Rory Kinnear

Rory Kinnear (born February 17, 1978, in Hammersmith, London) is an English screen and stage artist celebrated for pairing classical training with sharply contemporary character work. He has been closely associated with the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal National Theatre, building a reputation as a performer who can move effortlessly between prestige theatre and mainstream film.

Many audiences know Kinnear as MI6 aide Bill Tanner in the James Bond series, appearing in Quantum of Solace and Skyfall (and continuing the role across the franchise, including tie-in games). He is notably the youngest actor to take on Tanner, bringing a brisk, modern edge to the part while anchoring the films’ intelligence-world realism.

On stage, Kinnear’s work has earned top honors, including a Laurence Olivier Award for his scene-stealing turn as Fopling Flutter in The Man of Mode, and another Olivier for Best Actor for his acclaimed Iago in the National Theatre’s Othello. On screen, he received a British Independent Film Award for Broken, and his credits also include Bank of Dave, Margaret Thatcher: The Long Walk to Finchley, and A Ghost Story for Christmas: The Mezzotint.