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.
48 movies · 12 shows
Searching for Shakespeare
2025·10.0
Bing & Friends: Birthday Celebration
2024·0.0
Spirit of Place
2024·0.0
Inland
2023·5.3
Bones and All
2022·7.0
The Phantom of the Open
2022·6.8
The Outfit
2022·7.1
Don't Look Up
2021·7.1
Bing’s Christmas and Other Stories
2020·0.0
The Trial of the Chicago 7
2020·7.7
Waiting for the Barbarians
2020·5.9
The Flaneur
2019·0.0
Nothing Is Truer than Truth
2018·3.5
Ready Player One
2018·7.6
Dunkirk
2017·7.5
The BFG
2016·6.3
The Colorado
2016·0.0
A Case of the Cold War: Bridge of Spies
2016·0.0
Bridge of Spies
2015·7.2
Wolf Hall: The Inside Story
2015·0.0
The Gunman
2015·5.8
Days and Nights
2014·4.5
We Are Many
2014·6.7
Muse of Fire
2013·6.5
Twelfth Night
2012·7.7
Anonymous
2011·6.4
Blitz
2011·6.2
Inside The Institute
2010·0.0
The Other Boleyn Girl
2008·6.7
Hamlet {Solo}
2007·0.0
Shakespeare's Globe
2005·0.0
The Government Inspector
2005·8.0
Measure for Measure: Live from The Globe
2004·0.0
Measure for Measure: Live from the Globe
2004·0.0
Richard II - Live at Shakespeare's Globe
2003·10.0
Much Ado About Something
2001·5.1
Intimacy
2001·6.2
Henry V at Shakespeare's Globe
1997·0.0
Loving
1996·3.7
Angels and Insects
1995·6.2
Institute Benjamenta, or This Dream People Call Human Life
1995·7.8
In Lambeth
1993·0.0
Love Lies Bleeding
1993·10.0
The Grass Arena
1992·8.5
Prospero's Books
1991·6.8
Incident in Judaea
1991·0.0
Hearts of Fire
1987·4.1
The McGuffin
1986·6.5