Matthew Needham (born 13 April 1984) is a British actor. He has worked on stage and screen, appearing in television series such as Casualty, Endeavour, and Sanditon. As of 2022, Needham portrays Larys Strong on the HBO fantasy series House of the Dragon, his performance in the series has received critical acclaim.

Early life

He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Acting from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art in 2007.

Career

Needham made his professional acting debut when he joined the cast of BBC medical drama Casualty in September 2007. In 2010 he appeared in the BBC series Sherlock. In 2011, he appeared in the ITV medical drama, Monroe.

Needham has performed on stage for the Royal Shakespeare Company, Royal Court Theatre, Royal National Theatre, Almeida Theatre, and Shakespeare's Globe. In his performance for the play Britannicus, he was nominated for the 2011 Ian Charleson Award.

In 2015, Needham starred in the short film Stutterer, written and directed by Benjamin Cleary and produced by Serena Armitage and Shan Christopher Ogilvie. The film won Best Live Action Short Film at the 88th Academy Awards.

In January 2017, he appeared in episode 2 of series 4 of the ITV drama series Endeavour. In March 2017, he played Stanley Kowalski in the BBC Radio 3 production of A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams.

In 2019, Needham played Mr. Crowe in the first series of the ITV period drama Sanditon. As of 2022, he plays Larys Strong on the HBO fantasy series House of the Dragon. In 2023, he appeared as Lucien Bonaparte alongside Joaquin Phoenix in the film Napoleon.

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
2015Shakespeare's Globe: Titus AndronicusSaturninusFilmed version of the stage show at The Globe
2015Shakespeare's Globe: The Comedy of ErrorsAntipholus of EphesusFilmed version of the stage show at The Globe
2015StuttererGreenwood CarsenWon Best Live Action Short Film at the 88th Academy Awards
2017The RitualJunkie
2017From A Strange LandJonasShort
2023NapoleonLucien Bonaparte
2024The GeneratorsOscar
TBAPainterTBAPost-production

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
2007–2009CasualtyToby De SilvaMain Role, 61 Episodes
2010SherlockBezza1 Episode
2011MonroeDavid Foster1 Episode
2016The Hollow CrownBasset2 Episodes
2017EndeavourDudley Jessop1 Episode
2018DoctorsKieran Barnes1 Episode
2019ChernobylDmitri1 Episode
2019SanditonMr Crowe7 Episodes
2021Doctor WhoOld Swarm2 Episodes
2022–presentHouse of the DragonLarys StrongMain role, 13 episodes
2023Great ExpectationsMr DrummleTV Mini Series, 4 Episodes
2026Blade Runner 2099TBAPost-production

Stage

YearTitleRoleNotes
2009ShadesMarkRoyal Court Theatre
2009The Grapes of WrathNoahChichester Festival Theatre
2011BritannicusNeroNatural Perspective Theatre Company
2013Titus AndronicusLuciusRoyal Shakespeare Company
2013CandideCandideRoyal Shakespeare Company
2015Titus AndronicusSaturninusThe Globe
2015The Jew of MaltaPilia BorzaRoyal Shakespeare Company
2017The Twilight ZonePerry/Stockton/HarringtonAlmeida Theatre
2018Summer and SmokeJohn BuchannanAlmeida Theatre
2019FairviewJimboYoung Vic Theatre

External links