Mark Rylance, born David Mark Waters in 1960 at Ashford, holds a career spanning professional acting, playwriting, and theatre management. A graduate of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, he secured early acclaim in the United Kingdom before achieving international recognition for diverse stage and screen roles. He remains an active participant in contemporary drama across various global mediums.
Early Training and Stage Beginnings
Rylance attended the University School of Milwaukee before returning to England to train at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art between 1978 and 1980. His professional debut occurred in 1980 at the Glasgow Citizens' Theatre in the play Desperado Corner. By 1982, he was performing with the Royal Shakespeare Company in productions including The Tempest and A Midsummer Night's Dream. He earned an Olivier Award nomination for his 1983 performance in Arden of Faversham.
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Between 1995 and 2005, Rylance served as the first artistic director of Shakespeare's Globe in London. During this decade, he directed and performed in numerous seasons, including an all-male production of Twelfth Night and the title role in Richard III. He fostered the creation of new works, such as Peter Oswald's Augustine's Oak in 1999 and The Golden Ass in 2002. In 2007, he received the Sam Wanamaker Award for his foundational work at the institution.
Broadway and Screen Success
Rylance transitioned to prominent screen and Broadway roles throughout the 2000s and 2010s. He won his first Tony Award for Boeing Boeing in 2008 and a second for Jerusalem in 2011. His television credits include the role of David Kelly in The Government Inspector and Thomas Cromwell in the BBC Two mini-series Wolf Hall, a character he reprised in 2024.
Fast facts
- Born: 1960, Ashford
- Education: University School of Milwaukee, Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
- Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor: 2016
- Knight Bachelor: 2017
- Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play: 2011
- British Academy Television Award for Best Actor: 2016
- Artistic Director of Shakespeare's Globe: 1995–2005
Questions readers ask
Which awards has Mark Rylance won for his acting?
He has won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, a British Academy Television Award for Best Actor, two Olivier Awards, and three Tony Awards.
What was his role at Shakespeare's Globe?
He served as the first artistic director of the theatre from 1995 to 2005.
Achievements
- Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor — 2016
- Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play — 2011
- Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play — 2014
- Knight Bachelor — 2017
- Worked as playwright, stage actor and film actor
