
Sir David Mark Rylance Waters (born 18 January 1960 in Ashford, Kent, England) is an English actor, theatre director, and playwright. He was the first artistic director of Shakespeare's Globe in London, between 1995 and 2005. His film appearances include Prospero's Books (1991), Angels and Insects (1995), Institute Benjamenta (1996), and Intimacy (2001). Rylance won the Academy Award and BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Rudolf Abel in Bridge of Spies (2015). Rylance played the title role in Steven Spielberg's The BFG (2016), a live-action film adaptation of the children's book by Roald Dahl, and appeared in Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk (2017), based on the British evacuation in World War II. He appeared as James Halliday in Spielberg's 2018 film Ready Player One, based on the novel of the same name.

Self
Inside The Institute

Ferdinand
Prospero's Books

Jay
Intimacy

William Adamson
Angels and Insects

Sir Thomas Boleyn
The Other Boleyn Girl

Jakob
Institute Benjamenta, or This Dream People Call Human Life

Vincentio, Duke of Vienna
Measure for Measure: Live from The Globe

Henry V
Henry V at Shakespeare's Globe

Himself
Much Ado About Something

Richard II
Richard II - Live at Shakespeare's Globe

Self
Muse of Fire

Stephen
Days and Nights

Charlie Raunce
Loving

Flop
Bing’s Christmas and Other Stories

John Healy
The Grass Arena

Dr. David Kelly
The Government Inspector

Rudolf Abel
Bridge of Spies

Dunleavy
Inland

The BFG
The BFG

Self
We Are Many

Olivia
Twelfth Night

Terrance Cox
The Gunman

Gavin
The McGuffin

Mr. Dawson
Dunkirk

Fizz
Hearts of Fire

Anorak / Halliday
Ready Player One

Roberts
Blitz

Condell
Anonymous

Himself
Shakespeare's Globe

Conn Ellis
Love Lies Bleeding

William Blake
In Lambeth

The Magistrate
Waiting for the Barbarians

Self
Nothing Is Truer than Truth

William Kunstler
The Trial of the Chicago 7

Satan
The Way of the Wind

Maurice Flitcroft
The Phantom of the Open

Peter Isherwell
Don't Look Up

Leonard Burling
The Outfit

Sully
Bones and All

Spirit of Place

Flop (voice)
Bing & Friends: Birthday Celebration

Self
Wolf Hall: The Inside Story

Buscando a Shakespeare

Self
Hamlet {Solo}

Self
A Case of the Cold War: Bridge of Spies

Vincentio, Duke of Vienna
Measure for Measure: Live from the Globe

Geoffrey Hinton
Artificial

Self - Narrator (voice)
The Colorado
Known For
Acting
Known Credits
48
Gender
Male
Birthday
1960-01-18
Place of Birth
Ashford, Kent, England, UK
Also Known As
David Mark Rylance Waters