Ian McNeice

Ian McNeice
Ian McNeice at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole hotel, 17 April 2009
Born	(1950-10-02) 2 October 1950 (age 66) Basingstoke, Hampshire, England
Occupation	Actor, voice actor

Ian McNeice (born 2 October 1950) is an English actor and voice actor. He found fame portraying government agent Harcourt in the 1985 television miniseries Edge of Darkness, and went on to feature in popular films such as The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain, Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls and Frank Herbert's Dune. He plays Bert Large in the comedy drama series Doc Martin, and played The Newsreader in historical drama Rome.

McNeice was born in Basingstoke, Hampshire. His acting training started at the Taunton School in Somerset, followed by the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) and two years at the Salisbury Playhouse. The next few years were spent in theatre, including a four-year career with the Royal Shakespeare Company and a production of Nicholas Nickleby on Broadway.

McNeice's television breakthrough was as Harcourt in the award-winning series Edge of Darkness. He played the alcoholic sous chef Gustave LaRoche on the television series Chef!, and went on to appear in the 2000 miniseries Frank Herbert's Dune as the evil Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, a role he later reprised for the 2003 sequel Children of Dune. His television appearances have included all seven series of Doc Martin, in which he plays Bert Large, as well as the third episode of the second series of Lewis. He appears as the Newsreader in the HBO/BBC production Rome.