Veteran actor Mark Rylance has starred in several iconic movie roles in British and American cinema. His career, spanning over 40 years, began in 1980. Born David Mark Rylance Waters in Ashford, Kent, England, the English actor spent his growing years in the United States before returning to England at age 18.
Like several other English actors, Mark Rylance began his career in theater. Since making his screen debut in 1985, Rylance has become one of Steven Spielberg’s frequent collaborators. With a reputation for portraying real-life, historical people, Mark Rylance has received several accolades for his performances in film and television. Here’s a look at Mark Rylance’s top 9 movie performances.
9. The Grass Arena
The 1991 British biographical drama The Grass Arena is one of Mark Rylance’s earliest and forgotten roles. It was his sophomore film and showed his brilliance as an actor, even at a younger age. Rylance portrayed John Healy, known today as a former tournament chess player turned award-winning writer. The Grass Arena was based on Healy’s true story, with Rylance portraying an alcoholic and homeless man who finds redemption through chess. Mark Rylance’s portrayal captured the harsh realities of homelessness and addiction while highlighting Healy’s resilience and transformation. Mark Rylance’s performance was highly praised.
8. Waiting for the Barbarians
Waiting for the Barbarians generally received mixed to average critical reviews and was a Box Office failure. It starred Mark Rylance in the lead role as the Magistrate, while Johnny Depp and Robert Pattinson played Colonel Joll and Officer Mandel, respectively. Rylance’s Magistrate character is a compassionate and morally conflicted colonial officer in an unnamed empire. As the central character, he oversees a remote frontier outpost and initially lives a quiet, routine life.
However, his worldview is shaken when Colonel Joll (Depp) arrives. The Colonel brings a brutal interrogation method and a paranoid outlook and sees the local tribesmen as threats to the empire. The Magistrate’s moral compass and empathy put him at odds with the empire’s oppressive policies. This leads him on a path of defiance and personal sacrifice. Irrespective of critical opinions about the movie, Mark Rylance’s performance as a morally conflicted Magistrate speaks volumes of his dedication and talent.
7. The BFG
The 2016 fantasy adventure movie The BFG is Mark Rylance’s second collaboration with Steven Spielberg. Mark Rylance played the role of the Big Friendly Giant (BFG), bringing the character to life through motion capture. The film is based on Roald Dahl‘s 1982 novel. In the Disney movie, Rylance’s BFG character befriends Sophie (Ruby Barnhill), a young human orphan, and takes her on an adventure in Giant Country. Although The BFG was a commercial flop, Mark Rylance’s portrayal of the character, through motion capture, received special praise.
6. The Trial of the Chicago 7
In another of Mark Rylance’s real-person roles, Rylance portrays renowned attorney and civil rights activist William Kunstler in The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020). William Kunstler defended the Chicago 7 in their high-profile trial. Rylance portrayed Kunstler as a passionate and outspoken lawyer committed to defending the Chicago 7. The Aaron Sorkin-directed historical legal drama explores the politically charged trial that followed at the 1968 Democratic National Convention. The Trial of the Chicago 7 also starred notable names, including Eddie Redmayne, Sacha Baron Cohen, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Michael Keaton, and John Carroll Lynch.
5. The Phantom of the Open
Mark Rylance portrays another real-life figure in the 2021 British biographical comedy-drama The Phantom of the Open. With the movie based on Simon Farnaby and Scott Murray’s biography The Phantom of the Open: Maurice Flitcroft, The World’s Worst Golfer, Rylance plays its lead character, Maurice Flitcroft. The real-life Maurice Flitcroft became famous for attempting to qualify for the British Open Golf Championship despite having no formal experience or golf training. Flitcroft’s story is one of perseverance and humor as he enters the prestigious tournament, pretending to be an experienced golfer. Mark Rylance’s portrayal captured the eccentricity and determination of Maurice Flitcroft. His underdog story symbolized persistence in the face of overwhelming odds.
4. Don’t Look Up
Mark Rylance’s performance in Adam McKay’s apocalyptic political satire comedy Don’t Look Up goes beyond the movie’s humor. Rylance plays Peter Isherwell, a billionaire tech mogul and CEO of the fictional BASH company. Like several other cast members, Rylance undergoes a physical transformation to look and portray a tech billionaire. His character is a blend of several real-world tech billionaires with a quirky, socially awkward, and eerily detached personality.
In Don’t Look Up, Rylance’s Isherwell has significant power over the government and media. Despite the impending doom of an extinction-level comet striking Earth, he attempts to profit from it after discovering it contains trillions of dollars worth of rare-earth elements. His performance proved again that no role is too difficult for Mark Rylance to breathe life into. Don’t Look Up has a star-studded cast, including Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Meryl Streep, Cate Blanchett, Jonah Hill, Tyler Perry, Timothée Chalamet, Ron Perlman, Ariana Grande, and Kid Cudi.
3. The Outfit
In 2022 The Outfit, Mark Rylance played Leonard Burling, a meticulous and soft-spoken English tailor who operated a small tailor shop in mid-1950s Chicago. Leonard is not only skilled with fabric but also deeply knowledgeable about his craft. However, his shop also serves as a drop-off for local gangsters who use it for illicit activities.
Leonard becomes embroiled in a dangerous situation involving the mob and must use his wit and subtle manipulation to survive. Again, despite the movie being a commercial flop, Mark Rylance’s performance was widely praised. The depth of his performance and plot twist make The Outfit a captivating movie.
2. Dunkirk
Mark Rylance is cast in a supporting role as Mr Dawson in Christopher Nolan’s Academy Award-nominated epic war film Dunkirk. Rylance’s character, a civilian boat captain, volunteers with his son and a friend to rescue stranded British soldiers. The character is portrayed as a calm, compassionate figure, demonstrating quiet heroism. Mr. Dawson navigated his boat through dangerous waters to help evacuate troops during the Dunkirk evacuation in World War II. Mark Rylance’s performance brilliantly portrayed the bravery of ordinary civilians who risked their lives to assist in the evacuation. The 2017 Dunkirk remains one of Rylance’s iconic roles.
1. Bridge of Spies
In his most iconic performance, Mark Rylance portrayed Soviet intelligence officer Rudolf Abel in Bridge of Spies. The movie was Rylance’s first collaboration with Steven Spielberg, who starred him alongside Tom Hanks. Rudolf Abel was a Soviet spy captured by the United States during the Cold War. Abel’s storyline centered around his defense by James B. Donovan (Tom Hanks), who negotiates a prisoner exchange between the United States and the Soviet Union.
This led to Rudolf Abel’s return to the USSR in exchange for captured American pilot Francis Gary Powers (Austin Stowell). Mark Rylance portrayed Rudolf Abel as calm, enigmatic, and subtly humorous, capturing the character’s resilience and stoicism. Unsurprisingly, the performance earned Mark Rylance his first Oscar nomination and a win at the 88th Academy Awards. Besides these top Mark Rylance movie roles, check out Alfre Woodard’s most electrifying performances in film and television.
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