Succession star Matthew Macfadyen has done over 40 movies and TV shows, in a career of almost three decades. Several of his performances have been critically well-received. And yet, he perhaps remains one of the most underrated actors of the present time.
The English actor, who was born on 17 October 1974, began his career doing theatre in the early 1990s. The British TV film Wuthering Heights (1998) marked his debut outside of the stage. Two years later, he made his cinematic debut, with the British comedy Maybe Baby (2000).
Over the years, Macfadyen has displayed his natural talent as an actor through diverse scripts and roles. He is known for embodying characters with such authenticity that they become associated with him in the minds of the audiences, setting the bar high for anyone who would portray the same characters in other adaptations.
An epitome of Macfadyen’s craft is visible in the romantic movie Pride & Prejudice (2005), where he played the role of Mr. Darcy to such perfection that it redefined the character for the new generation. It was this particular portrayal which established Macfadyen as a reliable leading man, primarily in roles of complex and witty characters.
Macfadyen has played a wide range of roles across genres — from period dramas to spy thrillers and mystery shows to satirical black comedies. Despite his prolific acting calibre, Macfadyen received wider international fame and accolades with the HBO series Succession (2018–2023). His role of the ambitious Tom Wambsgans desperately clawing his way up the corporate ladder is considered his best performance to date.
Though Succession concluded in 2023, Macfadyen is now getting started with franchise projects that are loved by a wider set of audiences. He has entered the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) with Deadpool & Wolverine, the most-anticipated film of 2024. In a trailer of the film, he is seen playing the role of Time Variance Authority (TVA) agent Paradox. Perhaps the role is surprisingly fun and flashiest for Macfadyen, who has otherwise established himself in nuanced roles.
While fans are excited to see his new avatar in Deadpool & Wolverine, and awed by “Tom’s promotion from Waystar to TVA”, they might want to take a look at his best works to date.
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Best movies and TV shows of ‘Succession’ star Matthew Macfadyen
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Directed by: David Yates
Other cast members: David Suchet, Shirley Henderson, Cillian Murphy, Miranda Otto, Cheryl Campbell, Paloma Baeza
IMDb rating: 7.6
No. of episodes: 4
Synopsis: A mysterious European financier named Augustus Melmotte (Suchet) arrives in London with a promise of fortune for those who wish to associate with him. The lives of an impoverished widow Lady Carbury (Campbell), her son Sir Felix (Macfadyen) and daughter Hetta (Baeza) intertwine with that of Melmotte and his daughter Marie (Henderson).
More about the drama: The Way We Live Now is a four-episode British drama based on Anthony Trollope’s 1875 novel of the same name. The series is particularly noteworthy today for marking the television debut of Cillian Murphy, who played one of the main roles of engineer Paul Montague.
Awards won: Three BAFTA awards: Best Drama Serial for producer Nigel Stafford-Clark, writer Andrew Davies and director Yates.
Image credit: IMDb
Directed by: Ron Howard
Other cast members: Frank Langella, Michael Sheen, Kevin Bacon, Rebecca Hall, Toby Jones
IMDb rating: 7.7
Runtime: 2 hours 2 minutes
Synopsis: In the aftermath of the Watergate scandal, British talk show host David Frost (Sheen) convinces his producer friend John Birt (Macfadyen) to let him interview disgraced former US president Richard Nixon (Langella).
More about the film: Frost/Nixon was adapted from a 2006 play of the same name by Peter Morgan. The film received five Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture.
Image credit: © 2008 – Universal Pictures./IMDb
Directed by: Yann Demange, Marc Jobst
Other cast members: Maxine Peake, Alice Sykes, Sophie Okonedo, Denis Lawson, Steven MacKintosh, Eddie Marsan, Zoe Telford, Kate Hardie
IMDb rating: 7.7
No. of episodes: 5
Synopsis: Juliet Miller (Peake) stabs her abusive husband, Joe (Macfadyen), who is a renowned barrister. Juliet is accused of attempted murder and is then dragged through the murky criminal justice system in the UK.
More about the drama: Macfadyen was part of season 2 of the acclaimed series.
Award won: Macfadyen won the BAFTA for Best Supporting Actor, which was the first major award of his career.
Directed by: Joe Wright
Other cast members: Keira Knightley, Brenda Blethyn, Donald Sutherland, Rosamund Pike, Carey Mulligan, Jena Malone, Tom Hollander, Judi Dench
IMDb rating: 7.8
Runtime: 2 hours 9 minutes
Synopsis: The sensible but strong-willed Elizabeth Bennett (Knightley) meets the wealthy but arrogant Mr Fitzwilliam Darcy (Macfadyen). As their unusual relationship progresses, difficulties arise due to their attitudes and opposite social statuses.
More about the film: Based on Jane Austen’s 1813 book of the same name, the film is the second feature-length adaptation of the acclaimed novel. It was a critical and commercial success, earning over USD 120 million at the box office — around four times its budget. The film received five Oscar nods, besides several other accolades.
Image credit: © 2005 – Focus Features/IMDb
Directed by: Michael Samuels
Other cast members: Jim Broadbent, Sam Claflin, Hayley Atwell, Gillian Anderson, Tom Hollander, Kim Cattrall
IMDb rating: 7.8
No. of episodes: 4
Synopsis: Logan Mountstuart (Broadbent, Macfadyen, Claflin) is a novelist who meets several real-life icons, ranging from Ernest Hemingway to Ian Fleming and even Edward VIII, the exiled British king, in a long life from the 1920s Paris to 1980s London.
About the show: The four-episode British drama is an adaptation of the 2002 novel of the same name by William Boyd. Macfadyen played a 30s to 40s version of the character, whose younger version was played by Claflin and older by Broadbent.
Award won: Its sole BAFTA win came for Best Drama Serial.
Image credit: IMDb
Directed by: Stephen Poliakoff
Other cast members: Michael Gambon, Lindsay Duncan, Claire Skinner, Toby Stephens
IMDb rating: 8
Runtime: 1 hour 36 minutes
Synopsis: Daniel (Macfadyen) attends a distant family reunion with his father, Raymond Symon (Gambon) and mother Esther (Baker). For Daniel, the reunion turns out more than he thought he knew about his family’s history.
Award won: One BAFTA award
Image credit: IMDb
Directed by: Sergio Mimica-Gezzan
Other cast members: Ian McShane, Donald Sutherland, Rufus Sewell, Eddie Redmayne, Hayley Atwell
IMDb rating: 8
No. of episodes: 8
Synopsis: Aristocratic families and several other lives are affected by political and religious strife in a fictional town during the English Civil War of the 12th century.
More about the show: The Pillars of the Earth is an adaptation of Ken Follett’s 1989 novel of the same name, but differs from the novel in several aspects.
Award won: One Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Sound Editing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special. It also earned three Golden Globe nominations.
Created by: Richard Warlow
Other cast members: Jerome Flynn, Adam Rothenberg, MyAnna Buring
IMDb rating: 8.1
No. of episodes: 37
Synopsis: Detective Inspector Edmund Reid (Macfadyen) patrols the streets of Whitechapel with his team of officers months after serial killer Jack the Ripper terrorised the city with his crimes.
Image credit: Photo by Bernard Walsh/Tiger Aspect 2014 – © Copyright: Tiger Aspect 2014/IMDb
Directed by: Adam Smith, Dearbhla Walsh, Diarmuid Lawrence
Other cast members: Claire Foy, Tom Courtenay, Judy Parfitt
IMDb rating: 8.2
No. of episodes: 14
Synopsis: Amy Dorrit (Foy) is a young lady whose father is in the debtor’s prison named Marshalsea. A twist of fate brings Arthur Clennam (Macfadyen) into her life and their fortunes take a turn.
More about the show: The miniseries is based on Charles Dickens’ 19th-century serialised novel of the same title.
Awards won: Seven Primetime Emmy awards, including one for Outstanding Miniseries.
Directed by: Peter Kosminsky
Other cast members: Damian Lewis, Ioan Gruffudd, Cal Macaninch, Darren Morfitt, Shaun Dooley, Tom Ward
Awards won: Two BAFTA awards
IMDb rating: 8.3
No. of episodes: 30
Synopsis: A group of British peacekeepers who were part of the UNPROFOR forces in former Yugoslavia during the ethnic conflict of 1993 struggle to get back to their normal lives in the UK due to the horrors they witnessed.
More about the show: Warriors is a two-episode British drama in which Macfadyen played the role of one of the soldiers, Private Alan James.
Image credit: IMDb
Created by: David Wolstencroft
Other cast members: Peter Firth, Jenny Agutter, Max Brown, Keeley Hawes, Max Brown
IMDb rating: 8.3
No. of episodes: 86
Synopsis: Officers of Section D, the counter-terror division of the UK’s domestic counterintelligence service MI5, undertake a series of missions under the supervision of Sir Harry Pearce (Firth).
More about the show: Macfadyen’s character Tom Quinn was one of the main leads in the first three seasons of the spy series from 2002 to 2004. He reprised his role as a guest in the 10th and final season in 2011. The show led to a movie sequel, Spooks: The Greater Good (2015), starring Peter Firth, Kit Harington and Jennifer Ehle.
Award won: One BAFTA award for Best Drama Series in 2003. The show, also known as MI-5 in some regions, was nominated for 13 BAFTA awards throughout its run.
Image credit: © BBC/IMDb
Created by: Jesse Armstrong
Other cast members: Brian Cox, Alan Ruck, Jeremy Strong, Kieran Culkin, Sarah Snook, Matthew Macfadyen, Nicholas Braun, Hiam Abbass, Alexander Skarsgård
IMDb rating: 8.8
No. of episodes: 39
Synopsis: Logan Roy (Cox), the head of the Roy family which controls Waystar Royco media and entertainment company, begins contemplating the future of his company following a decline in health. His succession plans trigger a family collision involving his children — Kendall (Strong), Connor (Ruck), Roman (Culkin) and Shiv (Snook).
More about the show: Succession is widely hailed as one of the best TV shows in recent years. The four-season show won three consecutive Emmys for Outstanding Drama Series during its run. Macfadyen played the main role of Tom Wambsgans, Shiv’s husband and a high-ranking executive in his father-in-law’s company. The role is his biggest critical success to date.
Awards won: Macfadyen won a BAFTA for his performance as a supporting actor in the series and his first Primetime Emmy Award in 2022. Following the final season, he won a Golden Globe and another Primetime Emmy award in 2024. In total, the show won 19 Primetime Emmys.
Image credit: Max – © Max/IMDb
(Hero and Featured images: IMDb)
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
– Which is the best Matthew Macfadyen movie?
The highest-rated movie starring Matthew Macfadyen is Pride & Prejudice (2005).
– Which is the best Matthew Macfadyen TV show?
The best Matthew Macfadyen TV show is Succession (2018–2023).
