Adrian Lester CBE

Award-winning actor and director Adrian Lester CBE has been a recognisable face on screen and stage for over three decades. His leading role in the blockbuster movie Primary Colors, with John Travolta and Emma Thompson, propelled his international career with subsequent movies including The Day After Tomorrow and Mary, Queen of Scots. His TV career includes starring roles in Hustle, Undeclared War, Undercover, Life, Trauma, Trigger Point, Riviera, Renegade Nell, Sandman, The Hack (ITV) and the forthcoming Ponies (Peacock). He is a revered stage actor with roles including title roles in Othello and Henry V at the National Theatre; Bobby in Company, for which he won an Olivier Award for Best Actor; Red Velvet and The Lehman Trilogy on Broadway, for which he received a Tony Award nomination for Best Actor. He made his Royal Shakespeare Company debut in 2025 in the title role of Cyrano de Bergerac which transfers to the West End’s Noël Coward Theatre in June 2026. Directing credits include Riviera (Sky Atlantic); Hustle (BBC1) and The Greatest Wealth (Old Vic).