What is Andrew Scott famous for? What are the Irish actor’s most important TV and movie roles?

Dublin born Andrew Scott moved to London at the age of 22 to pursue a career in acting after securing minor roles in his native Ireland in advertisements.

Scott’s early years in London included theatre work with secondary parts on television shows as he began to establish himself as a promising talent as he he received his first Laurence Olivier Award for his role in A Girl in a Car with a Man at The Royal Court, and the Theatregoers’ Choice Award for his performance in the Royal National Theatre’s Aristocrats.

Sherlock breakthrough

He gained majorr prominence for his role as Sherlock Holmes’ nemesis Jim Moriarty in the BBC drama series Sherlock, which he played from 2010 to 2017 as he starred alongside Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman. For his performance he received the British Academy Television Award for Best Supporting Actor. In a later interview, Scott acknowledged that: “Sherlock has changed all our careers”.

Scott continued to combine television work with theatre performance after the runaway success of Sherlock as in 2015, he appeared in the James Bond film Spectre as Max Denbigh, a member of the British government. The following year he appeared in the romantic drama film This Beautiful Fantastic, directed and written by Simon Aboud.

In 2017, Scott’s performance in the title role of Hamlet won critical acclaim and earned him the nomination for Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Play. His work as The Priest in series two of the comedy-drama Fleabag was well received as the Dubliner received nominations for a Golden Globe Award, Screen Actors Guild Award, and a Critics’ Choice Television Award.

Last year, Scott starred opposite Paul Mescal in the romantic drama All of Us Strangers with his performance earning him a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor at the 2024 Oscar Awards.

Next up for the 47-year-old is a leading role as Tom Ripley in the Netflix produced thriller of the same name, with the series adapted from Patricia Highsmith’s Ripley novels.