Before becoming a screen icon, Ken Stott sold double glazing to survive
In short: Born in Edinburgh in 1954, Ken Stott is a celebrated actor known for his roles in Rebus and The Hobbit. Yet, his path to acclaim was not immediate. Before finding success on stage and screen, he spent years balancing his acting career with the unglamorous reality of working as a double glazing salesman.
Kenneth Campbell Stott, born on 19 October 1954 to a Sicilian mother and a Scottish father, initially pursued a different path in his youth as the frontman of a pop band. After deciding to focus on acting, he attended the Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts in London. His early professional years were marked by financial hardship; while he began working with the Royal Shakespeare Company, his earnings were insufficient, forcing him to take on sales work to support himself.
Stott's career began in 1974 at the Lyric Theatre in Belfast. Over the following decades, he built a formidable reputation in theatre, earning a Laurence Olivier Award for his 1995 performance in Broken Glass at the Royal National Theatre. His stage work has spanned classic and contemporary roles, including appearances in Yasmina Reza's Art and God of Carnage, the latter of which he performed on Broadway in 2009. He has also tackled complex historical and fictional figures, ranging from Adolf Hitler in the 2005 television film Uncle Adolf to the title character in the crime series Rebus.
While his film career has often featured supporting roles in major productions like Charlie Wilson's War and The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, he gained significant international recognition as the dwarf Balin in The Hobbit trilogy. His versatility is further evidenced by his television work, which includes a BAFTA Scotland Award-winning performance in The Missing. Beyond his professional life, Stott is a supporter of the Heart of Midlothian Football Club and married artist Nina Gehl in 2016, having previously had a son, David, during his first marriage.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Ken Stott
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