Alun Armstrong

Alun Armstrong is an English character actor, born Alan Armstrong in 1946 in Annfield Plain, County Durham. He developed an interest in acting through Shakespeare productions at his grammar school. With a career spanning over five decades, Armstrong has portrayed a wide range of characters, from the grotesque to musicals. Notable credits include various Charles Dickens adaptations and his role as eccentric ex-detective Brian Lane in New Tricks. He is also an accomplished stage actor, having spent nine years with the Royal Shakespeare Company. Armstrong originated the role of Thénardier in the London production of Les Misérables and received an Olivier Award for his performance as Sweeney Todd in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.