Biography
Sir David Mark Rylance Waters (born 18 January 1960 in Ashford, Kent, England) is an English actor, theatre director, and playwright. He was the first artistic director of Shakespeare's Globe in London, between 1995 and 2005. His film appearances include Prospero's Books (1991), Angels and Insects (1995), Institute Benjamenta (1996), and Intimacy (2001). Rylance won the Academy Award and BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Rudolf Abel in Bridge of Spies (2015). Rylance pl...
Known For
Complete Filmography
Searching for Shakespeare
2025
Actor Gustavo Garzón and theater director Mariana Sagasti seek to puzzle out the real author behind one of the most important figures in universal lit...
Bing & Friends: Birthday Celebration
2024
as Flop (voice)
Round the corner, not far away, Bing is celebrating his birthday – hooray! Experience your favourite Bing episodes and join in with new interactive ga...
Spirit of Place
2024
Athel and Edward enjoy visiting the wetlands. Edward likes watching the birds, whilst Athel seems to have a much deeper connection to the landscape. W...
Inland
2023
as Dunleavy
A young man, of Romani descent, returns to his hometown of Gloucester. He is met by local garage mechanic, Dunleavy. They embrace, smiling. But what p...
Bones and All
2022
as Sully
Abandoned by her father, a young woman embarks on a thousand-mile odyssey through the backroads of America where she meets a disenfranchised drifter. ...
The Phantom of the Open
2022
as Maurice Flitcroft
Maurice Flitcroft, a dreamer and unrelenting optimist, managed to gain entry to The British Open Golf Championship qualifying in 1976 and subsequently...
The Phantom of the Open
2022
Executive Producer
Maurice Flitcroft, a dreamer and unrelenting optimist, managed to gain entry to The British Open Golf Championship qualifying in 1976 and subsequently...
The Outfit
2022
as Leonard Burling
Leonard is an English tailor who used to craft suits on London’s world-famous Savile Row. After a personal tragedy, he’s ended up in Chicago, operatin...
Don't Look Up
2021
as Peter Isherwell
Two astronomers go on a media tour to warn humankind of a planet-killing comet hurtling toward Earth. The response from a distracted world: Meh.
Bing’s Christmas and Other Stories
2020
as Flop
It's Christmas! Come & celebrate the festive season with Bing... at the Cinema! Meet Nicky... Sula's adorable cousin and open presents with Bing, Flop...
The Trial of the Chicago 7
2020
as William Kunstler
What was supposed to be a peaceful protest turned into a violent clash with the police. What followed was one of the most notorious trials in history.
Waiting for the Barbarians
2019
as The Magistrate
At an isolated frontier outpost, a colonial magistrate suffers a crisis of conscience when an army colonel arrives looking to interrogate the locals a...
Nothing Is Truer than Truth
2018
as Self
NOTHING IS TRUER THAN TRUTH is a feature length documentary about Edward de Vere, Seventeenth Earl of Oxford, A-list party boy on the continental circ...
Ready Player One
2018
as Anorak / Halliday
When the creator of a popular video game system dies, a virtual contest is created to compete for his fortune.
Dunkirk
2017
as Mr. Dawson
The story of the miraculous evacuation of Allied soldiers from Belgium, Britain, Canada and France, who were cut off and surrounded by the German army...
The BFG
2016
as The BFG
An orphan little girl befriends a benevolent giant who takes her to Giant Country, where they attempt to stop the man-eating giants that are invading ...
Bridge of Spies
2015
as Rudolf Abel
During the Cold War, the Soviet Union captures U.S. pilot Francis Gary Powers after shooting down his U-2 spy plane. Sentenced to 10 years in prison, ...
Wolf Hall: The Inside Story
2015
as Self
After the success of the BBC drama Wolf Hall, Mark Rylance and the director Peter Kosminsky join Kirsty Wark in the Tower of London to look back over ...
The Gunman
2015
as Terrance Cox
Eight years after fleeing the Congo following his assassination of that country's minister of mining, former assassin Jim Terrier is back, suffering f...
Days and Nights
2014
as Stephen
Reckless desire wreaks havoc over Memorial Day weekend as a family confronts the volatile and fragile nature of love. A modern retelling of Anton Chek...
We Are Many
2014
as Self
The story of the biggest demonstration in human history, which took place on 15th February 2003, against the impending war on Iraq.
Muse of Fire
2013
as Self
Funny, passionate, exciting, and smart: ‘Muse Of Fire’ will change the way you feel about Shakespeare forever. This unique feature documentary follow...
Twelfth Night
2012
as Olivia
'Better a witty fool, than a foolish wit.' Filled with a cast of unforgettable characters, Twelfth Night combines cruelty with high comedy and the pa...
Anonymous
2011
as Condell
Set against the backdrop of the succession of Queen Elizabeth I, and the Essex Rebellion against her, the story advances the theory that it was in fac...
Blitz
2011
as Roberts
A tough cop is dispatched to take down a serial killer who has been targeting police officers.
Inside The Institute
2010
as Self
Docimentary about the work of the Qway Brothers for their film Institute Benjamenta, or This Dream People Call Human Life
The Other Boleyn Girl
2008
as Sir Thomas Boleyn
A sumptuous and sensual tale of intrigue, romance and betrayal set against the backdrop of a defining moment in European history: two beautiful sister...
Hamlet {Solo}
2007
as Self
"Hamlet {Solo}" chronicles the six-year journey of actor Raoul Bhaneja as he mounts a one-man version of Shakespeare's Hamlet. The film includes a num...
Shakespeare's Globe
2005
as Himself
Shakespeare’s Globe is a film offering an intimate look at the working life of a unique theatrical institution. It charts a vivid journey from the rec...
The Government Inspector
2005
as Dr. David Kelly
The Government Inspector is a 2005 television drama based on the life of Dr. David Kelly and the lead-up to the Iraq War in the United Kingdom.
Measure for Measure: Live from The Globe
2004
as Vincentio, Duke of Vienna
William Shakespeare's darkest comedy, Measure for Measure. Live from Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London, this television production of the play was...
Richard II - Live at Shakespeare's Globe
2003
as Richard II
A performance of Shakespeare's Richard II broadcast live from the Globe Theatre, London.
Much Ado About Something
2001
as Himself
Did Christopher Marlowe write the works of Shakespeare?
Intimacy
2001
as Jay
Failed musician Jay abandoned his family and now earns a living as head bartender in a trendy London pub. Every Wednesday afternoon, a woman comes to ...
Henry V at Shakespeare's Globe
1997
as Henry V
A documentary about Shakespeare's Globe opening performance of "Henry V" in 1997. The documentary combines the performance of Act IV with rehearsal s...
Loving
1996
as Charlie Raunce
An upper class English family owns a villa in the Irish countryside. When the man of the house leaves to fight in WW2, his mother, wife, dying butler,...
Angels and Insects
1995
as William Adamson
In Victorian England, wealthy patriarch Sir Harald Alabaster invites an impoverished biologist, William Adamson, into his home. There, William tries t...
Institute Benjamenta, or This Dream People Call Human Life
1995
as Jakob
Jakob arrives at the Institute Benjamenta (run by brother and sister Johannes and Lisa Benjamenta) to learn to become a servant. With seven other men,...
In Lambeth
1993
as William Blake
All is peaceful in the garden of William Blake - a sanctuary from the stirrings of revolution on the streets. The arrival of an unexpected visitor, T...
Love Lies Bleeding
1993
as Conn Ellis
Conn, a member of the IRA and a former hunger striker, is serving a life sentence for murder. During peace talks, he is released on a 24-hour parole a...
The Grass Arena
1992
as John Healy
The Grass Arena is based on the autobiography of John Healy. Raised in an strongly religious family, with an abusive father, John soon learns that he ...
Prospero's Books
1991
as Ferdinand
An exiled magician finds an opportunity for revenge against his enemies muted when his daughter and the son of his chief enemy fall in love in this un...
Hearts of Fire
1987
as Fizz
A reclusive musician, once a huge rock star, takes a young female protegee. While on a tour she meets a younger, more popular rocker and switches her ...
The McGuffin
1986
as Gavin
Paul Hatcher has a habit of spying on the neighbors across the way, something that gets him into deep trouble. Hatcher is a movie critic, and for awhi...
The Way of the Wind
N/A
as Satan
A dramatization of several episodes in the life of Christ.