·里朗斯, 大卫·马克·里朗斯·沃特斯
- **Frequently works with:** [Steven Spielberg](https://film.one/person/steven-spielberg.md), [Kristie Macosko Krieger](https://film.one/person/kristie-macosko-krieger.md), [Peter Kosminsky](https://film.one/person/peter-kosminsky.md)
- **Academy Awards:** 1 Oscar (1 won)
- **Average Fi1m score:** 68, as actor, over 7 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 2010s 71 (6), 2020s 52 (1)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 68 to 69 across 7 titles
- **Score spread:** 2 at 80+, 3 at 60–79, 2 under 60
- **Lead roles:** 4 of 7 acting credits billed first or second
- **Genres:** Drama 5, Action 2, Adventure 2, Science Fiction 2, Comedy 1, Family 1
- **Screen time:** 13 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $1,519m across 6 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Rylance, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q324572, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0753314/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/40900

## Coming up

- *Artificial* (2026-12-25), as Geoffrey Hinton
- *The Nightingale* (2027-03-18)
- *On the Edge* (2027-05-06), as (voice)

## Streaming the US now

- **Netflix:** [*Waiting for the Barbarians*](https://film.one/film/waiting-for-the-barbarians.md) (53), [*Don't Look Up*](https://film.one/film/dont-look-up.md) (52)
- **Apple TV:** [*Dunkirk*](https://film.one/film/dunkirk.md) (86)
- **Amazon Prime Video:** [*Wolf Hall*](https://film.one/tv/wolf-hall.md) (86)
- **Disney+:** [*The BFG*](https://film.one/film/the-bfg.md) (64)
- **HBO Max:** [*Ready Player One*](https://film.one/film/ready-player-one.md) (60)

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

## Fi1m on Mark Rylance

> Mark Rylance makes quiet authority convincing with few words and little outward display. We value the precision of his restraint, particularly in *Dunkirk*, where Mr. Dawson stays steady while the men around him struggle with fear.

In *Dunkirk* (2017), Mark Rylance gives Mr. Dawson a steadiness that stands out against the alarm around him. Christopher Nolan gives his actors little dialogue, leaving them to make duty and exhaustion readable without much personal history. We felt reassured by Dawson because Rylance makes his calm convincing without suggesting that the frightened men around him are weak. That reassurance matters in a film whose fear is otherwise hard to shake.

His early film work was sporadic beside an extensive stage career. The physical and vocal invention of Johnny ‘Rooster’ Byron in *Jerusalem* (2010) is worth remembering before reducing him to a specialist in stillness. Rudolf Abel in *Bridge of Spies* (2015) marked the screen breakthrough, with the precision and reserve that have become central to his appeal. Television’s *Wolf Hall* (2015), in which he played Thomas Cromwell, belongs to that same period of increased screen prominence. Steven Spielberg then cast him as the motion-capture lead in *The BFG* (2016).

He pays close attention to the way people speak, and his lines often have a musical quality. What makes that precision inviting is the vulnerability that accompanies it; his quiet authority need not make a character unapproachable. In *Dunkirk*, Fionn Whitehead makes Tommy’s fear legible and Cillian Murphy’s Shivering Soldier shows the damage it can do. Rylance gives Nolan a different response to fear to set beside theirs, so Dawson’s steadiness helps distinguish him without requiring a speech about who he is.

Nolan’s sparse writing does leave some of *Dunkirk*’s characters underwritten, and Rylance cannot fill in every gap. That is a limit worth acknowledging when praising an actor for saying little: sometimes there is simply too little written. Here, the cast still makes duty and exhaustion legible, and Dawson’s calm never cancels out the fear around him. Start with *Dunkirk*, and resist the temptation to watch only him.

## Biography

Mark Rylance is an English actor, playwright and theatre director. He trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and made his professional debut at the Citizens Theatre, Glasgow, in 1980. He was the first artistic director of Shakespeare's Globe in London from 1995 to 2005.

On stage he has received two Olivier Awards and three Tony Awards. His film roles include Thomas Boleyn in *The Other Boleyn Girl* (2008), Rudolf Abel in *Bridge of Spies* (2015), the title role in *The BFG* (2016), Mr Dawson in *Dunkirk* (2017), James Halliday in *Ready Player One* (2018), and appearances in *The Trial of the Chicago 7* (2020), *Don't Look Up* (2021), *The Outfit* (2022) and *Bones and All* (2022). He won the Academy Award and BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor for *Bridge of Spies*.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com, britannica.com, tvmaze.com.*

## On Fi1m (7)

- *Don't Look Up* (2021), Fi1m 52, as Peter Isherwell — [page](https://film.one/film/dont-look-up.md)
- *Waiting for the Barbarians* (2019), Fi1m 53, as The Magistrate — [page](https://film.one/film/waiting-for-the-barbarians.md)
- *Ready Player One* (2018), Fi1m 60, as Anorak / Halliday — [page](https://film.one/film/ready-player-one.md)
- *Dunkirk* (2017), Fi1m 86, as Mr. Dawson — [page](https://film.one/film/dunkirk.md)
- *The BFG* (2016), Fi1m 64, as The BFG — [page](https://film.one/film/the-bfg.md)
- *Bridge of Spies* (2015), Fi1m 75, as Rudolf Abel — [page](https://film.one/film/bridge-of-spies.md)
- *Wolf Hall* (2015), Fi1m 86, as Thomas Cromwell — [page](https://film.one/tv/wolf-hall.md)

## Complete filmography (52)

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

- *On the Edge* (2027), as (voice)
- *The Nightingale* (2027), Actor
- *Artificial* (2026), as Geoffrey Hinton
- *Searching for Shakespeare* (2025), Actor
- *Bing & Friends: Birthday Celebration* (2024), as Flop (voice)
- *Spirit of Place* (2024), Actor
- *Inland* (2023), as Dunleavy
- *Bones and All* (2022), as Sully
- *The Undeclared War* (2022), series, as John Yeabsley
- *The Phantom of the Open* (2022), as Maurice Flitcroft · Executive Producer
- *The Outfit* (2022), as Leonard Burling
- *Don't Look Up* (2021), as Peter Isherwell — Fi1m 52, [page](https://film.one/film/dont-look-up.md)
- *Bing’s Christmas and Other Stories* (2020), as Flop
- *The Trial of the Chicago 7* (2020), as William Kunstler
- *Waiting for the Barbarians* (2020), as The Magistrate — Fi1m 53, [page](https://film.one/film/waiting-for-the-barbarians.md)
- *The Flaneur* (2019), as Narrator
- *Ready Player One* (2018), as Anorak / Halliday — Fi1m 60, [page](https://film.one/film/ready-player-one.md)
- *Dunkirk* (2017), as Mr. Dawson — Fi1m 86, [page](https://film.one/film/dunkirk.md)
- *The BFG* (2016), as The BFG — Fi1m 64, [page](https://film.one/film/the-bfg.md)
- *Bridge of Spies* (2015), as Rudolf Abel — Fi1m 75, [page](https://film.one/film/bridge-of-spies.md)
- *The Gunman* (2015), as Terrance Cox
- *Wolf Hall* (2015), series, as Thomas Cromwell — Fi1m 86, [page](https://film.one/tv/wolf-hall.md)
- *Days and Nights* (2014), as Stephen
- *Bing* (2014), series, as Narrator / Flop (voice)
- *Twelfth Night* (2012), as Olivia
- *Anonymous* (2011), as Condell
- *Blitz* (2011), as Roberts
- *The Other Boleyn Girl* (2008), as Sir Thomas Boleyn
- *The Government Inspector* (2005), as Dr. David Kelly
- *Measure for Measure: Live from the Globe* (2004), as Vincentio, Duke of Vienna
- *Measure for Measure: Live from The Globe* (2004), as Vincentio, Duke of Vienna
- *Richard II - Live at Shakespeare's Globe* (2003), as Richard II
- *Leonardo* (2003), series, as Leonardo
- *Intimacy* (2001), as Jay
- *Henry V at Shakespeare's Globe* (1997), as Henry V
- *Loving* (1996), as Charlie Raunce
- *Angels and Insects* (1995), as William Adamson
- *Institute Benjamenta, or This Dream People Call Human Life* (1995), as Jakob
- *In Lambeth* (1993), as William Blake
- *Love Lies Bleeding* (1993), as Conn Ellis
- *The Grass Arena* (1992), as John Healy
- *Prospero's Books* (1991), as Ferdinand
- *Incident in Judaea* (1991), Actor
- *Hearts of Fire* (1987), as Fizz
- *ScreenPlay* (1986), series, as Conn Ellis
- *The McGuffin* (1986), as Gavin
- *Wallenberg: A Hero's Story* (1985), series, as Nikki Fodor
- *Screen Two* (1985), series, as Charlie Raunce
- *American Playhouse* (1982), series, as William Adamson
- *Great Performances* (1971), series, as King Henry V
- *Nice Fish*, Director, Screenplay, Producer
- *The Way of the Wind*, as Satan

## Gallery

- ![Mark Rylance](https://film.one/media/person/125379/gallery-29c6ad313ed7.jpg) Mark Rylance — Georges Biard, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bd/Mark_Rylance_Cannes_2016.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Kristie Macosko, Frank Marshall, Kathleen Kennedy, Kate Capshaw, Steven Spielberg, Ruby Barnhill, Mark Rylance, Claire van Kampen, Lucy Dahl, Penelope Wilton, R (2016)](https://film.one/media/person/125379/gallery-854bc3e61e65.jpg) Kristie Macosko, Frank Marshall, Kathleen Kennedy, Kate Capshaw, Steven Spielberg, Ruby Barnhill, Mark Rylance, Claire van Kampen, Lucy Dahl, Penelope Wilton, R (2016) — GabboT, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7c/Cannes_161_%2828039130601%29.jpg/1280px-Cannes_161_%2828039130601%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Kristie Macosko, Frank Marshall, Kathleen Kennedy, Kate Capshaw, Steven Spielberg, Ruby Barnhill, Mark Rylance, Claire van Kampen, Lucy Dahl, Penelope Wilton, R (2016)](https://film.one/media/person/125379/gallery-f63e07831315.jpg) Kristie Macosko, Frank Marshall, Kathleen Kennedy, Kate Capshaw, Steven Spielberg, Ruby Barnhill, Mark Rylance, Claire van Kampen, Lucy Dahl, Penelope Wilton, R (2016) — GabboT, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d9/Cannes_162_%2828014176852%29.jpg/1280px-Cannes_162_%2828014176852%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Photos taken at the Stop the War protest at Whitehall in London. (2015)](https://film.one/media/person/125379/gallery-98a4568fb532.jpg) Photos taken at the Stop the War protest at Whitehall in London. (2015) — Garry Knight from London, England, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ec/Don%27t_Bomb_Syria_-_Mark_Rylance_%2823376936515%29.jpg/1280px-Don%27t_Bomb_Syria_-_Mark_Rylance_%2823376936515%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Mark Rylance](https://film.one/media/person/125379/gallery-cd2bb1f902a0.jpg) Mark Rylance — Image via TMDB
- ![Mark Rylance](https://film.one/media/person/125379/gallery-1e9d55f1ba04.jpg) Mark Rylance — Image via TMDB
- ![Mark Rylance](https://film.one/media/person/125379/gallery-db1383e1ab9a.jpg) Mark Rylance — Image via TMDB
- ![Oscar winner for Bridge of Spies, and star of Dunkirk. NYC Feb '18. (2018)](https://film.one/media/person/125379/gallery-8f15c0b7c3c9.jpg) Oscar winner for Bridge of Spies, and star of Dunkirk. NYC Feb '18. (2018) — Greg2600, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7d/Mark_Rylance_%2840194937591%29.jpg/1280px-Mark_Rylance_%2840194937591%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Oscar winner for Bridge of Spies, and star of Dunkirk. NYC Feb '18. (2018)](https://film.one/media/person/125379/gallery-72e68fe45a06.jpg) Oscar winner for Bridge of Spies, and star of Dunkirk. NYC Feb '18. (2018) — Greg2600, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0a/Mark_Rylance_%2840194937591%29_%28cropped%29.jpg/1280px-Mark_Rylance_%2840194937591%29_%28cropped%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Mark Rylance](https://film.one/media/person/125379/gallery-cf4df89a504b.jpg) Mark Rylance — Image via TMDB
- ![Mark Rylance](https://film.one/media/person/125379/gallery-5de4515aff25.jpg) Mark Rylance — Image via TMDB

## Awards

### Academy Awards — 1 won

- 2016: Best Supporting Actor (won), for *Bridge of Spies*

### BAFTA Film Awards — 1 won

- 2016: Best Actor in a Supporting Role (won), for *Bridge of Spies*

### BAFTA Television Awards — 1 won

- 2016: Best Actor (won), for *Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light*

### Other awards — 4 won, 4 nominated

- European Film Award – People's Choice Award for Best European Film 2018: European Film Award – People's Choice Award for Best European Film (nominated), for *Dunkirk*
- Knight Bachelor 2017: Knight Bachelor (won)
- Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play 2014: Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play (nominated)
- Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play 2014: Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play (won)
- Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play 2011: Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play (won)
- Theatre World Award 2008: Theatre World Award (won)
- Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play 2008: Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play (nominated)
- Jameson People's Choice Award for Best Actor 2001: Jameson People's Choice Award for Best Actor (nominated), for *Intimacy*

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© 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/mark-rylance