Christian McKay

Christian McKay
Christian McKay in 2013
Born	Christian Stuart McKay (1973-11-11) 11 November 1973 (age 43) Bury, Lancashire, England, UK
Nationality	British
Occupation	Actor
Years active	2004–present
Spouse(s)	Emily Allen

Christian Stuart McKay (born 11 November 1973) is an English stage and screen actor. He is well known for his portrayal of Orson Welles in the 2008 film Me and Orson Welles, which received critical praise and was nominated for awards such as the BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor. He also appeared in movies such as You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and Rush.

McKay was born in Bury, Lancashire. He has two siblings, Karen McKay and Tony Gardner. His mother, Lynne, is a hairdresser, and his father, Stuart, is a railway worker. He studied piano as a youth, and performed the Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 3 at age 21. McKay subsequently halted his concert career and enrolled at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art to study acting.

McKay's television appearances include portraying conductor Pierre Monteux in the BBC TV production Riot at the Rite (2005). His first film appearance was in Abraham's Point (2008).

After seeing a performance of Rosebud at the 2007 "Brits Off Broadway" festival, Richard Linklater cast McKay as Welles in his film Me and Orson Welles, retaining McKay over the subsequent producer objections to his casting. In this, his second film and first lead role, McKay received critical praise for his performance as Orson Welles.

McKay has recently been seen in the biographical drama Rush, alongside Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Brühl, the BAFTA-nominated music film Northern Soul, and the Oscar-winning biographical drama The Theory of Everything, alongside Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones. All of these were met with critical acclaim, with The Theory of Everything receiving a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Picture.