Ian McShane’s basically the king of playing the guy you really shouldn’t like but somehow can’t stop watching. He’s racked up awards and a wild fanbase, thanks to turning creeps, kingpins, and straight-up scoundrels into absolute legends on screen. Remember him as Mr. Wednesday in "American Gods"? Yeah, he’s a conman-slash-Norse god, just casually plotting the downfall of modern deities. McShane himself called the show “like nothing else I’ve seen on TV,” and honestly, he’s not wrong. But let’s not forget Al Swearengen from "Deadwood." That’s the role that made critics swoon and scared your grandma. Swearengen’s this rough, charismatic bar owner in the lawless wild west, dropping F-bombs and wisdom in equal measure. The New York Times even dubbed him one of TV’s most interesting villains. McShane snagged a Golden Globe for it, plus a couple Emmy nods, and when HBO brought "Deadwood" back for a movie, you better believe he jumped at the chance. Even now, McShane’s not slowing down. He’s popping up in everything from "Hellboy" (trading punches with demons) to "John Wick: Chapter 3" (hanging with Keanu in that stylish assassin hotel). And don’t sleep on his earlier stuff—he starred in "Lovejoy," charming the pants off BBC viewers as a lovable antiques dealer, and picked up another Golden Globe nom playing a scheming bishop in "Pillars of the Earth." Basically, if there’s a role that needs a bit of danger and a lot of swagger, McShane’s your man.
referencennJohn Hurt and this guy? They went way back, like ancient history back. We're talking about two dudes who basically kicked off their acting gigs together, hustling through the early days when no one really knew their names. It wasn't just a polite Hollywood friendship—these two were thick as thieves. Late-night pub runs, swapped stories from set, all that jazz. People in the business always said you could spot one and expect the other to show up not long after. Even as their careers took off in wild directions—John with his legendary roles, the other carving his own path—they kept in touch, real friends, not just for the cameras. When Hurt passed in 2017, it wasn’t just another headline. It actually hit home, left a hole. Their friendship? The kind that’s rare in showbiz, where everyone’s usually just passing through. When you think of Hurt, you should probably think of his old mate too.
The bad boy—yeah, he’s always the one people gravitate toward, right? There’s just something about that reckless energy, that “I don’t care” attitude. When you’re young, especially early twenties, you just dive headfirst into everything—zero hesitation. You’re not even thinking about consequences. Self-judgment? Basically nonexistent. It’s like being tossed into a role that’s way older than you—like, imagine some teenager trying to play a grumpy old Russian dude in a play. Of course it’s gonna be rough, but you give it a shot anyway. And honestly, when it came to playing the bad boy, it just clicked for me. Maybe it’s that little rebellious streak I’ve always had—like, I could just slip into that persona without even trying. There’s a weird kind of freedom in being the guy who breaks the rules. It’s wild, unpredictable, but man, it’s never boring.
September 29, 1942
5′ 7½″ (1.71 m)
Konidela Ram Charan
Blackburn, Lancashire, England, UK
Yes, Kate McShane
Irene Cowley and Surekha
82 years old