Known for playing Ned Stark in the television series Game of Thrones and Boromir in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. He also played the villain Alec Trevelyan in the 1995 James Bond film GoldenEye. His other film credits include The Martian, Troy, National Treasure and Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief.
He had a desire to become a soccer star but an accident with a glass door prevented him from pursuing it.
He is an acclaimed stage actor and appeared in many plays with the Royal Shakespeare Company.
He was married to Debra James from 1981 to 1988, Melanie Hill from 1990 to 1997, Abigail Cruttenden from 1997 to 2000 and Georgina Sutcliffe from 2008 to 2010. He has three children named Molly, Evie and Lorna.
He starred alongside Alexandra Daddario in the 2010 film Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief.