Ian McShane

Although it may have seemed like Ian McShane came out of nowhere when he gained much critical acclaim as the charismatic villain of Deadwood, this British actor already had four decades of experience under his belt. The darkly appealing performer starred on both stage and screen in his homeland, most notably as the title character in the BBC series Lovejoy, and made occasional appearances on American TV, including Roots and a one-year stint on Dallas. But it was his electric performance as criminal mastermind Teddy Bass in 2001's Sexy Beast that garnered McShane worldwide recognition. Three years later he arrived in Deadwood. Married to actress Gwen Humble since 1981, McShane was a grandfather by the time Deadwood earned him his first Emmy nomination in 2005. When the HBO series ended in 2006, McShane became an in-demand voice talent with roles in acclaimed animated features Shrek the Third, Kung Fu Panda and Coraline. He returned to TV in 2009 with the short-lived NBC drama Kings, but his film career clicked again with criminally good roles in Death Race and 44 Inch Chest. ~ Rovi