Adrian Lester

Adrian Lester is an award-winning actor and director. His career started with a string of successful West End productions including Company, for which he received an Olivier Award, Six Degrees of Separation and Sweeney Todd, before taking the starring role in Mike Nichol's movie Primary Colors. Other film roles include Day After Tomorrow, As You Like It, Love’s Labour’s Lost, Grey Lady, Dust, Case No39 and the Oscar nominated Mary Queen of Scots. Adrian is also well known for his TV work including the long running BBC1 series “Hustle,” “Sky Atlantic’s Riviera,” “Girlfriends” (CBS), “Undercover” (BBC1), “Curfew” (Sky One), “Trauma” (ITV), “The Rook” (Starz) and BBC1 “Drama Life.” Directing credits include Hustle, Riviera, short film Of Mary and The Greatest Wealth at The Old Vic, which was updated in 2021 with a monologue written by Bernardine Evaristo and performed by Sharon D Clarke. Adrian has played the title roles inHenry V and Othello (National Theatre), for which he won Best Actor at the Evening Standard Theatre Awards; Rosalind in As You Like It (Declan Donnellan & Cheek By Jowl); Ira Aldridge in Red Velvet (Tricycle Theatre / St Ann’s Warehouse New York / Garrick Theatre), for which he won Best Actor at the Critics Circle Awards; Hamlet in Peter Brook’s The Tragedy Of Hamlet (London, Paris, Japan and New York), Guys & Dolls (Royal Albert Hall), Cost of Living (Hampstead), Romeo & Juliet (streamed by NT/Sky Arts) and Hymn (The Almeida/Sky Arts), which was streamed live due to the coronavirus pandemic. Forthcoming projects include “The Undeclared War” (Peacock/Ch4), “Trigger Point” (ITV), directing Calmer (The Rep) and Hymn, which returns to a live audience at the Almeida in July 2021.