Mark Rylance has been a storied stage actor since the early 1980s. Raised in the U.S., Rylance was born in the U.K. and was knighted in 2017. He has made a name for himself in the theatre community starring in many Shakespearean starring roles throughout the world. At the Royal Shakespeare company he has starred in The Tempest, Romeo and Juliet, and Hamlet. At Shakespeare's Globe, he has starred in Two Gentlemen of Verona, Henry V, The Merchant of Venice, Antony and Cleopatra, Cymbeline, and Measure for Measure just to name a few. And in the U.S. he has appeared in theater productions around the country such as Much Ado About Nothing, As You Like It, Macbeth, Twelfth Night, and Richard III.
He even continued his Shakespearian glory onto television playing Henry V on Great Performances and Richard II in a 2003 television movie. Needless to say, he seems to have a handle on the Bard but has also appeared in various non-Shakespearean theatrical productions as well. For his work, he has won an Oscar (more on that later), 3 BAFTA’s, 2 Olivier Awards, and 3 Tony Awards. Rightfully, the world of cinema is finally catching up to acknowledging what a juggernaut of an actor he can be. Here are seven of his best performances to date.
7. The Other Boleyn Girl (2008)
It is well-documented territory that the second wife of Henry VII, Anne Boleyn lost her head. However, in this film, the story of her sister Mary is explored. Rylance plays the father of the two girls Anne (Natalie Portman) and Mary (Scarlett Johansson) and their brother, George (Jim Sturgess) as they manipulate the Royals to get into the family of Henry VIII. The story is based on a historical novel, the accuracy of which has been questioned. Critics didn’t love the film, but it is a fun and salacious piece about a popular time period and the fascinating history of Henry VIII. Rylance as Thomas Boleyn never misses as a father whose schemes and misdeeds aided in the beheading of not one, but two of his children.
6. Dunkirk (2017)
In Christopher Nolan’s World War II epic, Dunkirk, Rylance plays Mr. Dawson, a seemingly innocent civilian in the middle of the Dunkirk evacuation. His role isn’t as beefy as it should be, but the role of Mr. Dawson is critical in the span of the movie. And it’s a perfect example of Rylance. Even in small roles, his performance is so natural and so noteworthy, that even in a star-studded cast in one of the biggest films of the year, he is still mentioned in the accolades as one of the best parts of the film. Dunkirk went on to receive 8 Academy Award nominations, winning only 3 for sound editing, sound mixing, and film editing.
5. The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020)
As one of the defense attorneys of the famed Chicago 7, Rylance portrays attorney William Kuntsler. He along with Leonard Weinglass (Ben Shenkman) have to represent the 7 defendants in 1969 against charges that they incited a riot at the 1968 Democratic National Convention. It’s never easy to portray real life characters, but Rylance seems to do it with ease. Kuntsler isn’t a perfect human and Rylance is able to touch on different complexities of Kuntsler making him not exactly heroic, but unapologetically human. Rylance won a SAG award with the rest of the cast for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.
4. Don’t Look Up (2021)
In one of the most polarizing movies of the year, Don’t Look Up features Rylance as a billionaire Peter Isherwell, who can best be described as a cross between Mark Zuckerberg and Marshall Applewhite. Rylance is quirky and is convinced he’s the smartest person in the world (spoiler alert - he’s not) and will only use his money to help the pending crisis if it's his (dumb) idea that is followed. Starring alongside superstars Leonardo DiCaprio, Meryl Streep, Jennifer Lawrence, Cate Blanchett, and Jonah Hill, Rylance still manages to stand out as the memorable one. No matter what side you land on regarding the film itself, it’s hard to argue that Rylance’s character isn’t fascinating (and a bit creepy) to watch.
3. Ready Player One (2018)
In playing another kooky billionaire, Rylance stars as James Halladay in the Steven Spielberg adaptation of the hit novel of the same name by Ernest Cline. The film was generally well received but Rylance was a perfect casting choice for Halladay. The film is set in a dystopian future about 25 years from now where the world basically lives in a virtual reality simulation called the OASIS which Halladay co-created with his partner Ogden Morrow (Simon Pegg). When Halladay dies, a contest is announced for who will take control of the OASIS. When corporate overlords threaten to take over, one player Wade (Tye Sheridan) and a group of his online friends try desperately to keep that from happening. Both Sheridan and Rylance received rave reviews for this fun Sci-Fi/Fantasy film.
2. The BFG (2016)
Based on the classic 1982 Roald Dahl novel, Rylance is featured as the titular character BFG aka Big Friendly Giant. BFG kidnaps young Sophie (Ruby Barnhill) to protect from the other not-so-nice Giants in the kingdom who like to eat children. The bonding between Sophie and BFG is incredibly sweet and Rylance provides a tender, caring voice for this beloved character. Even though this isn't one of the more popular Dahl stories, it's transition to screen was natural and endearing. It also made clear that the pairing of Rylance and Spielberg is a winning formula for cinema.
1. Bridge of Spies (2015)
At long last, Rylance was awarded an Oscar in 2016 for his performance as Rudolf Abel in Bridge of Spies. In a film directed by Steven Spielberg and written by the Coen Brothers and Matt Charman, the film also received Oscar nominations for Best Original Screenplay and Best Picture. Tom Hanks stars as lawyer James B. Donovan who is in charge of negotiating a swap of Abel for a U.S. pilot in a prisoner exchange on the infamous bridge between Berlin and Potsdam in Germany. In a tense Cold War drama, Rylance’s layered performance as the convicted KGB spy was widely praised and gave us the best performance of his career thus far.