Alun Armstrong

Alun Armstrong is a prolific English character actor.

Armstrong grew up in County Durham in North East England. He first became interested in acting through Shakespeare productions at his grammar school. Since his career began in the early 1970s, he has played, in his words, "the full spectrum of characters from the grotesque to musicals... I always play very colourful characters, often a bit crazy, despotic, psychotic."

His numerous credits include six different Dickens adaptations and seven series as eccentric ex-detective Brian Lane in New Tricks.

Armstrong is also an accomplished stage actor who spent nine years with the Royal Shakespeare Company. He originated the role of Thénardier in the London production of Les Misérables and he won an Olivier Award for playing the title role in Sweeney Todd.

Alun Armstrong is known for work in acting across film and television. New Release currently presents 29 verified screen credits connected to this profile.

Selected work includes The Choral (2025), Breeders (2020), Out of Innocence (2019), Funny Cow (2018), Frontier (2016), Garrow's Law (2009), Little Dorrit (2008), Eragon (2006). The recorded credits span 1971 to 2025, including 19 movies and 10 TV shows.

The filmography below lists available titles, release years and known roles. This profile is updated as additional verified information becomes available.