British actor Matthew MacFadyen studied at the prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Art before beginning his career on the stage. He joined the renowned theater company Cheek and Jowl, with whom he participated in productions of The School for Scandal, Much Ado About Nothing, The Duchess of Malfi, and other plays. In 1998, he made a much-noticed transition to the screen with the role of Hareton Earnshaw in a television adaptation of Wuthering Heights. He would go on to appear in such films as Enigma and Almost Strangers before being cast in the lead role of Tom Quinn in the spy series MI-5 (aka Spooks) in 2002. He stayed with the series until 2004, and the next year he made yet another foray into period drama, playing the male lead of Mr. Darcy in a big-screen adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, opposite Keira Knightley. He soon followed it up with a turn in the quirky comedy Death at a Funeral in 2007, before signing on for the 2008 Ron Howard film Frost/Nixon. ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide
Family
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Brother: James MacFadyen. younger
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Daughter: Maggie MacFadyen. born December 2004; mother, Keeley Hawes
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Father: Martin MacFadyen. worked for an oil company
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Mother: Menir MacFadyen. teacher of history and drama
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Son: Ralph MacFadyen. born September 2006; mother, Keeley Hawes
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Step-son: Myles. born in 2000 from a previous marriage
Significant Others
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Wife: Keeley Hawes. born 1976; met when they co-starred in the TV series "Spooks" (MI-5); married in 2004
Education
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Oakham School, Rutland, Leichestershire, drama, 1990-92
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Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA), 1992-95
Milestones
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1995 Joined 'Cheek By Jowl' theater company; toured with "The Duchess of Malfi"
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1998 Cast in the TV movie "Warriors" (BBC America) by Peter Kosminsky, about soldiers in Bosnia
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1998 Cast in the TV production of "Wuthering Heights" by David Skynner
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1998 Toured with 'Cheek By Jowl' in "Much Ado About Nothing"
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2002 Appeared in "The Way We Live Now" by David Yates
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2003 Portrayed governent agent Tom Quinn in "Spooks" (BBC) (MI-5 on A&E)
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2005 Played Prince Hal opposite Sir Michael Gambon in "Henry IV" at Nicholas Hytner's National Theatre
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2005 Portrayed Mr. Darcy, opposite Keira Knightley in "Pride and Prejudice," an adaptation of the Jane Austen classic
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2007 Co-starred in the Frank Oz directed, "Death at a Funeral"
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Toured with RSC, Royal Shakespeare Company, in productions of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and "School for Scandal"