Christian McKay

• Name — Christian McKay • Birth Name — Christian Stuart McKay • Born — 30 December 1973 • Birthplace — Bury, Lancashire, England, UK • Spouse — Emily Allen (m. 2006) • Children — 2 • Occupation — Actor • Years Active — 2001–present

McKay was born in Bury, Lancashire. He has a sister, Karen. His mother, Lynn, worked as a hairdresser, and his father, Stuart, was a railway worker. He studied piano as a youth, and performed the Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 3 at age 21. McKay subsequently halted his concert career and enrolled at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art to study acting.

McKay's television appearances include portraying conductor Pierre Monteux in the BBC TV production Riot at the Rite (2005). His first film appearance was in Abraham's Point (2008). After seeing a performance of Rosebud at the 2007 "Brits Off Broadway" festival, Richard Linklater cast McKay as Welles in his film Me and Orson Welles, retaining McKay over the subsequent producer objections to his casting. In this, his second film and first lead role, McKay received critical praise for his performance as Orson Welles. McKay has recently been seen in the biographical drama Rush, alongside Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Brühl, the BAFTA-nominated music film Northern Soul, and the Oscar-winning biographical drama The Theory of Everything, alongside Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones. All of these were met with critical acclaim, with The Theory of Everything receiving a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Picture.

McKay has portrayed Orson Welles in the one-man play Rosebud: The Lives of Orson Welles at a number of venues, including the Edinburgh Festival and King's Head (London). He subsequently reprised the role in the US at the 2007 "Brits Off Broadway" festival. In 2013, McKay played Gerard in Strangers on a Train at London's Gielgud Theatre.

McKay was married to Emily Allen. They divorced in 2021. He has two children, Maximilian Sidney McKay, born 2011 and Aniela Rita Lynn McKay, born 2015.

• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 2004 — Doctors — Neville Gordon — Episode: "Pardon" • 2005 — Riot at the Rite — Pierre Monteux — TV film • 2008 — Agatha Christie's Poirot — Jefferson Cope — Episode: "Appointment with Death" • 2009 — A Short Stay in Switzerland — Carsten — TV film • Margaret — John Whittingdale • 2010 — The Road to Coronation Street — Harry Elton • 2011–2013 — Borgia — Cardinal Sforza • 2012 — Getting On — Dr. Nigel Hoskins — Episode #3.3 • 2015 — Jekyll and Hyde — Maxwell Utterson • 2016 — Churchill's Secret — Christopher Soames — TV film • Frontier — Father James Coffin • 2019 — Grantchester — Anthony Hobbs — 4 episodes • 2019–2020 — Warrior — Mayor Samuel Blake • 2023 — FDR — President Franklin D. Roosevelt • 2024 — Strike — Inigo Upcott — Episode 2 • 2024 — Churchill at War — Winston Churchill

Christian McKay is recorded at birth as Christian Stuart McKay. Recorded as actor.