Internationally recognised as an award-winning actor, director, producer and screenwriter, Simon MacCorkindale personifies the suave, sophisticated British leading man, a role he recently brought to life as Harry Harper, Consultant in Emergency Medicine, in the BBC’s most popular and enduring drama series CASUALTY. Currently, he does so as Captain Von Trapp in THE SOUND OF MUSIC at The London Palladium.

Born in Cambridgeshire, England in 1952, a childhood love for drama led to a place at Studio ’68 of Theatre Arts in London aged 19. At the end of his first year, he was spotted playing the lead in THE DARK LADY OF THE SONNETS at the George Bernard Shaw festival at Ayot-St-Lawrence and was promptly signed up to an agent whilst still at drama school.

On completing the course at Studio ’68, he toured in regional rep before his West End debut in the highly acclaimed PYGMALION, directed by John Dexter, alongside Alec McCowen and Diana Rigg. He then went on to work extensively in British television, and in 1976 appeared in the renowned BBC production I CLAUDIUS as well as featuring in Franco Zeffirelli’s opulent NBC/ATV co-production JESUS OF NAZARETH.

His big screen debut was in fact a fleeting appearance in Richard Lester’s successful 1974 film JUGGERNAUT with Anthony Hopkins, Richard Harris and Omar Sharif. This, however, did not stop him from collecting the Evening News "Best Newcomer" award three years later for performances in RIDDLE OF THE SANDS, with Michael York and Jenny Agutter, and DEATH ON THE NILE.

It was his role in DEATH ON THE NILE, as smoothly avaricious killer Simon Doyle, alongside such notable stars as Bette Davis, David Niven and Peter Ustinov, that propelled him to international recognition.

Moving to Hollywood, the early eighties saw MacCorkindale star in a number of major features. He shot JAWS 3 with Dennis Quaid and Bess Armstrong, CABO BLANCO with Charles Bronson and THE QUATERMASS CONCLUSION with Sir John Mills as well as being part of television history by playing opposite John Marley in the first film made specifically for cable, ROBBERS OF THE SACRED MOUNTAIN.

At the same time, he was appearing in several of the most watched TV shows of the era, including DYNASTY, HART TO HART, MATT HOUSTON, and THE DUKES OF HAZZARD. He also starred in his own series for NBC, MANIMAL (subsequently a cult show particularly in France), and played English aristocrat David Clement in the acclaimed mini-series THE MANIONS OF AMERICA, alongside Pierce Brosnan and Anthony Quayle.