James John McArdle (born 3 April 1989) is a Scottish actor. He won the Ian Charleson Award for his role as Mikhail Platonov in Platonov and was nominated for an Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for portraying Louis Ironson in Angels in America.
Early life McArdle was born in Glasgow, growing up in the city's Darnley neighbourhoodScots actor James McArdle tells how roughing it in London slum helped him with role as King James I in new stage show, Daily Record, 18 May 2014 and attending St Ninian's High School, Giffnock.'I won’t let a bunch of posh boys stop me': Angels In America co-star James McArdle on theatrical class war, the trouble with 'gay plays' and why he owes it all to his Glasgow granny The Herald, 16 July 2017 As a child he attended PACE Theatre Company in nearby Paisley.Star of stage and screen, and new pace patron, James McArdle reveals Paisley location of Scotland’s first dedicated young people's theatre , Renfrewshire News, 24 January 2020Paisley's PACE is leading the way by opening Scotland's first dedicated children and young people's theatre, Daily Record, 24 January 2020 Having worked as a child actor in films, at 17 he made the decision to travel by bus to London to train as a professional without informing his parents; he was accepted to RADA after initially fluffing his audition lines but managing to return and impress the selectors.James McArdle - from drama school drop-out to sitcom star , Evening Times, 4 June 2013 He left the course towards its end in 2010, and in the same year he appeared in Macbeth at The Globe and starred in the summer smash hit Spur of the Moment by Anya Reiss at the Royal Court Theatre in London. He was also well received in his role in A Month in the Country by Ivan Turgenev at the Chichester Festival Theatre.
Career
In 2011 McArdle played the role of Agathon in Emperor and Galilean by Henrik Ibsen at the National Theatre. He was also Robin Hood in the 2011 RSC production of The Legend, adapted by Ella Hickson.
In 2012 he starred as Harold Abrahams in Chariots of Fire, Mike Bartlett's stage adaptation of the film of the same title, which opened at London's Hampstead Theatre on 9 May and transferred to the West End on 23 June, running through to 5 January 2013.
He portrayed King James I of Scotland in Rona Munro's King James I, which was performed at the National Theatre and the Edinburgh International Festival in 2014.
In 2016 McArdle won the Ian Charleson Award for his 2015 performance as Platonov in Platonov at the Chichester Festival Theatre
In 2017 McArdle's performance as Louis Ironson in Angels in America at the National Theatre Lyttleton in London earned him a nomination for the Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. In March 2018 he stayed with the production when it transferred to Broadway for an 18-week engagement at the Neil Simon Theatre and was nominated for the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Play.
In 2024 McArdle played the lead role in the comedy Four Mothers, an Irish-set adaptation of the Gianni Di Gregorio 2008 Italian film Mid-August Lunch, playing a gay young adult fiction writer taking care of his widowed mother. The film won the BFI London Film Festival Audience Award in 2024.
In 2026, he played King James VI in the BBC docu-drama adaptation of Gareth Russell's book Queen James.
Acting credits
Theatre Year Title Role Location Ref(s)2010 Macbeth Malcolm The Globe Spur of the Moment Daniel Mast Royal Court Theatre A Month in the Country Aleksei Belyaev Chichester Festival Theatre 2011 Emperor and Galilean Agathon National Theatre The Heart of Robin Hood Robin Hood Royal Shakespeare Company2012Chariots of Fire Harold Abrahams Hampstead Theatre Gielgud Theatre2014James I: The Key Will Keep The LockJames I of Scotland National Theatre Edinburgh International Festival National Theatre of Scotland2015Platonov Mikhail Platonov Chichester Festival TheatreIvanovYevgeni Lvov2016Platonov Mikhail PlatonovNational TheatreIvanov Yevgeni Lvov 2017 Angels in AmericaLouis Ironson National Theatre 2018 Neil Simon Theatre 2019 Peter Gynt Peter Gynt National Theatre 2021 The Tragedy of Macbeth Macbeth Almeida Theatre 2024 The Real Thing Henry Old Vic Theatre2025BacchaePentheusNational Theatre
Television Year Title Role Notes2011 Appropriate Adult Stephen West 2 episodes Page Eight Ted Finch Television film 2013 Love and Marriage Charlie McCallister 6 episodes2014 New Worlds Will Blood Miniseries Salting the BattlefieldTed Finch Television film Turks & Caicos Television film 37 Days Alec Miniseries 2017 Man in an Orange Shirt Thomas March Television film 2021 Mare of Easttown Deacon Mark Burton Miniseries 2022 Life After Life Hugh Todd Main cast 2022 Andor Timm Karlo 3 episodes 2024 Sexy Beast Gal Dove Main cast 2025 Playing Nice Miles Lambert Miniseries2026WarNicholas TaylorMain cast 2026 Queen James James VI and I 1-episode documentary
Film Year Title Role Notes 2012 Private Peaceful Lieutenant Buckland 2014 '71 Sergeant Mark McGowen 2015 Star Wars: The Force Awakens Niv Lek2016 On The Road Joe The Chamber Parks 2018 Mary Queen of Scots James Stewart, Earl of Moray 2020 Ammonite Roderick Murchison 2024 Four MothersEdward TBA Filming
Awards and nominations Year Association Category Work Result2010Ian Charleson AwardsSpecial CommendationMacbethA Month in the Country Evening Standard Awards Outstanding NewcomerSpur of the Moment2015 Ian Charleson Awards1st PlacePlatonov2016 Evening Standard AwardsBest Actor2018 Laurence Olivier Awards Best Actor in a Supporting RoleAngels in America Theatre World Award Drama League Awards Distinguished Performance Drama Desk Awards Best Actor in a Play 2019 h100 Awards Theatre & Performance Peter Gynt 2025British Academy Scotland AwardsBest Actor (Film/Television)Four Mothers 2026Irish Film & Television AwardsBest International Actor
References
External links