Who is Ian McShane? American Gods’ Mr Wednesday and star of Pottersville and Lovejoy
IAN McShane's new show American Gods has been garnering rave reviews and we're only five episodes in.
He has starred in everything from Lovejoy
to Pirates Of The Caribbean and here's the lowdown on the English actor.
Who is Ian McShane?
Ian McShane, 74, was born in Blackburn, Lancashire in 1942.
He grew up in Manchester and studiedat the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and was still a student when he landed his first film role in The Wild and the Willing in 1962.
He is best known in the UK for playing antiques dealer Lovejoy in the BBC1 series of the same name which aired from 1986 until 1994.
What is his role in American Gods?
Ian plays Mr. Wednesday in the highly-rated Amazon series American Gods.
He leads an old group of gods, moored in the US and preparing to fight against the new ones.
The new gods include physical manifestations of current obsessions, like technology, while the old ones represent the Norse legends that people brought with them when they settled in the States.
The show follows a main character named Shadow Moon, played by Ricky Whittle, who is released from jail early when his wife dies suddenly and is subsequently hired by a mysterious man named Mr Wednesday to be his bodyguard.
All is not as it seems, however, as Mr Wednesday is in fact the ancient Norse god Odin – and he needs Shadow’s help in recruiting a number of other old gods that have assimilated themselves into normal American life to fight the wave of powerful new gods.
Speaking about his character Mr Wednesday, Ian told the : "He wants a f***ing fight. He loves it. He's gathering everyone together to say, 'Win or lose, this is going to be f***ing great. It'll be fighting for something we believe in, against people who don't believe in anything!"
When is the next episode of American Gods out?
American Gods began exclusively on Amazon Prime Video on May 1 with a new episode being released every Monday for the duration of its run.
The sixth episode is out TODAY (June 12) and can be watched on any device that allows you to stream Amazon Prime Video.
What other TV shows has he been in?
Ian McShane has famously played the title character in the BBC show Lovejoy and had a one-off role as Ray in season 6 of Game of Thrones.
Controversially, Ian slammed fans of Game of Thrones for being too obsessed, telling them “Get a f***ing life!” in early 2017.
Over in the States, he garnered fame for his role as British film director Don Lockwood in Dallas and for playing historical figure Al Swearengen in the HBO series Deadwood.
He won the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Television Drama for playing Al in 2005.
In 2009 he starred in Kings, which was based on the biblical story of David but it was cancelled after one season.
Then in 2012, he landed a guest role in the second series of American Horror Story playing Murder Santa, a sadistic killed in the 1960s.
What films has Ian starred in?
The acting legend played Blackbeard Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, voiced Captain Hook in Shred the Third and was also the voice behind Tai Lung in Kung Fu panda.
Smaller films roles include playing Beith in Snow White and the Huntsman and Brinkman in Agent Cody Banks.
Later this year we will see him on the silver screen in upcoming flick, Pottersville opposite Christina Hendricks.
Is Ian McShane married?
Ian married and divorced his first wife Suzan Farmer in the 1960s.
He began a five-year affair with Dutch model and actress Sylvia Kristel after meeting her on the set of The Fifth Musketeer.
However, the affair ended his marriage to his second wife Ruth Post, who was a model and the mother to his two children, Kate and Morgan.
On August 30, 1980 he married actress Gwen Humble, 63, and they live in Venice Beach, California together.
