Hollywood has had a long and fruitful fixation with turning foreigners into bad guys. It's a policy that's had its share of critics over the years but for actors like Scotsman Iain Glen, the trend has been a godsend, providing him with his latest role as the evil Manfred Powell in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, which opens today.
Glen was born in Edinburgh in 1961. After he studied at the Edinburgh Academy and University of Aberdeen, he set off for London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.
There, he hooked up with another aspiring actor, Ralph Fiennes, and earned his stripes in small theatre productions. He also graduated top of the class, earning himself the prestigious Bancroft medal in 1986. With such an impressive CV behind him, Glen moved straight to major theatre productions and was seen on stage in London and on Broadway.
He starred in productions of Macbeth and Henry V for the Royal Shakespeare Company, and later went on to star opposite a sometimes-naked Nicole Kidman in The Blue Room. His film career began with small roles on British television before he landed a minor part in Michael Apted's Gorillas In The Mist (1988).
Glen's career really turned the corner with his outstanding effort in the arthouse effort Silent Scream (1990), for which he took home the Silver Bear award from the Berlin Film Festival and a Scottish Bafta award for best actor as well. He continued his good work that year with an inspired performance in the Bob Rafelson-directed Mountains Of The Moon.
During this time Glen married English actress Susannah Harker (A Dry White Season and White Mischief) and continued his theatre work. He would later take on the lead in the musical Martin Guerre (1996), for which he won an Olivier award nomination. Glen has appeared in a steady stream of films, including The Young Americans (1993) and Beautiful Creatures (2000).