# Iain Glen
**Iain Glen** (Iain Alan Sutherland Glen; born 1961 in Edinburgh, Scotland) is a Scottish actor known for stage and screen work, most prominently as Ser Jorah Mormont in every season of HBO's *Game of Thrones* (2011–2019) and as the title private eye in the *[Jack Taylor](https://www.edgepedia.org/jack-taylor-tv-series)* television films.[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/iain-glen/) • [2](https://iainglen.com/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1961, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK; full name Iain Alan Sutherland Glen[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/iain-glen/) |
| Training | Left RADA in 1985, winning the Bancroft Gold Medal, awarded to the student considered most promising that year[2](https://iainglen.com/) • [1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/iain-glen/) |
| Early breakthrough | Acclaimed role as a charismatic gang leader in the crime drama *The Fear* (ITV, 1988); Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival for *Silent Scream* (1990)[2](https://iainglen.com/) • [3](https://iainglen.com/the-weekender-macbeth/) |
| Signature TV roles | Ser Jorah Mormont in all eight seasons of *Game of Thrones*; the eponymous anti-hero Jack Taylor across nine feature-length episodes[2](https://iainglen.com/) |
| Film villains | Manfred Powell opposite Angelina Jolie in *Lara Croft: Tomb Raider* (2001); Dr. Isaacs in the *Resident Evil* series (2004–2016)[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/iain_glen) • [5](https://as.com/meristation/cine/antes-de-ser-jorah-mormont-este-actor-de-juego-de-tronos-fue-uno-de-los-villanos-mas-despiadados-del-cine-de-zombis-f202605-n/) |
| Recent series | Starring in *Silo* (Apple TV+) and leading *The Rig* (Prime Video), both renewed for second seasons[2](https://iainglen.com/) |
## Early life and training
Glen was born in Edinburgh, the youngest of three sons of Hamish Glen, a managing director of the Scottish Investment Trust.[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/iain-glen/) He described his own youth as difficult, calling himself a "teenager from hell" who was unhappy at school and at home, competing with his two older brothers.[6](https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2010/feb/07/iain-glen-ghosts)
He had no early notion of acting and no stage tradition in his family.[7](https://iainglen.com/university-of-aberdeen-magazine-kidnapped/) At the [University of Aberdeen](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-aberdeen), where he enrolled to study English, friends lured him into a small role in the drama society's production of *The Crucible*, and a critically praised lead as Max in Martin Sherman's *Bent* at the Edinburgh Fringe followed.[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/iain-glen/) When told he had to retake an exam mid-course, he left the university instead; a one-man play directed by his brother Hamish served as an audition piece that won him a place at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, from which he graduated in 1985 with the Bancroft Gold Medal.[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/iain-glen/) • [6](https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2010/feb/07/iain-glen-ghosts)
## Stage career
Glen rose quickly after RADA, making a television splash as a stylish gangland figure in *The Fear* (1988) and then winning multiple awards for his portrayal of the imprisoned Scottish poet Larry Winters in *Silent Scream* (1990), a performance that earned a Silver Bear for Best Actor at the Berlin Film Festival.[2](https://iainglen.com/) • [3](https://iainglen.com/the-weekender-macbeth/) Through the 1990s he took leading Shakespearean roles, including *Hamlet* at the Old Vic in Bristol in 1991, Aufidius opposite [Kenneth Branagh](https://www.edgepedia.org/kenneth-branagh)'s Coriolanus at the Chichester Festival in 1992, and a praised *Macbeth* at the Tron Theatre in Glasgow in 1993.[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/iain-glen/)
His stage work since has included award-winning performances as Henry V and as John Proctor in *The Crucible* for the [Royal Shakespeare Company](https://www.edgepedia.org/royal-shakespeare-company), the musical *Martin Guerre*, and David Hare's two-hander *The Blue Room* opposite [Nicole Kidman](https://www.edgepedia.org/nicole-kidman) on both the West End and Broadway.[2](https://iainglen.com/) • [4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/iain_glen) • [6](https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2010/feb/07/iain-glen-ghosts) In 2010 he made his directorial debut with a new version of Ibsen's *Ghosts* by Frank McGuinness, in which he also played Pastor Manders; he said afterward that he was too in love with acting to change careers.[6](https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2010/feb/07/iain-glen-ghosts) More recently critics praised his performance in Chekhov's *Uncle Vanya* as "a masterclass".[2](https://iainglen.com/)
## Screen career
Glen's early film work included a supporting role in *Gorillas in the Mist* (1988), one of the leads as the explorer [John Hanning Speke](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-hanning-speke) in *Mountains of the Moon* (1990), and Hamlet in *[Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead](https://www.edgepedia.org/rosencrantz-and-guildenstern-are-dead-film)* (1991).[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/iain-glen/) • [8](https://popculturefiles.com/filmographies/iain-glen-filmography) His 1990 film output won him a Best Actor laurel from the British Film Awards.[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/iain-glen/)
**Villain roles.** He played the villain Manfred Powell opposite [Angelina Jolie](https://www.edgepedia.org/angelina-jolie) in *Lara Croft: Tomb Raider* (2001), beginning what Rotten Tomatoes describes as a conspicuous run in heel roles.[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/iain_glen) The most sustained of these is Dr. Isaacs in the *Resident Evil* series: first appearing at the end of *Resident Evil: Apocalypse* (2004), he became a principal threat to Alice in *Extinction* (2007) as the driving force of Project Alice, and in *The Final Chapter* (2016) the true Dr. Alexander Isaacs was revealed as the mastermind behind Umbrella's deliberate global apocalypse.[5](https://as.com/meristation/cine/antes-de-ser-jorah-mormont-este-actor-de-juego-de-tronos-fue-uno-de-los-villanos-mas-despiadados-del-cine-de-zombis-f202605-n/)
**Television.** Glen became a regular in British prestige series including *City of Vice* ([Channel 4](https://www.edgepedia.org/channel-4), 2008), *The Diary of Anne Frank* (BBC, 2009), *Spooks* (BBC, 2002–2011), and *Downton Abbey* series 2 (ITV).[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/iain_glen) • [9](https://iainglen.com/cv/) In 2011 he began playing Ser Jorah Mormont, the exiled knight devoted to [Daenerys Targaryen](https://www.edgepedia.org/daenerys-targaryen), in *Game of Thrones*, appearing in every season through 2019; his performance was widely valued by critics and fans, and the character is regarded as one of the series' great tragic heroes.[2](https://iainglen.com/) • [5](https://as.com/meristation/cine/antes-de-ser-jorah-mormont-este-actor-de-juego-de-tronos-fue-uno-de-los-villanos-mas-despiadados-del-cine-de-zombis-f202605-n/) From 2010 to 2016 he played the title role in nine feature-length *Jack Taylor* episodes based on Ken Bruen's novels, and he played Bruce Wayne in seasons 2 and 3 of the DC series *[Titans](https://www.edgepedia.org/titans-2018-tv-series)* (2019–2021).[2](https://iainglen.com/)
His recent leading television work is in *Silo* (Apple TV+), the science-fiction series based on [Hugh Howey](https://www.edgepedia.org/hugh-howey)'s novels, and *The Rig* (Prime Video), an Amazon Original six-part thriller; both ran to second seasons, with *Silo* season 2 arriving in November 2024 and *The Rig* series 2 in January 2025.[2](https://iainglen.com/) His film work in the 2020s includes *The Windermere Children* (2020), his highest-rated film on Rotten Tomatoes at 100 percent, and *The Last Front* (2024).[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/iain_glen)
## Personal life
Glen married the actress [Susannah Harker](https://www.edgepedia.org/susannah-harker) in 1992 after they met co-starring in the BBC's *Adam Bede*; they divorced in 2004, and he later met his partner, the actress Charlotte Emmerson, while both were working at the National Theatre.[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/iain-glen/) • [6](https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2010/feb/07/iain-glen-ghosts) His elder brother Hamish Glen became a stage director, running the Belgrade Theatre in Coventry and previously serving as artistic director of Dundee Rep.[6](https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2010/feb/07/iain-glen-ghosts) • [1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/iain-glen/)
## References
1. [Iain Glen – Actor, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/iain-glen/)
2. [Iain Glen Official Site – Career Summary](https://iainglen.com/)
3. [The Weekender (Macbeth) – Iain Glen Official Site](https://iainglen.com/the-weekender-macbeth/)
4. [Iain Glen Movies & TV Shows List, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/iain_glen)
5. [Antes de ser Jorah Mormont... (MeriStation/AS)](https://as.com/meristation/cine/antes-de-ser-jorah-mormont-este-actor-de-juego-de-tronos-fue-uno-de-los-villanos-mas-despiadados-del-cine-de-zombis-f202605-n/)
6. [Iain Glen: 'I've never been so wired', The Guardian (2010)](https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2010/feb/07/iain-glen-ghosts)
7. [University of Aberdeen Magazine (Kidnapped) – Iain Glen Official Site](https://iainglen.com/university-of-aberdeen-magazine-kidnapped/)
8. [Iain Glen Filmography in Order, Pop Culture Files](https://popculturefiles.com/filmographies/iain-glen-filmography)
9. [Iain Glen CV – Official Site](https://iainglen.com/cv/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › Scottish actors › Surnames A to L*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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