The Actor Bruce Payne Bruces Angels

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Bruce Payne is considered by many drama critics and fans alike to be an A+ actor. A graduate of the prestigious and highly selective Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA), he won 7 awards from RADA, as well as rave reviews for many of his stage and film performances since. Time magazine critic, Richard Corliss, for example, observing the stage play "West," declared that Bruce had given "a frighteningly dynamic performance." In the production of "Greek" at the Wyndhams Theatre in London, director Stephen Berkoff stated that as the main character Eddy, Bruce "gave a vital and dynamic performance and trod on the edge of danger." "Saying that Payne is a good actor," asserted a writer for Cosmopolitan, "is like saying Fred Astaire is a good dancer."

In a number of his films, some critics have declared that it was Bruce who saved the movie. His role as the strutting racist/fascist thug Flikker in Absolute Beginners, which brought him rave reviews, was one such film. Another was Highlander: Endgame, a movie that was not warmly received in many quarters. Many reviewers, however, praised Bruce’s intensely maniacal portrayal of the archvillain Jacob Kell. "More fun than either of the stars [Christopher Lambert and Adrian Paul]," said Andrew O’Herir of Salon magazine. "But on its own terms, Endgame is pretty good, largely thanks to Bruce Payne’s efforts as the bad guy," wrote a reviewer at Trashcity.org. "The one in the cast that seems to be having the most fun," writes another Internet reviewer, "is Bruce Payne…Payne contrarily gives a performance where he enunciates every syllable with real relish and dramatic weight, resulting in a performance that is entirely captivating whenever he is on screen."

Bruce’s Range and Versatility

Bruce Payne has delivered outstanding performances with great depth and subtlety in a wide range of different roles. No actor working today is more versatile. His many film and TV performances range from comedy to drama, heroes to villains. He mugs for the camera as Yellow in the comedy/drama TV show Keen Eddie. As Satan, he is devilishly amusing in the film Switch. In Pyrates and Solarbabies, he is roguish. In Privates on Parade, he is sweetly amusing. As an action/adventure hero, Bruce is strong, intense and dynamic in the TV show La Femme Nikita and the films Operation Intercept and Face the Evil II. In Britannic, he is a properly British hero and in Never Say Never Mind, a mysterious alien hero. In Silence Like Glass, Bruce is the sweet, adorable and heroic cancer physician. In the TV show Yellowthread Street, Bruce is both an action hero and a charming roguish cop. Bruce’s villains are gloriously, intensely and charmingly evil, as in the films Highlander: Endgame, Dungeons & Dragons, Full Eclipse, Warlock III and One Man’s Justice, though each role is uniquely different from the others.

Indeed, Bruce never presents himself the same way twice in his roles. He exhaustively researches every role with meticulous professionalism, carefully crafting each aspect of the character-- facial expressions, mannerisms, body language, speech delivery. Even his accent and hair are rarely the same. When he plays the kind-hearted Dr. Burton in Silence Like Glass, for example, he radiates warm sincerity with every smile. As archvillain Jacob Kell in Highlander: Endgame, he oozes evil, maniacal intensity with every syllable he speaks and each haughty gesture. In Ripper, he delivers a quietly subtle performance as the tortured teacher Marshall Kane, complete with nervous facial tics and tears of sadness and anguish. Because Bruce is constantly reinventing himself as an actor, honing each one to perfection, we can expect him to be unique in each new role.

Some actors seem to have only one expression during the entire film (we won’t name names here) but Bruce can be counted on to display many subtle shades of emotion and expression in each of his roles. In Kounterfeit, for example, the character Frankie’s animated face is smiling and casual one scene, tough, stern and no-nonsense the next. In Dungeons & Dragons, as the villain Damodar, he even switches rapidly from menacing to charming to touchingly vulnerable and back again all in one scene.

A Director’s Dream

Many actors are known for being prima-donnas with enormous egos-- making them less than pleasant to work with. From his many interviews, it is obvious that Bruce is a director’s dream. The off-screen Bruce is an easy-going, unpretentious man who smiles and laughs a lot. When talking about his films, he emphasizes cooperation. Of his experience with Highlander: Endgame, for example, he said "I enjoyed working on the film because of the collaboration that took place between all of us…the actors, the director, and the technicians." His colleagues agree. Ian Paul Cassidy (Cracker Bob from Highlander: Endgame) said of him, "Working with Bruce was the ultimate pleasure for an actor. He is wonderfully talented and the consummate professional." Echoing this sentiment is Doug Aarniokoski, the director of Highlander: Endgame, who also called Bruce "the consummate professional." They had first worked together in Howling VI, when Aarniokoski was an assistant director. "Bruce was just a great guy and truly a hard worker," he proclaimed. When Aarniokoski was named director of Highlander: Endgame, he immediately thought of Bruce for the part of the character Kell. "I knew that was Bruce, " he declared.

A First Rate Actor

Bruce Payne is a first-rate actor with the ability to make old characters and roles fresh and exciting and new ones intriguing. He has the depth, versatility, and experience needed to pull off even the most demanding roles, whether hero or villain, comedy or drama.

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The Many Faces of Bruce Payne:
Bruce Payne's Versatility