Mark Bonnar
“IT’S NOT JUST ABOUT GETTING THE JOB.”
In the years that followed drama school, Mark Bonnar felt that his first agent wasn’t the right fit and joined McEwan & Penford in 1998. “Up to that point I’d done a few bits and bobs in theatre, but it was McEwan & Penford who helped me get my first job at the National in Chips with Everything directed by Howard Davis,” explains Mark. “I loved working with Howard and ended up doing five shows with him. I did a lot of theatre, almost solely theatre for about ten years, working at the National, the RSC, the Old Vic, and the Young Vic.”
In around 2005, Mark wanted to start concentrating on screen work in TV and film. One of the first jobs that came through was a pilot for Shetland, which has become a long running role with production now in its seventh series. “That role changed my signal on the radar for a lot of people I think and it kind of snowballed slowly over about eight years. I was blessed to get two great roles, one in Catastrophe and another in Line of Duty.” Mark’s expansive theatre and TV career has also included leading roles in BBC’s Guilt (Series 1 & 2), ITV’s Unforgotten and Quiz and Channel 4’s Humans. In 2021 Mark has also presented his first documentary for BBC Scotland, Meet me at the Hippos in which he interviewed his dad Stan an accomplished Artist.
“As actors, we walk a strange tightrope between massive ego and utter failure…”
“I’ve been doing this around 25 years now,” says Mark. “And there’s a reason I’ve stayed with Aileen and the team at McEwan & Penford. The most important thing is that they’ve helped me make the right choices. When you get a job offer you have to sit down and look at everything and decide if this is the right job, the right part, the right time, and money. But it’s not just about getting the job. They listen to what you want from your career and then help you try and get it, you know. They’ve helped me have a career.”
“They fight for their actors’ money, their profile, and their careers.”
“As actors, we walk a strange tightrope between massive ego and utter failure. You have to have an ego to do the job obviously, but you’re constantly riddled with self-doubt. Confidence comes and goes, sometimes in a scene, sometimes over a year. It can go at any point and for any duration. In these times it’s important to have an agent you trust completely, who can help you through that. I’ve been with McEwan & Penford over 20 years, it’s a good agency and I trust them. They fight for their actors’ money, their profile and their careers.”
2017 BAFTA AWARDS, SCOTLAND
Winner, Best Actor - Television for Unforgotten
2015 BAFTA AWARDS, SCOTLAND
Nominated, Best Actor - Television for Catastrophe
2014 - BAFTA AWARDS, SCOTLAND
Nominated, Best Actor - Television for Line of Duty
