Brian Cox's Real Name: Brian Denis Cox

Quick answer: Brian Cox's real name is Brian Denis Cox. He was born on June 1, 1946, in Dundee, Scotland. (This page covers the actor, not physicist Brian Cox.)

Birth name and early life

Brian Denis Cox grew up in Dundee, the youngest child of Mary Ann Guillerline (née McCann) Cox and grocery shopkeeper Charles McArdle Campbell Cox. His father died of pancreatic cancer when Brian was eight; the family struggled financially, and elder sisters helped raise him. He left school before 15, worked at Dundee Repertory Theatre, and won a scholarship to the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, graduating in 1965 (Britannica).

He performs under his birth name; no separate stage alias is documented.

Theatre, Lecter, and film villains

Cox's London debut included Orlando in As You Like It (1967). He won an Olivier Award (1988) for Titus Andronicus and later played King Lear for the National Theatre. On screen he was the first major-film Hannibal Lecktor in Michael Mann's Manhunter (1986), years before Anthony Hopkins's Lecter spelling in The Silence of the Lambs. Film credits include Braveheart (1995), the Bourne films, X2: X-Men United (as William Stryker), The Ring, and Match Point (Britannica; BFI Screenonline).

He won a Primetime Emmy for portraying Hermann Göring in the miniseries Nuremberg (2000) (Britannica).

Succession and memoir

From 2018 to 2023 Cox starred as media mogul Logan Roy on HBO's Succession, winning a Golden Globe (2020) for the role; the ensemble won a SAG Award in 2022. His memoir Putting the Rabbit in the Hat was published in 2022. He was appointed CBE in 2003; he has since spoken critically about honors in light of his support for Scottish independence (Britannica).

Putting the Rabbit in the Hat by Brian Cox Succession complete series Blu-ray/DVD Manhunter Blu-ray/DVD