Acclaimed BAFTA, Olivier and Tony award-winning actor Simon Russell Beale has had a long and accomplished career as an actor, performing a wide range of roles on stage.

Simon Russell Beale will play the role of Herod in Jesus Christ Superstar at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane from 7 to 12 December 2026.

Simon Russell Beale recently starred in the RSC’s Titus Andronicus in Stratford-upon-Avon. He sadly had to withdraw from the London transfer of the production at Hampstead Theatre due to ill health.Prior to this he starred in Tom Stoppard’s The Invention of Love at Hampstead Theatre in London; and A Christmas Carol, John Gabriel Borkman and Bach & Sons, all at the Bridge Theatre.

His previous theatre credits also include The Lehman Trilogy at the National Theatre, in the West End and on Broadway, for which he won the Tony award for Leading Actor in a Play. His other collaborations with Hytner includeThe Alchemist, Much Ado About Nothing, Major Barbara, Collaborators, London Assurance and Timon of Athens, all at the National Theatre. 

His first London appearance was in William Gaskill’s Royal Court production of Women Beware Women.

For the RSC, he has appeared in The Tempest, King Lear, Ghosts, the title roles in Richard III and Edward II, The Seagull, Troilus and Cressida, The Man of Mode and Restoration.

Other notable performances include Mr Foote’s Other Leg, Monty Python’s Spamalot, The Philanthropist, Uncle Vanya, Twelfth Night, Julius Caesar, Macbeth, Deathtrap, The Duchess of Malfi, Humble Boy, Hamlet, Battle Royal, Candide (2000 Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical), Summerfolk, Money, Othello, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead and Volpone (1996 Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actor).

Simon Russell Beale’s film and television work includes The Death of Stalin, The Hollow Crown, Dunkirk and House of the Dragon.

As well as being the recipient of multiple theatre awards, in 2003 he was made a CBE for his services to the Arts and in 2019 he was made a Knight Bachelor.

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Simon Russell Beale Press Interviews

InterviewSimon Russell Beale: ‘People didn’t seem to want me in theatre’ (Dominic Maxwell, The Times, 11 December 2024) - Read more
Interview‘The violence is relentless. I don’t understand it’: Simon Russell Beale faces up to Shakespeare’s goriest play ( Arifa Akbar, The Guardian, 8 April 2025) - Read more

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Jesus Christ Superstar - Theatre Royal Drury Lane

Theatre Royal Drury Lane, London

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Jesus Christ Superstar - Theatre Royal Drury Lane

Main photo: Simon Russell Beale (Photo by Charlie Carter)

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