Some people have always known what they wanted to do with their lives. Bruce Payne is one of those fortunate individuals. Born Bruce Martyn Payne on November 22, 1960 in Kilburn, North London, movies appealed to him at an early age.  “…I was fascinated by the movie industry,” said Bruce in one of his interviews.  “I realized that it was a vocation as opposed to a career. I think they're two very different things. We all have to live, we have to pay our bills on time, but a vocation is a very different psychological prerequisite for doing what we call ‘acting.’” Reflecting on his early fascination with that world of make-believe called acting, Bruce notes, “From a young age, we're all influenced by things--a lot of things we don't really recall until later… I know that my immediate family tell me that when I was very young, I saw a play that my brother was in -- probably a Peter Pan pantomime because it involved a crocodile -- and I apparently shouted out, 'That crocodile is going to eat my brother’ and ran up on the stage…I think it shows that from an early age I loved that suspension of disbelief.”    Even as a young boy, Bruce connected with and understood the power that acting has to illuminate the human experience.  “As I grew up,” he declared in another interview, “I think I developed a studio’s interest in the way ‘why we do what we do’ and how moral and social rules influence what we think. You learn about fitting in, identity, escaping reality. Acting and reacting are concerned with a lot of that. I find it fascinating.”

For many, the teen years are times of naïve rebellion, immature behavior, floundering for an identity.  Not for Bruce. Instead he learned valuable lessons of determination and perseverance.  At the age of 14, he underwent surgery to correct a mild case of spina bifida that threatened to keep him from ever walking again. Though the operation was a success, he spent six months recovering in a hospital.  “I’m glad it happened in many ways.  It’s a bit like a wake-up call,” said Bruce. “It made me stronger.”  The deleterious effect this ordeal had on his studies made him all the more determined to catch up and succeed. The experience, in fact, provided an inspirational lesson for Bruce. “Certainly in my life, when you see someone in a situation that has dealt them a challenge and they overcome it, it gives you hope.” And with that hope came dreams of acting.

The dream led Bruce to begin seriously exploring an acting career. Once back on his feet, he was able to secure a place at the National Youth Theatre where he spent two seasons.  Bruce describes this experience as "Four hundred kids thrown together to work on 7 plays."  Putting his nascent acting talent to practical use, he would bluff his way into several film studios simply by looking confident and blending in.  He would then take meticulous notes, intently watching the cameras, lighting, and the scene around him. Anything he observed of real value went into his notes.

Bruce then began to pursue his acting goals in earnest. He auditioned for several fringe acting companies but was told he was too young and should go away and get experience.  Undaunted by this rebuff, Bruce was able to join the prestigious and highly selective Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA) at the age of 19, even though he had very little acting experience.  Attending from 1979 to1981, he graduated with seven major prizes for acting, comedy and physical presence. Of his training at RADA, Bruce notes with a glint of rebelliousness, “People say ‘traditionally trained,’ but you are only traditionally trained if you stay inside the lines. I never did that. From a very young age I was exposed to No theatre, Japanese films, German films, French films. I was attracted to the whole spectrum of the medium.”  While at RADA, Bruce learned skills that would serve him well in his later films, mastering the fine art of swordsmanship. “During my studies,” he says in one of his interviews, “I learned the short sword, dagger, epee, foil, broadsword -- you name it.” How well he learned this art would later be amply demonstrated in films such as Highlander: Endgame and Dungeons & Dragons.

Bruce confesses to “loving the theatre.” In his 1982 performance as "Gutter Macbeth," a Shakespearean role with a decidedly different twist, he brandished a baseball bat onstage in lieu of a sword. Bruce wrote and directed this piece, which was chosen by the principal of RADA to be performed before the Queen of England. Director Steven Berkoff (who was later to appear with Bruce in the film, Absolute Beginners) then took notice of Bruce and cast him in "West" at Donmar Warehouse. Time magazine critic Richard Corliss called Bruce’s performance “frighteningly dynamic,” in an article that Bruce regards as “one of the best reviews in my life."  This stage performance was soon followed by "Greek," another Berkoff production for which he received rave reviews from both Berkoff and the critics.  “Mr. Payne,” wrote one of the critics, “is obviously a discovery…His Eddy is vital, intelligent and physically disciplined in the best Berkoff style.”  Berkoff himself said of Bruce’s performance, he "gave a vital and dynamic performance and trod on the edge of danger." Perhaps a portent of roles to come.

In 1982, Bruce also snagged his first movie role in Privates on Parade with John Cleese of Monty Python fame. Demonstrating that his RADA award for comedy was no fluke, he played Flight Sgt. Kevin Cartwright with adroit Pythonesque flair. His movie and TV career began to take off, with movies including The Keep, Oxford Blues, Solarbabies, and in 1986, Absolute Beginners. His portrayal of the fascist/racist thug Flikker in this latter film earned Bruce broad acclaim for what one critic called his "meaty, saving-grace performance." During the middle 80s, he starred in a series of TV movies such as Smart Money, Miss Marple: Nemesis and Operation Julie, with the charming 1990 TV series Yellowthread Street still to come. Of the 1985 movie Billy the Kid and the Green Baize Vampire, one writer said it is Bruce who “more or less steals the show. Bruce Payne is a charismatic presence…it is a performance which ranks with those handful of evil genius."  Another portent of roles to come.

America soon beckoned him. In his 1992 Passenger 57 film role, Bruce was introduced to American audiences as the unforgettably evil and terrifying Charles Rane. Other memorable roles were to follow, including his 1998 portrayal of Jurgen, the mysterious operative with a dubious past, in the TV series La Femme Nikita. A role with considerable impact, Jurgen tied with Nikita for favorite character of the season in an online poll that year. The 90s also included several action films, such as Full Eclipse, One Man’s Justice and Kounterfeit. An actor who not only keeps fit but one who does most of his own stunts, he is ideally suited for such action adventure roles.

Bruce’s reputation was continuing to grow throughout the 90s. When it came time to cast the part of Jacob Kell, the heinous, larger than life archvillain in Highlander: Endgame, director Doug Aarniokoski knew that Bruce was the perfect actor for the role and demanded him right from the start. The two had worked together years ago when Aarniokoski was Assistant Director of The Howling VI.  "Bruce,” said Aarniokoski, “was just a great guy and a truly hard worker.” When asking Aarniokoski about Bruce, writer John Bierly remarked that you “could hear his smile through the phone.“ Bruce Payne, Aarniokoski said, "is the consummate professional."

Demonstrating that he is indeed a “consummate professional,” Bruce meticulously researches his roles to the last detail. ”If I'm allowed to in terms of time,” he states in one of his interviews, “I really like to get into the character.”   A writer for Impact magazine said, “Payne admits that, if possible, he really likes to make a fully rounded character with a past, a present and future.”   Bruce himself states, “The more time you have to experiment, the better. I like to go as far as possible. I'm trying to stay one step ahead and not to do the predictable."  “Unpredictable” is, in fact, exactly what Bruce Payne offers in his many roles, none of which are ever the same as any of his others.

Bruce Payne has a true passion for acting.  “Acting is now an essential ingredient in his life,” wrote the author of a Cosmopolitan article about Bruce.  “He approaches it with care and an interest verging on obsession.”  Writing for You magazine, Jo Fairley commented, “It’s when talking about his work, about acting in general, that Bruce becomes truly animated.”  In describing him, she also wrote that he “vibrates with enthusiasm.”  In speaking of his passion and how it came about, Bruce states, "Everything I'd ever been interested in was to do with chemistry, whether it was physics or marine biology. The chemistry of people, and acting in particular, was a natural progression."

Though better known for his villain roles, Bruce Payne has played characters across the spectrum and likes it that way.  In an interview done by Stephen Reid, Bruce states, "If I had a wish list, I'd love to play two heroes a year, two villains, and then maybe one comedy relief." Commenting on the many villainous roles he has played, Bruce says, "Unfortunately, by the mere fact of psychological recall, most people remember villains, I think. But I have played good guys, too."  His filmography shows how true this is, with a nearly equal balance of good guys and bad guys on his long list of credits, and a scattering of comedies such as Pyrates, Switch and Privates on Parade thrown in too.

Of his career, Bruce states that he wants the career longevity of "a long swimmer, a lifer...a 70 - yearer."  With a career that has already spanned over 45 films and 23 TV appearances, plus a stint as Executive Producer of the film Lowball, Bruce Payne seems destined to get his wish. An actor of great talent and versatility, Bruce clearly has many roles left to explore. Based on his past performances, all of which have been uniquely different from each other, we have every reason to expect his future roles to be equally refreshing and unpredictable. As one fan wrote of Bruce, “Unlike some other popular actors, we know something is going on in there, but we are not completely sure what it is, which keeps us riveted to the plot unfolding before us.”



References:

If you would like to read the articles and interviews from which the quotes above were taken, click on the links below. Some of them appear on the web sites "A Girl Who Loves Bruce Payne" and "Bruce Payne: A Tribute."  Others are on this web site.

“Payne Relief”
“Pleasure and Payne”
“Dungeons, Dragons and Back Trouble”
“Payne Threshold”
“The Smart Money is in Bruce Payne”
"The Bruce Payne D&D Interview”
“Truth or Damodar”
“BTKATGBV”






Copyright 2004 by Bruce’s Angels