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ALL ABOUT ALEX

Who is Alex Hassell? The Miniaturist’s Johannes and star of Miranda, Love Soup and Bonkers

Alex Hassell

ALEX Hassell is a British actor and the co-founder of The Factory Theatre Company, which is famous for its cult-hit production of Hamlet.

He's starring in The Miniaturist, a new two-part series for the BBC directed by Guillem Morales... but what else do we know about the man?

 Alex Hassell is starring in new show The Miniaturist
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Alex Hassell is starring in new show The MiniaturistCredit: Getty - Contributor

Who is Alex Hassell?

Alex Hassell was born in Southend, Essex, on September 17, 1980.

With fellow actor Tim Evans, he co-founded The Factory Theatre Company, whose patrons include Ewan McGregor, Bill Nighy, Mark Rylance and Emma Thompson.

Alex recently completed a three-year stint leading the RSC Company, playing Hal in Henry IV Parts I and II, and Henry himself in Henry V. A newspaper review awarded Henry V with five stars, calling the show "just what the nation ordered" and Alex's performance "career-making stuff".

He recently starred in Suburbicon, a feature film written by the Coen Brothers and directed by George Clooney, opposite Julianne Moore, Oscar Isaac, Matt Damon and Josh Brolin.

 Alex plays merchant Johannes Brandt in The Miniaturist
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Alex plays merchant Johannes Brandt in The MiniaturistCredit: Rex Features

What's The Miniaturist about and what's Alex's role?

Set in Amsterdam in 1686, The Miniaturist follows the story of 18-year-old Nella Oortman (Anya Taylor-Joy) in Amsterdam.

She is excited for a new life as the wife of merchant, Johannes Brandt, but instead finds herself in a world of betrayal, fear and mystery when she moves into his grand mansion.

Gifted a dollhouse replica of their house, Nella starts to notice a mysterious connection between the miniature figures who inhabit the dollhouse and their real-life counterparts.

Nella soon discovers why her husband is avoiding her and the many secrets of the household - and that the dollhouse may hold the key to more.

In The Miniaturist, Alex takes on the Johannes Brandt, a wealthy merchant.

What else has Alex starred in?

Alex had appeared onscreen in the several TV shows, including:

  • Hustle
  • Miranda
  • The Bill
  • Torchwood
  • Love Soup
  • Murphy's Law
  • Suburbicon
  • Silent Witness
 The Miniaturist was first published in 2014 and has since sold millions of copies worldwide.
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The Miniaturist was first published in 2014 and has since sold millions of copies worldwide.

When will The Miniaturist air on BBC One?

The Miniaturist will be split in to two parts across the Christmas period.

Episode one is 90 minutes long and aired on Boxing Day at 9pm on BBC1

It will conclude on the following day at the same time with 60-minutete instalment.

Both parts will then become available on BBC iPlayer.

The epic series was filmed in both the Netherlands and the UK.

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