# Stephen Walters
**Stephen Walters** (full name Stephen Martin Walters, born 1975) is an English actor from [Merseyside](https://www.edgepedia.org/merseyside) known for character roles in British television and film, including Angus Mhor in *Outlander*, Thomas Malone in *Shetland*, and Zeppo in *Slow Horses*.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0910373/) • [2](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/stephen-walters/credits/3030413345/) He has been nominated twice for [Royal Television Society](https://www.edgepedia.org/royal-television-society) awards: Best Actor in 2013 for the Sky Arts drama *Ragged* and Supporting Actor (Male) in 2023 for the ITV drama *Anne*.[3](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/39681-stephen-walters)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1975, Merseyside, England, UK[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0910373/) |
| Full name | Stephen Martin Walters[2](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/stephen-walters/credits/3030413345/) |
| Signature TV roles | Angus Mhor in *Outlander* (2014, 2016); Thomas Malone in *Shetland* (2018); Zeppo in *Slow Horses* (2022); Steve Williams in *Anne* (2022)[4](https://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne-57367/filmographie/) • [5](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/6669/stephen-walters) |
| Film work | *Layer Cake*, *Batman Begins*, *Revolver*, *Hannibal Rising*, *Mean Machine*, *Strumpet*[6](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/stephen-walters/) |
| Awards | RTS Best Actor nomination 2013 (*Ragged*); RTS Supporting Actor (Male) nomination 2023 (*Anne*)[3](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/39681-stephen-walters) |
| Representation | Independent Talent Group[7](https://www.independenttalent.com/actors/stephen-walters/) |
## Early career
Walters grew up in Merseyside, where he spent his childhood.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0910373/) His early television work included the Liverpool-set soap *Brookside*, the Granada drama *Hillsborough*, and [Alan Bleasdale](https://www.edgepedia.org/alan-bleasdale)'s Channel 4 series *Jake's Progress*.[7](https://www.independenttalent.com/actors/stephen-walters/) In a 2022 interview he named the drama *Blood on the Dole*, made over 25 years earlier, as the point at which he believed he could build a career, and credited the writer Alan Bleasdale as one of his greatest early influences.[8](https://jsclerkauthor.co.uk/2022/05/02/an-interview-with-stephen-walters/)
Between 1998 and 2000 he appeared in episodic roles including Mikey Sullivan in [Jimmy McGovern](https://www.edgepedia.org/jimmy-mcgovern)'s *Liverpool 1* and Scot in the BBC drama *Nice Guy Eddie*, and he played Private John McGrath in the HBO miniseries *Band of Brothers* (2001).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0910373/) His screen career then moved into film comedy and crime: *Strumpet* (2001), directed by [Danny Boyle](https://www.edgepedia.org/danny-boyle), with [Christopher Eccleston](https://www.edgepedia.org/christopher-eccleston), and *Mean Machine* (2002) with Vinnie Jones and David Hemmings.[6](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/stephen-walters/)
## Film roles
Walters appeared in several prominent British films of the 2000s: [Matthew Vaughn](https://www.edgepedia.org/matthew-vaughn)'s gangster film *Layer Cake* (2004) with [Daniel Craig](https://www.edgepedia.org/daniel-craig), Christopher Nolan's *Batman Begins* (2005), [Guy Ritchie](https://www.edgepedia.org/guy-ritchie)'s *Revolver* (2007), and *Hannibal Rising* (2007).[6](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/stephen-walters/) Later film work included the science-fiction picture *Franklyn* (2009), the war film *Age of Heroes* (2011), and the adaptation *Kelly + Victor* (2013) with Antonia Campbell-Hughes.[6](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/stephen-walters/)
## Television roles
Walters played Angus Mhor, the feisty clansman, in the first season of the Starz series *Outlander* (2014) and returned for season 2 in 2016.[4](https://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne-57367/filmographie/) In the BBC crime drama *[Shetland](https://www.edgepedia.org/shetland-tv-series)* he played Thomas Malone, a role he prepared by filming in a Scottish prison and talking with inmates, and by working with the actor and director Ronnie Goodwin, who coached his accent by phone, recording lines and refining phrasing, syllables, and inflections.[8](https://jsclerkauthor.co.uk/2022/05/02/an-interview-with-stephen-walters/) He had already learned a Scottish brogue on *Outlander* under the voice coach Carol Anne Crawford.[8](https://jsclerkauthor.co.uk/2022/05/02/an-interview-with-stephen-walters/)
In the AMC series *Into the Badlands* he played The Engineer, a sadistic warlord, appearing in two episodes of season 2 (2017).[9](https://blog.outlanderhomepage.com/2017/03/catching-up-with-stephen-walters.html) • [4](https://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne-57367/filmographie/) In 2022 he played [Steve Williams](https://www.edgepedia.org/steve-williams) in *Anne*, ITV's drama about the Hillsborough campaign of Anne Williams, a role he described as a challenge of playing "silent grief" opposite [Maxine Peake](https://www.edgepedia.org/maxine-peake), and Zeppo in the first season of Apple TV+'s *Slow Horses*, appearing in five episodes.[8](https://jsclerkauthor.co.uk/2022/05/02/an-interview-with-stephen-walters/) • [5](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/6669/stephen-walters)
His later credits include *A Gentleman in Moscow* (2024, as Captain Abashev), *The Night Caller* (2024, as Rob), and the [BBC Studios](https://www.edgepedia.org/bbc-studios) crime series *This City Is Ours* (2025, as Davy Crawford).[5](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/6669/stephen-walters) • [7](https://www.independenttalent.com/actors/stephen-walters/)
## Acting approach
Walters has described his role choices as driven by a visceral, instinctive reaction to a script, shaped by a mix of lived experience, imagination, the writing, other actors, and the location.[8](https://jsclerkauthor.co.uk/2022/05/02/an-interview-with-stephen-walters/) He prefers television and film work to theater, citing the camera's capture of the eyes and what he calls the "truth of a performance", and he has said he favors a "warts and all" approach that tolerates mistakes over technical precision.[8](https://jsclerkauthor.co.uk/2022/05/02/an-interview-with-stephen-walters/) IMDb lists the characters he is associated with as unpredictable, complex figures, performed across a wide range of accents including American, RP, Scottish, Irish, Eastern European, Cockney, and Mancunian.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0910373/)
## References
1. [Stephen Walters (I), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0910373/)
2. [Stephen Walters: Movies and TV Shows credits, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/stephen-walters/credits/3030413345/)
3. [Stephen Walters, The Movie Database (TMDB)](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/39681-stephen-walters)
4. [Stephen Walters: Filmographie, AlloCiné](https://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne-57367/filmographie/)
5. [Stephen Walters, TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/6669/stephen-walters)
6. [Stephen Walters, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/stephen-walters/)
7. [Stephen Walters, Independent Talent](https://www.independenttalent.com/actors/stephen-walters/)
8. [An Interview With… Stephen Walters, J. S. Clerk (2 May 2022)](https://jsclerkauthor.co.uk/2022/05/02/an-interview-with-stephen-walters/)
9. [Catching Up With Stephen Walters, Outlander Homepage (27 March 2017)](https://blog.outlanderhomepage.com/2017/03/catching-up-with-stephen-walters.html)
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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 › English actors: 2000s onward › Surnames T to We*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 19, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license