Hans Matheson
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Hans Matheson was born in a caravan on August 7, 1975 at Stornoway,
Isle of Lewis, located in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. Shortly
after, his family moved to Canterbury, Kent in England but Hans often
spent his summer holidays on Stornoway with his grandparents. As a
child, his parents Iain (Ado) and Sheena often took him and his younger
brother to folk festivals and Bob Dylan concerts. His father Ado is a
musician and his grandfather was a Gaelic singer and songwriter before
him performing at concerts and ceilidhs throughout Scotland. His
great-grandfather was crowned the Celtic Bard in recognition of his
writing in the '50s.
Hans claims to have been a shy and introverted child who was not happy
at school. He left school and, at the suggestion of his mother,
auditioned for drama school: Avondale Hall in Clapham. At the
suggestion of his teacher and mentor, he auditioned for a
Jez Butterworth TV show called Christmas
and this led to a role in Mojo on stage at the Royal Court Theatre and
later in the film version of the same name. Roles in TV shows
Bramwell (1995),
Wycliffe (1993), and
Family Money (1996) followed and
films
Stella Does Tricks (1996),
Still Crazy (1998), and
Bodywork (2001).
His first break on the international arena came with his casting as
Marius in Bille August's production of the
Victor Hugo classic
Les Misérables (1998). He then
starred in the European films
Canone Inverso (2000)
and I Am Dina (2002), and the
television mini-series The Mists of Avalon (2001).
His major role to date has undoubtedly been the lead role as Yury
Zhivago in the 2002 Granada Television adaptation of Doctor Zhivago (2002) the famous Russian novel by Boris Pasternak, where he
co-starred with Keira Knightley and
Sam Neill.
Hans is not only a talented actor but plays guitar, violin and
harmonica and writes his own songs. He prefers the simple things in
life to pursuing fame and fortune. He takes his guitar with him
everywhere and prefers to travel by train rather than by air, even if
the trip takes days.
Isle of Lewis, located in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. Shortly
after, his family moved to Canterbury, Kent in England but Hans often
spent his summer holidays on Stornoway with his grandparents. As a
child, his parents Iain (Ado) and Sheena often took him and his younger
brother to folk festivals and Bob Dylan concerts. His father Ado is a
musician and his grandfather was a Gaelic singer and songwriter before
him performing at concerts and ceilidhs throughout Scotland. His
great-grandfather was crowned the Celtic Bard in recognition of his
writing in the '50s.
Hans claims to have been a shy and introverted child who was not happy
at school. He left school and, at the suggestion of his mother,
auditioned for drama school: Avondale Hall in Clapham. At the
suggestion of his teacher and mentor, he auditioned for a
Jez Butterworth TV show called Christmas
and this led to a role in Mojo on stage at the Royal Court Theatre and
later in the film version of the same name. Roles in TV shows
Bramwell (1995),
Wycliffe (1993), and
Family Money (1996) followed and
films
Stella Does Tricks (1996),
Still Crazy (1998), and
Bodywork (2001).
His first break on the international arena came with his casting as
Marius in Bille August's production of the
Victor Hugo classic
Les Misérables (1998). He then
starred in the European films
Canone Inverso (2000)
and I Am Dina (2002), and the
television mini-series The Mists of Avalon (2001).
His major role to date has undoubtedly been the lead role as Yury
Zhivago in the 2002 Granada Television adaptation of Doctor Zhivago (2002) the famous Russian novel by Boris Pasternak, where he
co-starred with Keira Knightley and
Sam Neill.
Hans is not only a talented actor but plays guitar, violin and
harmonica and writes his own songs. He prefers the simple things in
life to pursuing fame and fortune. He takes his guitar with him
everywhere and prefers to travel by train rather than by air, even if
the trip takes days.