Stanley Townsend
Born: 1961-08-20 in Dublin, Ireland
Known For: Acting
Biography
Stanley Townsend (born August 1961) is an Irish actor. Townsend was born and brought up in Dublin. After attending Wesley College, Dublin, he studied mathematics and civil engineering at Trinity College. While there he joined the Dublin University Players, the college's Amateur Dramatic Society. He later co-founded co-operative theatre company Rough Magic with writer/director Declan Hughes and theatre director Lynne Parker, performing in numerous productions including The Country Wife, Nightshade, and Sexual Perversity in Chicago. He subsequently went on to perform in several productions at The Gate and The Abbey Theatres in Dublin. In London, he has worked with such directors as Sam Mendes in The Plough and the Stars, Richard Eyre in Guys and Dolls and Rufus Norris in Under the Blue Sky. Theatre appearances at the Royal Court include The Alice Trilogy directed by Ian Rickson and Shining City directed by Conor McPherson, for which he won an Irish Theatre Award and was nominated for the Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Actor in 2004. Townsend's television work began on a number of shows for RTÉ in Dublin. Since moving to London, television appearances have included Spooks, The Commander, Hustle, Waking the Dead, and Omagh Bombing. ilm credits include Mike Newell's Into the West, Jim Sheridan's In the Name of the Father with Daniel Day-Lewis, The Van by Stephen Frears, Peter Greenaway's The Tulse Luper Suitcases, The Libertine with Johnny Depp, Paul Morrison's Wondrous Oblivion with Delroy Lindo, John Boorman's The Tiger's Tale and Michael Radford's Flawless. He currently lives in London.
Filmography
2025
- Jay Kelly as First Voice (voice)
- National Theatre Live: Retrograde as Mr Parks
2024
- KAOS as President Minos
- The Regime as Emil Bartos
- Blackshore as Bill McGuire
- The Teacher as Simon Cohen
2023
2022
- Andor as Commandant Jayhold Beehaz
- Becoming Elizabeth as Anthony Denny
- Phil Lynott: The Long Goodbye as Narrator
2019
- The Spy as General Ad-Din
- Agatha and the Curse of Ishtar as Sir Constance
- The Song of Names as Gilbert
- Resistance as Senator Daniel Shea
- A Girl from Mogadishu as Joe Costello
- National Theatre Live: All About Eve as Addison Dewett
2018
- The Current War as Franklin Pope
- Psychomanteum as Narrator
2016
- Florence Foster Jenkins as Phineas Stark
2015
- Galavant as King of Valencia
2014
- Standby as Paul
- Quirke as Inspector Hackett
- New Worlds as Colonel Blood
- Fleming as Colonel William Donovan
- The Voices as Sheriff Weinbacher
- National Theatre Live: King Lear as The Earl of Kent
2013
- The Physician as Bar Kappara
- One Chance as Luciano Pavarotti
- Toast of London
- Burton and Taylor as Milton Katselas
- Lovely Louise as Bill
2012
- Call the Midwife as Father Joe
- Ripper Street as Aiden Galvin
- The Hollow Crown as Warwick
- Titanic: Blood and Steel as Rex Riley
2011
- Cars 2 as Victor Hugo / Vladimir Trunkov / Ivan the Tow Truck (voice)
- Killing Bono as Danny Machin
- Fresh Meat as John Frobisher
- Zen as Moscati
2010
- Sherlock as Angelo
- The Pizza Miracle as Gianni
2009
- Holy Water as Inspector Brian Hogan
- National Theatre Live: Phèdre as Theseus
- Hilde as David O. Selznick
2008
- Happy-Go-Lucky as Tramp
- Whistleblower as Michael Neary
2007
- Flawless as Henry
- Saddam's Tribe as Saddam
2006
- The Nativity Story as Zechariah
- Thin Lizzy: Outlawed - The Real Phil Lynott as Narrator
2004
- Hustle as Johnny Keyes
- The Libertine as Keown
- Fallen as Mara
- Murder City
- Inside I'm Dancing as Interview Panelist
- Wondrous Oblivion as Victor
2003
- Monsieur N. as Dr. O'Meara
- What a Girl Wants as Bride's Father
- Byron as Turkish Governor
- The Commander
- Mystics as Mickey Mac
2002
- Foyle's War as Jose De Perez
- Spooks as Roy Woodring
- Wire in the Blood
2001
- 24 as Anatol Stolnavich
- Waking the Dead as DI Bailey
- Station Jim as Matapan
2000
- Rat as Newsreader
- Altmann's Tongue as Narrator
1998
1997
- Jonathan Creek as Det. Inspector Barrison
1996
- Ballykissangel as Micky Keeler
- My Friend Joe as Mr. Doyle
- The Van as Des, Health Inspector
1995
- Jake's Progress as Consultant
- Beyond Reason as John Horan
1993
- Peak Practice as Keith Johnson
- The Snapper as Anaesthetist
- In the Name of the Father as Hooker's Driver
1992
- Heartbeat as Igor Saukas
1991
- The Miracle as Washington, Destry Rides Again
1951
- Hallmark Hall of Fame as Constable