Anton Lesser

Anton Lesser (born 14 February 1952) is a British actor. He is known for his roles as Qyburn in the HBO series Game of Thrones, Harold Macmillan in The Crown, Clement Attlee in A United Kingdom, Chief Superintendent Bright in Endeavour, and Major Lio Partagaz in Andor. An associate of the Royal Shakespeare Company, he has performed numerous Shakespearean roles on stage and television.

Early life Anton Lesser was born in Birmingham the son of David Lesser and his wife Amelia Cohen. He is from a Jewish background.

He was educated at Moseley Grammar School and at the University of Liverpool, where he earned a degree in architecture in 1973.

Lesser went to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art from 1974 until 1976, was awarded the Bancroft Gold Medal as the most promising actor of his year. His final performance there was as Gethin Price in Comedians by Trevor Griffiths.

Career Lesser was spotted in Comedians and offered a contract by the casting director for the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC).

When he moved to London, the reviews were less flattering than he had become accustomed to at the RSC. However, he continued to win roles on stage, including as Stanley in Harold Pinter's The Birthday Party, Petruchio in The Taming of the Shrew, Rover in Wild Oats and Brutus in Deborah Warner's Julius Caesar in 2005. to contemporary novels by Robert Harris (Fatherland) and Philip Pullman. For two months in 2013, Lesser was a regular cast member playing Robin Carrow in Ambridge Extra, a BBC Radio 4 Extra spin-off from the BBC Radio 4 drama The Archers.

In 2013, during the third season of the HBO Max series Game of Thrones, Lesser began playing the recurring role of Qyburn, an enigmatic mad scientist who served as part of the retinue of Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey). Qyburn, and Lesser's portrayal of him, were popular with fans, particularly as the series went on and the character appeared more frequently and had greater influence over the narrative. The Ringer described him as "the last curious man in Westeros" and noted that the character "refuses to seem like a MacGuffin, despite totally being one." The character returned across the remainder of the series run until the penultimate episode in 2019; Qyburn was one of the characters who perished in the episode, which led to many fans producing memes about his abrupt death.

From 2013, Lesser also played Chief Superintendent Bright in the TV series Endeavour.

Lesser portrayed Thomas More in the BBC mini-series Wolf Hall, and received a nomination for the British Academy Television Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance.

In 2022, Lesser played Major Lio Partagaz, a supporting antagonist in the Star Wars spinoff Andor. His performance of Partagaz, a ranking member of the Empire's intelligence agency, the Imperial Security Bureau, was noted by critics. Digital Spy commented that Lesser delivered dialogue on Imperial bureaucracy with "powerful coolness."

In July 2025, it was announced that he would play the role of Garrick Ollivander in the upcoming Harry Potter TV series.

Acting credits Film

+ Year Title Role Notes 1982 The Missionary Young Man 1985 The Assam Garden Mr Sutton 1997 FairyTale: A True Story Wounded Corporal 2000 Esther Kahn Sean 2001 Charlotte Gray Monsieur Renech 2003 Imagining Argentina General Guzmán Y Mabinogi Teyrnon Voice role 2005 River Queen Major Baine 2006 Miss Potter Harold Warne 2011 Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides Lord John Carteret The Lady Professor Finnis Flutter Bruno 2012 The Scapegoat Father McReady 2014 Closer to the Moon Comrade Holban 2016 A United Kingdom Prime Minister Attlee Allied Emmanuel Lombard The Exception General Falkenberg 2017 On Chesil Beach Reverend Woollett Disobedience Rav Krushka 2020 The Courier Bertrand Kindred Dr Richards 2021 Benediction Stephen Tennant (Older) 2025 The World Will Tremble Rabbi Schulman TBA Santo Subito! Father Mattew Post-production

Television

+ Year Title Role Notes 1981 Trofimov Television film 1982 Crown Court John Peat 3 episodes 1983 Good and Bad at Games Cox Television film 1984 Sakharov Valery Chalidze Television film Freud Wilhelm Fliess Miniseries, 5 episodes 1985 Anna of the Five Towns Willie Price Miniseries, 3 episodes 1987 Great Performances Robber Episode: "Monsignor Quixote" 1988 Twelfth Night, or What You Will Feste Television film Screen Two Stanley Spencer Episode: "Stanley" Vincenzo Episode: "Airbase" 1989 Murderers Among Us: The Simon Wiesenthal Story Karl Television film 1990 ScreenPlay Robert Cecil Episode: "Traitors" 1991 Gustav Levi Miniseries, 8 episodes 1994 Guinevere Envoy Television film Shakespeare: The Animated Tales Leontes Voice role, 1 episode: "The Winter's Tale" 1995 Mark Hollister Miniseries, 3 episodes Bugs Patrick Marcel Episode: "Pulse" Moses Eliav Miniseries, 2 episodes 1996 Sharman Galilee Episode: "Pretend We're Dead" Testament: The Bible in Animation Joseph Voice role, 1 episode: "Joseph" Ezra Jennings Television film 1997 Bodyguards Dusan Mesic Episode: "A Choice of Evils" 1998 Invasion: Earth Lt Charles Terrell Miniseries, 4 episodes Vanity Fair Mr Pitt Crawley Miniseries, 5 episodes 2000 King Herod Voice role, television film Antoine Picard Episode: "Friends & Enemies" Lorna Doone Counsellor Doone Television film 2001 Perfect Strangers Stephen Miniseries, 3 episodes Murder Rooms: Mysteries of the Real Sherlock Holmes Milburn Miniseries, 1 episode: "The White Knight Stratagem" Uprising Nathan Lensky Television film Jack and the Beanstalk: The Real Story Vidas Merlinis - Research Scientist Miniseries, 2 episodes 2002 Animated Tales of the World The Flower of Fern Voice role, 1 episode: "Flower of Fern, a Tale from Poland" Dickens Charles Dickens Miniseries, 3 episodes Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Bertilak - Green Knight Voice role, television film Waking the Dead Professor Ray Levin Episode: "Special Relationship" The Project Stanley Hall Miniseries, 2 episodes Foyle's War Austin Carmichael Episode: "Eagle Day" 2003 Eroica Sukowaty Television film Midsomer Murders Eddie Darwin Episode: "Birds of Prey" Danielle Cable: Eyewitness Henry Batten Television film 2004 Silent Witness Marcus Gwilym Episode: "Death by Water" Dirty Filthy Love Charles Television film Spooks Nicholas Ashworth Episode: "A Prayer for My Daughter" 2005 Ahead of the Class Graham Ranger Television film George Television film Class of '76 Martin Gibson Miniseries, 2 episodes Nova Voltaire Episode: "E=mc²: Einstein's Big Idea" 2006 Dalziel and Pascoe Paul Goodman Episode: "Guardian Angel" Vital Signs Dr. Lindsay 4 episodes New Tricks Pete Mackintyre Episode: "Bank Robbery" Dennis Prior Episode: "Endangered Species" 2008 Midsomer Murders Reverend Wallace Stone Episode: "Talking to the Dead" Archbishop of Canterbury 2 episodes Agatha Christie's Poirot Inspector Kelsey Episode: "Cat Among the Pigeons" Einstein and Eddington Fritz Haber Television film Little Dorrit Mr. Merdle 9 episodes 2009 Casualty 1909 Dr. Henry Head 4 episodes 2010 Holby City Sol Caplin Episode: "Faith No More" Five Daughters Dr. Nat Cary Miniseries, 2 episodes Garrow's Law John Farmer 4 episodes 2011 Primeval Gideon Recurring role, 6 episodes Clarence Fendley Main role, 5 episodes Rudolf Olden Television film 2012 Secret State Sir Michael Rix Miniseries, 2 episodes 2012–2016 Duke of Exeter 4 episodes 2013 Spies of Warsaw Doctor Lapp Miniseries, 4 episodes Mad Dogs Alex 1 episode Ripper Street Dr. Karl Crabbe 2 episodes Richard Mayfield, QC Miniseries, 3 episodes Atlantis Kyros Episode: "Pandora's Box" 2013–2019 Game of Thrones Qyburn Recurring role, 22 episodes 2013–2023 Endeavour Chief Superintendent / ACC Reginald Bright Main role, 35 episodes 2014 Father Brown Father Ignatius Episode: "The Mysteries of the Rosary" Émile De Mauvoisin Episode: "The Homecoming" C Miniseries, 1 episode 2015 Wolf Hall Thomas More Miniseries, 4 episodes Life in Squares Dr. Hyslop Miniseries, 2 episodes 2015–2016 Dickensian Fagin Main role, 15 episodes 2016 Hooten & the Lady Hercules Miniseries, 1 episode: "Moscow" 2017 Will Walsingham Episode: "The Play's the Thing" Harold Macmillan Main role (season 2), 8 episodes 2019–2020 Michael Eddowes Miniseries, 6 episodes 2021 Rabbi Loew 1 episode 2021 - Present Dalgliesh Father John 2 episodes 2022 Killing Eve Robert Episode: "Making Dead Things Look Nice" 1899 Henry Singleton 8 episodes 2022–2025 Andor Major Lio Partagaz 14 episodes 2023 Better Vernon Marley 4 episodes 2024 Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light Thomas More 2 episodes 2026–present Harry Potter Garrick Ollivander Upcoming series

Video games + Year Title Role Notes 2020 South of the Circle Professor Hargreaves Voice role

Audio + Year Title Role Notes 2004 The Ruby in the Smoke Narrator 2008 The Shadow in the North Narrator 2008 The Tiger in the Well Narrator 2018 Falco: The Complete BBC Radio Collection Marcus Didius Falco 2020 The Sandman Dr. John Hathaway Voice role, 20 episodes

Theatre Romeo, Romeo and Juliet, 1980, RSC Hamlet, Hamlet, 1982, Donmar Warehouse, London Troilus, Troilus and Cressida, 1981, RSC Richard III, The Plantagenets (Henry VI, part 1–3 and Richard III), 1988, RSC Edwin Forrest, Two Shakespearean Actors, 1990, RSC Henry Bullingbrook, Richard II, 1990, RSC Petruchio, The Taming of the Shrew, 1992, RSC Frank Ford, The Merry Wives of Windsor, 1992, RSC Serge, 'Art', 1997, Wyndham's Theatre, London Elyot, Private Lives, 1999, Lyttelton Theatre, London Iachimo, Cymbeline, 2003, RSC Marcus Brutus, Julius Caesar, 2005, Barbican, London Leontes, The Winter's Tale, 2006, RSC Oliver Lucas, The Vertical Hour, 2008, Royal Court Theatre, London Dr. Rank, A Doll's House, 2009, Donmar Warehouse, London Laurie Lee, Red Sky at Sunrise: Laurie Lee in Words and Music, 2023–present, Hambletts Productions, Stratford-upon-Avon Thomas Hardy, A Beautiful Thread: Thomas Hardy in Words and Music, 2024–present, Hambletts Productions, Stratford-upon-Avon Ghost, Hamlet, 2025, Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford-upon-Avon

Awards and nominations + Year Award Category Work Result Ref. 2016 BAFTA TV Awards Best Supporting Actor Wolf Hall 2018 Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series The Crown Game of Thrones