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Peter Mullan (born 2 November 1959)[1] is a Scottish actor and film-maker who has been appearing in films since 1990.
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[edit] Early life
Mullan, the sixth of eight children, was born in Peterhead in the northeast of Scotland, the son of Patricia, a nurse, and Charles Mullan, a lab technician who worked at Glasgow University.[2][3] He was brought up in a working class Roman Catholic family.[4][5] Later they moved to Mosspark, a suburb on the south side of Glasgow.[citation needed]
An alcoholic and latterly a sufferer from lung cancer, Mullan's father became increasingly tyrannical and abusive.[6] For a brief period, Mullan was a member of a street gang while at secondary school,[6] and worked as a bouncer in a number of south-side pubs.[7] His father died on the day Mullan began studying economic history and drama at the University of Glasgow.
[edit] Career
At University, Mullan began acting, and continued stage acting after graduation. He had roles in several Scottish films, including Shallow Grave, Trainspotting, Braveheart, and a supporting role in Ken Loach's Riff-Raff. He also began to work as a writer and director, producing the short films Close, Good Day for the Bad Guys, and Fridge. His first full-length film Orphans won an award at the Venice Film Festival.
Mullan's appearance in Loach's film My Name Is Joe, portraying a recovering alcoholic wrestling with his demons, won him the Best Actor Award at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival.[8] He appeared in the lead role in Brad Anderson's 2001 psychological/supernatural thriller Session 9. In 2002 he returned to directing and screenwriting with the controversial film The Magdalene Sisters, based on life in an Irish Magdalene Asylum. For that movie Mullan won a Golden Lion award from the Venice Film Festival.
In 2004, he starred in On a Clear Day and Criminal. He also played Michel Scot in the BBC show, Shoebox Zoo. In 2006 he had a small but critical role in Children of Men, a thriller directed by Alfonso Cuarón. In 2007, he played a prominent role in the Channel 4 adaptation of Boy A, and will star as James Connolly in the upcoming movie Connolly.
He currently co-stars in the Red Riding Trilogy and the second series of ITV crime drama The Fixer.[9]
Mullan appeared in the last two Harry Potter films, as the Death Eater Yaxley, and in actor Paddy Considine's directorial debut, Tyrannosaur as the lead. His latest film as director, Neds, was released in October 2010.
[edit] Personal life
A Marxist,[6] Mullan was a leading figure in the left-wing theatre movement which blossomed in Scotland during the Conservative Thatcher government, including stints in the 7:84 and Wildcat Theatre companies. A strident critic of Tony Blair's New Labour government, he told The Guardian "the TUC and the Labour Party sold us [the working class] out big style, unashamedly so".[10]
Mullan took part in a 2005 occupation of the Glasgow offices of the UK Immigration Service, protesting the UKIS's "dawn raid" tactics when deporting failed asylum seekers.[11]
In January 2009 he joined other actors in protesting the BBC's refusal to screen a Disasters Emergency Committee appeal for Gaza. They told BBC director general Mark Thompson in an email: "Like millions of others, we are absolutely appalled at the decision to refuse to broadcast the appeal. We will never work for the BBC again unless this disgraceful decision is reversed. We will urge others from our profession and beyond to do likewise."[12]
Mullan is also a life long follower of Celtic Football Club.
[edit] Filmography
[edit] Film
| Year | Film | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | The Big Man | Vince | ||
| 1991 | Riff Raff | Jake | European Film Award for Best European Film 1991 | |
| 1992 | Sealladh | Sim | Short Drama | |
| 1993 | Close | Vincent | Short Thriller | |
| 1994 | Shallow Grave | Andy | ||
| 1995 | Good Day for the Bad Guys | John | Short Horror | |
| Braveheart | Veteran | |||
| 1996 | Trainspotting | Swanney | ||
| 1997 | Poor Angels | Gordon | Short Drama/Thriller | |
| Fairy Tale: A True Story | Sergeant Farmer | |||
| 1998 | Duck | Mick | ||
| My Name Is Joe | Joe Kavanagh | Award for Best Actor, Cannes festival 1998 | ||
| 1999 | Miss Julie | Jean | ||
| Mauvaise passe | Patricia's Husband | |||
| 2000 | Ordinary Decent Criminal | Stevie | ||
| The Claim | Daniel Dillon | |||
| 2001 | Session 9 | Gordon Fleming | ||
| 2002 | The Magdalene Sisters | Mr O'Connor | Golden Lion winner 2002 | |
| 2003 | Young Adam | Les Gault | ||
| Kiss of Life | John | |||
| 2004 | Out of This World | Jim | ||
| Criminal | William Hannigan | |||
| Blinded | Francis Black | |||
| Waves | Himself | |||
| 2005 | On a Clear Day | Frank Redmond | ||
| 2006 | Cargo | Brookes | ||
| Children of Men | Syd | |||
| True North | Riley | |||
| 2007 | The Last Legion | Odoacer | ||
| Dog Altogether | Joseph | |||
| Boy A | Terry | |||
| 2008 | Stone of Destiny | Ian's dad | ||
| 2009 | Red Riding: 1974 | Martin Laws | ||
| Red Riding: 1980 | Martin Laws | |||
| Red Riding: 1983 | Martin Laws | |||
| Connolly | James Connolly | |||
| 2010 | Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows | Yaxley | ||
| Neds | Father | |||
| Film Director | ||||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
| 1998 | Orphans | Director | ||
| 2002 | The Magdalene Sisters | Director | ||
| 2010 | Neds | Director | ||
| Television | ||||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
| 1988 | The Steamie | Andy | ||
| 1990 | Opium Eaters | Willy | ||
| Your Cheatin' Heart | Tonto | Season 1, Episodes 3-5 | ||
| Taggart | Peter Latimer | Season 5, Episode 2 Season 6, Episode 3 | ||
| 1991 | Jute City | Mallet | ||
| 1992 | Rab C. Nesbitt | Peter the Warlock | Season 2, Episode 6 | |
| 1994 | The Priest and the Pirate | Billy Hill | ||
| 1995 | Ruffian Hearts | Chez | ||
| 1996 | Nightlife | Billy | ||
| 1997 | The Longest Memory | Sanders sr | Whitbread First Novel Award for First Novel 1994 | |
| Bogwoman | Barry | |||
| 2003 | This Little Life | Consultant | ||
| 2004 | Shoebox Zoo | Michael Scot | unknown episodes | |
| 2007 | British Film Forever | Himself | Season 1, Episode 3 | |
| The Trial of Tony Blair | Gordon Brown | |||
| 2008 | The Fixer | Lenny Douglas | Season 1, Episodes 1-6 | |
| 2009 | The Fixer | Lenny Douglas | Season 2, Episodes 1-6 | |
| Scotland on Screen | Himself | Documentary (released on 17 September 2009) | ||
| Guest Appearances | ||||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
| 1995 | Harry | Jimmy | Season 2, Episode 6 | |
| 2003 | Richard & Judy | Himself | Episode dated 13 February 2003 | |
| 2005 | Sunday Morning Shootout | Himself | Season 2, Episode 15 | |
| Continuará... | Himself | Episode dated 14 May 2005 | ||
| 2006 | Continuará... | Himself | Episode dated 12 March 2006 | |
[edit] References and notes
- ↑ Sources differ as to Mullen's exact birthdate; the Internet Movie Database states 2 November 1959.
- ↑ "Peter Mullan Biography (1960–)" Yahoo.com (Retrieved: 15 August 2009)
- ↑ "Biography: Peter Mullan", FilmReference.com (Retrieved: 15 August 2009)
- ↑ Malcolm, Derek; "Sins of the sisters", Guardian.co.uk 16 September 2002 (Retrieved: 15 August 2009)
- ↑
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Matheou, Demetrios; "Local Hero" Guardian.co.uk, 7 January 2001 (Retrieved: 15 August 2009)
- ↑ "Peter Mullan & Anne-Marie Duff" FutureMovies.co.uk, 9 July 2003 (Retrieved: 15 August 2009)
- ↑
- ↑ Here Comes the Red Riding Trilogy Traveling Roadshow!
- ↑ "The Players: Peter Mullen" Guardian.co.uk (Retrieved: 15 August 2009)
- ↑ "Protesters in 'asylum raid' demo" news.BBC.co.uk, 2 November 2005 (Retrieved: 15 August 2009)
- ↑ English, Paul; "Peter Mullan and other stars to boycott BBC over Gaza charity snub" DailyRecord.co.uk, 27 January 2009 (Retrieved: 15 August 2009)