Ian David McShane (born 29 September 1942) is an English actor. Although he has appeared in numerous films, it is by his television roles that he is generally known, starting with the BBC's Lovejoy (1986–94) and particularly in the HBO Western drama Deadwood (2004–06). In 2009, he starred in the NBC series Kings as King Silas Benjamin.
Ian McShane was born in Blackburn, Lancashire, the son of Irene (née Cowley) and famous Scottish-born footballer Harry McShane. McShane grew up in Urmston, Lancashire and attended Stretford Grammar School.
In 1977, he began a turbulent five-year relationship with actress Sylvia Kristel after meeting her on the set of The Fifth Musketeer. He is married to actress Gwen Humble.
In the United Kingdom, his best known role may be that of antiques dealer Lovejoy in the BBC drama series of the same name. He also enjoyed fame in the United States as English cad Don Lockwood in the soap opera Dallas and as an English cockfighting aficionado in the mini-series Roots. Even before Lovejoy, McShane was a pin-up as a result of appearances in television series such as Wuthering Heights (1967, as Heathcliff), If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium (1969 as Charlie), Jesus of Nazareth (1977, as Judas Iscariot), and Disraeli (1978) — as well as films like Sky West and Crooked (1965) and Battle of Britain (1969).
In the United States, he is perhaps best known for the role of historical figure Al Swearengen in the HBO series Deadwood. For his performance in this role as the lead of the series, he won the 2005 Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Television Drama and was also nominated for similar awards at the 2005 Emmy and Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Other roles include voicing the role of Captain Hook in Shrek the Third; of Iofur Raknison (known as Ragnar Sturlusson in the film) in The Golden Compass; the evil Tai Lung in Kung Fu Panda (for which he received an Annie Award nomination); and Mr. Bobinski, a beet-eating Russian gymnast in Coraline.. In live-action, he has performed in the comedy Hot Rod, the action/thriller Death Race, and The Seeker. He has starred in the TV series of Pillars of the Earth as Waleran Bigod, and has had a recurring role on US TV's The West Wing as a Russian diplomat.
During the 2007–2008 season, he starred as Max in the 40th anniversary Broadway revival of Harold Pinter's The Homecoming, co-starring Eve Best, Raul Esparza, and Michael McKean and directed by Daniel Sullivan, at the Cort Theatre (16 December 2007 through 13 April 2008).
In 2009, McShane appeared on the short-lived NBC television drama series Kings, which was based on the biblical story of David. His portrayal of King Silas Benjamin, an analogue of King Saul, was highly praised, with one critic saying "Whenever 'Kings' seems to falter, McShane appears to put bite marks all over the scenery."
In 2010, Disney confirmed that McShane would play Blackbeard in the fourth installment of the Pirates of the Caribbean film franchise, On Stranger Tides. In March 2011, McShane was cast to play King Brahmwell in Bryan Singer's Jack the Giant Killer.