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Nicholas Woodeson

Nicholas Woodeson

Actor · Born November 30, 1949 (76) · England, UK

Nicholas Woodeson (born November 30, 1949) is an English film, television and theatre actor, and Drama Desk and Olivier award nominee. Woodeson was born in Sudan and lived in the Middle East as a boy. He started performing at prep school in Sussex, and Marlborough College. He read English at the University of Sussex, and became involved in student drama productions, where he met Michael Attenborough, Jim Carter, and Andy de la Tour. He took part in the 1970 National Student Drama Festival. Next was a season in rep at the Lyceum Theatre, Crewe, after deciding not to pursue an academic career. He won a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (1972–74). His first work after drama school was a season at the Everyman Theatre, Liverpool (1974–75), in a company that included Jonathan Pryce (artistic director), Julie Walters, Pete Postlethwaite and Bill Nighy. He has worked in regional theatre in the UK and US, at the Hampstead Theatre Club, the Young Vic and the Almeida Theatre in London and at the Manhattan Theatre Club (Off-Broadway). He joined the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in 1982 and worked with them for seven years. On Broadway his work includes Straker in Man and Superman (1978), Piaf (1981), Inspector Goole in An Inspector Calls (1995), and Burleigh in Mary Stuart (2009). In 2011, he played Mr Prince in the National Theatre revival of Odets' Rocket to the Moon. He has appeared in the West End in Funny Peculiar (1976), in Good (1982) (also Broadway), as Inspector Goole in An Inspector Calls (2009), as Bonesy in Jumpers (2003) (also Broadway), as Mussabini in Chariots of Fire (2012), and as Harold Wilson in The Audience (2015). He has been in two productions of Pinter's 'The Birthday Party', playing McCann at the National Theatre in 1994, and Goldberg in the Lyric Hammersmith's 50th centenary production in 2008, and two productions of Pinter's The Homecoming, playing Lenny in the 25th Anniversary West End revival in 1991, and Max at the RSC in 2011. In 2017, following the death of Tim Pigott-Smith, he took over the role of Willy Loman in the Royal & Derngate theatre's tour of Death of a Salesman, for which he was nominated for a UK Theatre Award as Best Actor in a Leading Role. Woodeson's first film work was a role in Heaven's Gate, released in 1980. By chance, he spent more time on location in Montana than any other actor in the film. He has also appeared in, among others, The Russia House (1990), The Pelican Brief (1993), Shooting Fish (1997), The Man Who Knew Too Little (1997) Titanic Town (1998), The Avengers (1998), Mad Cows (1999), Topsy-Turvy (1999), Dreaming of Joseph Lees (1999), Amazing Grace (2006), Hannah Arendt (2012), the James Bond film Skyfall (2012), Mr. Turner (2014), The Danish Girl (2015), Race (2016), Disobedience (2017), The Death of Stalin (2017) and The Hustle (2019).

Read more

Biography from TMDB.

Born
November 30, 1949 (76)
From
England, UK
Works as
Actor
Titles
63 on MovieCove · 99 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26Down 44% in 30 days

What are Nicholas Woodeson's films like?

Across their 18 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Self.

Genres

Biography4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 83rd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Biography movies
Drama4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 68th percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Comedy3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 57th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Morality
26%
Self
21%
Bonds
19%
Power
12%
Survival
10%
Ideas
7%
Society
5%
Identity6 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice6 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love4 titles, browse their movies with this themeTruth4 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival2 titles, browse their movies with this themeFreedom2 titles, browse their movies with this themeMarriage2 titles, browse their movies with this themeBetrayal3 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 13 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 4 · Serious 3 · Dark 6

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 4 · Stylized 9 · Heightened 0

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 3 · Charged 6 · Intense 4

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 5 · Shifting 8 · Whiplash 0

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 8 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 3

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 5 · Even-paced 8 · Relentless 0

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 5 · Engaged 6 · Full focus 2

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 4 · Affecting 1 · Heavy 8

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 9 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 2

Roles they play

2 analyzed roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
14
Melancholic
8
Dread
5
Romantic
5
Absurd
4
Other
12

How their films linger

Thought-provoking8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 3 with a twist

  • Happy4
  • Bittersweet8
  • Tragic1
  • Ambiguous5

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Nicholas Woodeson's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 53 of their 63 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (17).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Nicholas Woodeson's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

99 credits, 63 with a MovieCove page.

  • National Theatre Live: Golden Boy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2026)

    as Mr. Carp / Barker

  • Savage House(2026)

    as Mr. Brimsby, Jeweller

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • Falling (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2026)

    Show 1 episode · as Father Victor

  • Death by Lightning(2025)

    Show 2 episodes · as Loeffler

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all shows

  • Peter Pan's Neverland Nightmare(2025)

    as Steven

    Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films

  • The Agency(2024)

    Show 1 episode · as Ancient Gem Dealer

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all shows

  • Beyond Paradise(2023)

    Show 1 episode · as Father Brian

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all shows

  • A Paris Proposal(2023)

    as Jacques

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power(2022)

    Show 1 episode · as Diarmid

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all shows

  • Firebird(2021)

    as Polkovnik Kuznetsov

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Quiz(2020)

    Show 2 episodes · as Nicholas Hilliard QC

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all shows

  • On the Beaches (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)

    as Albert Einstein

  • The Hustle(2019)

    as Albert

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films

  • Disobedience(2017)

    as Rabbi Goldfarb

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • Beirut(2018)

    as Herzerg

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • Paddington 2(2017)

    as Insurance Company CEO

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • The Death of Stalin(2017)

    as Boris Bresnavich, Conductor #2

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • Will(2017)

    Show 3 episodes · as Phillip Henslowe

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all shows

  • Taboo(2017)

    Show 5 episodes · as Robert Thoyt

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all shows

  • Delicious(2016)

    Show 1 episode · as Allen Billington

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all shows

  • The Limehouse Golem(2016)

    as Toby Dosett

    Midcredits score: 52nd percentile of all films

  • The Living and the Dead(2016)

    Show 6 episodes · as Reverend Matthew Denning

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all shows

  • Race(2016)

    as Fred Rubien

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • Ramona & The Chair (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    as Priest

  • The Danish Girl(2015)

    as Dr. Buson

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • The Eichmann Show(2015)

    as Yaakov Jonilowicz

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • Mapp & Lucia(2014)

    Show 3 episodes · as Algernon Wyse

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all shows

  • Mr. Turner(2014)

    as Gentleman Critic

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • The Escape Artist(2013)

    Show 3 episodes · as George Balfour QC

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all shows

  • It's Kevin (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    Show 1 episode · as Various

  • Ripper Street(2012)

    Show 1 episode · as Dr. William Corcoran

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all shows

  • Loving Miss Hatto (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

    as Erich

  • Secret State(2012)

    Show 4 episodes · as Lord Justice Holbeck

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all shows

  • Skyfall(2012)

    as Doctor Hall

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Hannah Arendt(2012)

    as William Shawn

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • John Carter(2012)

    as Dalton

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • Hysteria(2011)

    as Dr. Richardson

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Friday Night Dinner(2011)

    Show 1 episode · as Rabbi

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all shows

  • Silk(2011)

    Show 1 episode · as Professor Stephen Nyman

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all shows

  • Borgen(2010)

    Show 1 episode · as Alexander Grozin

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all shows

  • Red Riding: The Year of Our Lord 1980(2009)

    as Michael Warren

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • Pope Joan(2009)

    as Arighis

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • Red Riding (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Filth: The Mary Whitehouse Story(2008)

    as Harman Grisewood

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • Poppy Shakespeare (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    as Professor

  • Amazing Grace(2006)

    as Harrison

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • Eleventh Hour(2006)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all shows

  • Rome(2005)

    Show 22 episodes · as Posca

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all shows

  • Christine (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    as Gerald Leyman

  • Shameless(2004)

    Show 1 episode · as Isaac

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all shows

  • New Tricks(2003)

    Show 1 episode · as Viktor Proust

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all shows

  • Foyle's War(2002)

    Show 1 episode · as Josef Novak

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all shows

  • One of the Hollywood Ten(2000)

    as Bill

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • Helen West (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    Show 3 episodes · as Brian Redwood

  • Waking the Dead(2000)

    Show 2 episodes · as Reese Dickson, Solicitor

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all shows

  • Conspiracy(2001)

    as Otto Hofmann

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • Topsy-Turvy(1999)

    as Mr. Seymour

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Dreaming of Joseph Lees(1999)

    as Mr. Dian

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • Mad Cows (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    as Detective Slynne

  • Great Expectations(1999)

    as Wemmick

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • Great Expectations (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Show 2 episodes · as Wemmick

  • The Avengers(1998)

    as Dr. Darling

    Midcredits score: 1st percentile of all films

  • Titanic Town (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    as Jeremy Immonger

  • The Woman In White (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    as Asylum Proprietor

  • The Woman In White (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    Show 2 episodes · as Asylum Proprietor

  • The Man Who Knew Too Little(1997)

    as Sergei

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Shooting Fish(1997)

    as Mr Collyns

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • Silent Witness(1996)

    Show 1 episode · as Derek Galton

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all shows

  • Men of the Month (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    as Keith

  • Pie in the Sky(1994)

    Show 1 episode · as Maurice Plummer

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all shows

  • Cracker(1993)

    Show 1 episode · as Hennessy

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all shows

  • The Pelican Brief(1993)

    as Stump

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Maria's Child (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    as Roland

  • Hedda Gabler (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    as Jorgen Tesman

  • Mr. Wroe's Virgins (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    Show 4 episodes · as Brother Moses

  • Bonjour la Classe (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    Show 6 episodes · Actor

  • The Blackheath Poisonings (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    Show 3 episodes · as Bertie Williams

  • The Blackheath Poisonings (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    as Bertie Williams

  • A Touch of Frost(1992)

    Show 1 episode · as Anton Caldwell

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all shows

  • Bad Girl (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    as Geoff Harris

  • A Fatal Inversion (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    as Inspector Winder

  • Performance (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

    Show 1 episode · as Jorgen Tesman

  • The Wolvis Family (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

    Show 6 episodes · Actor

  • For the Greater Good (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

    Show 3 episodes · as Michael Parke-Walsh MP

  • My Kingdom for a Horse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

    as Robin 'Jacko' Jackman

  • The Russia House(1990)

    as Niki Landau

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • The Chief (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    Show 1 episode · as Milverton

  • Max and Helen (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    as Martin Greenbaum

  • Blackeyes (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    Show 1 episode · as Stilk

  • Poirot(1989)

    Show 1 episode · as Detective Sergeant Hoskins

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all shows

  • Casualty(1986)

    Show 1 episode · as Jack Clayton

    Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all shows

  • ScreenPlay (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)

    Show 1 episode · as Geoff Harris

  • Miami Vice(1984)

    Show 1 episode · as Artie Cross

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all shows

  • Piaf (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

    as Emil / Jacko

  • The Hound of the Baskervilles(1982)

    Show 4 episodes · as Sir Henry Baskerville

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all shows

  • Heaven's Gate(1980)

    as Small man

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • A Rumor of War (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

    Show 2 episodes · as Cpl. Kazmarak

  • Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    as Steven

  • Untitled Tinkerbell Movie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    as Steven

Career shape

Star power in the 98th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 99 titles, 96 of them dated from 1980 to 2026; peak year 2016.

Biggest box office

The Hustle (2019)

$97M worldwide

Highest rated

Firebird (2021)

Midcredits 89th

Most popular right now

The Danish Girl (2015)

Film career

19802026

Peak 2016 · fewer prominent film roles lately. Top draw in 1 MovieCove title. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting99 of 99: 99 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score75th

By decade

1980s9 · acting1990s32 · acting2000s16 · acting2010s29 · acting2020s10 · acting

Billing

usually 13th · top billed in 0% of 29 roles
800015

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

How do Nicholas Woodeson's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 71st percentile, the median of all 33; across their 13 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 69th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

69thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 13

Approval · how many liked their films

67thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 13

Reach · how many have seen their films

88thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 13

Midcredits score across 63 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up34
  • 50th to 74th17
  • 25th to 49th8
  • Below 25th4

Shape of the crowd

37 of their 63 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved14
  • Universally Panned1
  • Cult Classic2
  • Crowd Pleaser37
  • Broadly Agreed2
  • Mixed7

Most divisive · actor

Peter Pan's Neverland Nightmare (2025)

64th percentile spread · 37% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Rome (2005)

Midcredits 98th · 93% liked

Reviewers score the acting 73/100 in their films, across 13 reviewed titles; fans 81, detractors 50. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Nicholas Woodeson's work okay for kids?

Across up to 8 MovieCove titles with content scores, sex & nudity and profanity run heavier than most films and violence & gore lighter.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore6 titles9–63 · median 33 · mildlighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity8 titles35–68 · median 45 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity6 titles30–62 · median 49 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs6 titles35–67 · median 37 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense6 titles11–65 · median 37 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Nicholas Woodeson work with?

People who share at least 2 of Nicholas Woodeson's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Anton Lesser shares the most, 2.

Actors

Composers and cinematographers

Producers