| Year |
Title |
Role |
Director |
Venue |
| 1964 |
Sir Thomas More |
Thomas More |
Frank Dunlop |
Nottingham Playhouse[5] |
| A Scent of Flowers |
Godrey |
|
Duke of York's Theatre |
| 1965 |
Much Ado About Nothing |
Claudio |
|
National Theatre - The Old Vic |
| Armstrong's Last Goodnight |
Protestant Evangelist |
|
National Theatre - Chichester Festival Theatre |
| Trelawny of the 'Wells' |
Capt. de Foenix |
|
| 1966 |
The Man of Destiny / O'Flaherty V.C. |
Corporal Napoleon / Private O'Flaherty |
|
Mermaid Theatre |
| A Lily in Little India |
Alvin Hanker |
|
Hampstead Theatre |
| Their Very Own and Golden City |
Andrew Cobham |
|
Mermaid Theatre |
| 1967 |
The Promise |
Leonidik |
|
Fortune Theatre & Henry Miller's Theatre |
| 1968 |
The White Liars / Black Comedy |
Tom / Harold Gorringe |
|
Lyric Theatre |
| 1968–1970 |
Richard II |
Richard II |
|
UK tour |
| 1969 |
The Bacchae |
Pentheus |
|
Liverpool Playhouse |
| The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie |
—N/a |
|
Director; Liverpool Playhouse |
| Three Months Gone |
—N/a |
|
| 1969–1970 |
Edward II |
Edward II |
|
UK and European tours |
| 1970 |
Billy's Last Stand |
Darkly |
|
Royal Court Theatre |
| The Recruiting Officer |
Captain Plume |
|
UK tour |
| Chips with Everything |
Corporal Hill |
|
| 1971 |
Hamlet |
Prince Hamlet |
|
UK and European tours |
| The Swan Song |
Svetlovidov |
|
Crucible Theatre |
| 1972 |
The Real Inspector Hound |
—N/a |
|
Director; Phoenix Theatre |
| The Erpingham Camp |
—N/a |
|
Director; Watford Palace Theatre |
| Ruling the Roost / Tis Pity She's a Whore / The Three Arrows |
Page-boy / Giovanni / Prince Yoremitsu |
|
UK tour |
| 1973 |
A Private Matter |
—N/a |
|
Director; Vaudeville Theatre |
| 1973–1974 |
The Way of the World / The Wood Demon / King Lear |
Lady Wishfort's Footman / Kruschov / Edgar |
|
UK tour; Brooklyn Academy of Music |
| 1974 |
Tis Pity She's a Whore |
Giovanni |
|
Wimbledon Theatre |
| Dr Faustus |
Dr. Faustus |
|
Edinburgh Festival & Aldwych Theatre |
| The Marquis of Keith |
The Marquis of Keith |
|
Aldwych Theatre |
| 1975 |
King John |
King John |
|
| The Clandestine Marriage |
—N/a |
|
Director; Savoy Theatre |
| Ashes |
Colin |
|
The Young Vic |
| Too True to Be Good |
Aubrey "Popsy" Bagot |
|
Aldwych Theatre |
| 1976–1977 |
Romeo and Juliet |
Romeo |
Trevor Nunn |
Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Aldwych Theatre, Theatre Royal, Newcastle |
| 1976 |
The Winter's Tale |
King Leontes |
John Barton, Barry Kyle, and Trevor Nunn |
Royal Shakespeare Theatre |
| 1976–1978 |
Macbeth |
Macbeth |
Trevor Nunn |
The Other Place, The Young Vic, & Warehouse |
| 1977–1978 |
The Alchemist |
Face |
Royal Shakespeare Theatre & Aldwych Theatre |
| 1977 |
Every Good Boy Deserves Favour |
Alexander |
Barbican Arts Centre |
| Pillars of the Community |
Karsten Bernick |
John Barton |
Aldwych Theatre |
| The Days of the Commune |
Langevin |
Howard Davies |
| 1978 |
A Miserable and Lonely Death |
Kentridge |
Walter Donohue |
| 1978–1979 |
Twelfth Night / Three Sisters |
Sir Toby Belch / Andrei |
John Amiel / Trevor Nunn |
Also producer; UK tour |
| 1979 |
Bent |
Max |
Robert Chetwyn |
Royal Court Theatre & Criterion Theatre |
| 1980–1990 |
Acting Shakespeare |
Himself |
|
World tours |
| 1980–1981 |
Amadeus |
Salieri |
Peter Hall |
Broadhurst Theatre |
| 1982 |
Every Good Boy Deserves Favour |
Alexander |
Trevor Nunn |
Barbican Arts Centre |
| 1983 |
Short List |
Terry |
Mike Ockrent |
Hampstead Theatre |
| Cowardice |
Boy |
Anthony Page |
Ambassadors Theatre |
| 1984 |
Venice Preserv'd |
Pierre |
Peter Gill |
Royal National Theatre |
| Wild Honey |
Michael Platonov |
Christopher Morahan |
| Coriolanus |
Gaius Marcius Coriolanus |
Peter Hall |
| 1985 |
The Duchess of Malfi |
Bosola |
Philip Prowse |
| The Real Inspector Hound / The Critic |
Inspector Hound / Mr. Puff |
Tom Stoppard / Sheila Hancock |
| The Cherry Orchard |
Yermolai Lopakhin |
Mike Alfreds |
| 1986–1987 |
Wild Honey |
Michael Platonov |
Christopher Morahan |
Virginia Theatre |
| 1988 |
Before the Act |
Performer and Producer |
[6] |
Piccadilly Theatre |
| 1988–1989 |
Henceforward ... |
Jerome |
Alan Ayckbourn |
Vaudeville Theatre |
| 1989 |
Othello |
Iago |
Trevor Nunn |
The Other Place & The Young Vic |
| 1990–1992 |
Richard III |
Richard III |
Richard Eyre |
Royal National Theatre & World tour |
| 1992 |
Uncle Vanya |
Uncle Vanya |
Sean Mathias |
Royal National Theatre |
| 1993–1997 |
A Knight Out |
Himself |
|
UK & US tours |
| 1997–1998 |
An Enemy of the People |
Dr. Tomas Stockmann |
Trevor Nunn |
Royal National Theatre & Ahmanson Theatre |
| 1997 |
Peter Pan |
Mr. Darling/Captain Hook |
John Caird |
Royal National Theatre |
| 1998 |
Present Laughter |
Garry Essendine |
Malcolm Sutherland |
West Yorkshire Playhouse |
| 1999 |
The Tempest |
Prospero |
Jude Kelly |
| 2001–2004 |
Dance of Death |
Edgar |
Sean Mathias |
Broadhurst Theatre, Lyric Theatre, & Sydney Arts Festival |
| 2004, 2005 |
Aladdin |
Widow Twankie |
The Old Vic |
| 2006 |
The Cut |
Max |
Michael Grandage |
Donmar Warehouse |
| 2007–2008 |
King Lear |
Lear |
Trevor Nunn |
Stratford-upon-Avon, Brooklyn Academy of Music, & New London Theatre |
| The Seagull |
Sorin |
| 2009–2010 |
Waiting for Godot |
Estragon |
Sean Mathias |
Theatre Royal Haymarket, Comedy Theatre, Melbourne, & Fugard Theatre, Cape Town |
| 2011 |
The Syndicate |
Don Antonio |
Chichester Festival Theatre |
| 2013 |
No Man's Land |
Spooner |
Berkeley Repertory Theatre |
| 2013–2014 |
Waiting for Godot / No Man's Land |
Estragon / Spooner |
Cort Theatre |
| 2016 |
No Man's Land |
Spooner |
Wyndham's Theatre |
| 2016–2019 |
The Exorcist |
Demon (voice) |
Birmingham Repertory Theatre & Phoenix Theatre; UK tour |
| 2017 |
Shakespeare, Tolkien, Others and You |
Himself |
Jez Bond |
Park Theatre |
| 2017–2018 |
King Lear |
Lear |
Jonathan Munby |
Chichester Festival Theatre & Duke of York's Theatre |
| 2019–2020 |
Ian McKellen on Stage |
Himself |
Sean Mathias |
UK tour; Harold Pinter Theatre & Hudson Theatre |
| 2021 |
Hamlet |
Prince Hamlet |
Theatre Royal, Windsor |
| The Cherry Orchard |
Firs |
| 2022 |
Hamlet with Ian McKellen |
Performer |
Peter Schaufuss |
Edinburgh Festival Fringe |
| 2022–2023 |
Mother Goose |
Mother Goose |
Cal McCrystal |
Duke of York's Theatre; UK tour |
| 2023 |
Frank and Percy |
Percy |
Sean Mathias |
Theatre Royal, Windsor, Theatre Royal, Bath, & The Other Palace |
| 2024 |
Player Kings |
John Falstaff |
Robert Icke |
Noël Coward Theatre |
| 2025 |
Inside No. 9 Stage/Fright |
Guest star (one-night only) |
Simon Evans |
Wyndham's Theatre |
| Twelfth Night |
Opening[7] |
Phoebe Kemp |
The Space |