Matthew MacFadyen

Biography: British actor Matthew MacFadyen, known to television audiences as MI5 agent Tom Quinn on the BBC action-drama Spooks, was born to an actress and drama teacher mother and a father who was in the oil business. As a result, his family moved around the world a great deal. He attended schools in places like Louth, Lincolnshire, Indonesia, and Scotland. Matthew also studied at Oakham School in Rutland, Leicestershire from 1985 to 1992. He then enrolled at the world-renowned Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA), where he performed in several theater productions before graduating in 1995. Initially, MacFadyen began working primarily on the stage -- being involved with the theatre groups Cheek By Jowl and Royal Shakespeare Company -- before branching out into British television.

After appearing in a handful of made-for-TV movies and feature films, he starred as Daniel in the BBC drama serial Perfect Strangers, which earned him much critical acclaim, in 2001. That same year, Matthew portrayed the role of Sir Felix Carbury in the Masterpiece Theatre presentation of "The Way We Live Now", in which he worked with Cillian Murphy and Miranda Otto. In 2002, MacFadyen was hired to portray a double life as British spy Tom Quinn on Spooks (also known as MI-5 to US TV viewers), which gained popularity in the years to come. Not only was Matthew able to solidify his acting career because of the show, it was also on the set that he met his wife Keeley Hawes, who played fellow spook Zoe Reynolds.

After Matthew left the show in 2004, he soon conquered the big screen and the international arena with major roles as Mr. Darcy in the award-winning film Pride & Prejudice (2005), appearing opposite Keira Knightley (who played Elizabeth Bennet). His other notable films included the Robert Rodriguez action-thriller Grindhouse (2007), Frank Oz's Death at a Funeral (2007), the dark comedy in which he again teamed up with wife Hawes, and the 2009 Oscar Best Picture nominee Frost/Nixon. In 2008, he then went back to working on television, starring as Arthur Clennam in BBC period drama Little Dorrit, a TV adaptation of the Charles Dickens novel. The following year, he landed the role of Sheriff of Nottingham in Ridley Scott's Robin Hood, with Russell Crowe playing the title character.… Expand