# Matthew Needham

Matthew Needham (born 13 April 1984) is a British actor. He has worked on stage and screen, appearing in television series such as Casualty, Endeavour, and Sanditon. As of 2022, Needham portrays Larys Strong on the HBO fantasy series House of the Dragon, his performance in the series has received critical acclaim.

## Early life

He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Acting from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art in 2007.

## Career

Needham made his professional debut in BBC medical drama Casualty, as Junior doctor Toby De Silva making his first appearance in September 2007. He left the role in January 2009 and made a guest appearance in September of that year. In 2010, he appeared as Bezza in the BBC series Sherlock. In 2011, he appeared in the ITV medical drama, Monroe as David Foster, a patient with a blood clot.
Needham has performed on stage for the Royal Shakespeare Company, Royal Court Theatre, Royal National Theatre, Almeida Theatre, and Shakespeare's Globe. In his performance for the play Britannicus, he was nominated for the 2011 Ian Charleson Award.
In 2015, Needham starred in the short film Stutterer, written and directed by Benjamin Cleary and produced by Serena Armitage and Shan Christopher Ogilvie. The film won Best Live Action Short Film at the 88th Academy Awards.
In January 2017, he appeared in episode 2 of series 4 of the ITV drama series Endeavour, "Canticle", in the role of Dudley Cavan. In March 2017, he played Stanley Kowalski in the BBC Radio 3 production of A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams.
In 2019, Needham played Mr. Crowe in the first series of the ITV period drama Sanditon.
In 2021, he starred as the lead in the Independent film, Knightman, written and directed by Jun Sekiya. He won Best Actor/Performance at the 2021 Wild Indie Sci Fi & Fantasy Film Festival for his portrayal.
As of 2022, he plays Larys Strong on the HBO fantasy series House of the Dragon. In 2023, he appeared as Lucien Bonaparte alongside Joaquin Phoenix in the film Napoleon.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2015 | Shakespeare's Globe: Titus Andronicus | Saturninus | Filmed version of the stage show at The Globe |
| 2015 | Shakespeare's Globe: The Comedy of Errors | Antipholus of Ephesus | Filmed version of the stage show at The Globe |
| 2015 | Stutterer | Greenwood Carsen | Won Best Live Action Short Film at the 88th Academy Awards |
| 2017 | The Ritual | Junkie | |
| 2017 | From A Strange Land | Jonas | Short |
| 2023 | Napoleon | Lucien Bonaparte | |
| 2024 | The Generators | Oscar | |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2007–2009 | Casualty | Toby De Silva | Main Role, 61 Episodes |
| 2010 | Sherlock | Bezza | 1 Episode |
| 2011 | Monroe | David Foster | 1 Episode |
| 2016 | The Hollow Crown | Basset | 2 Episodes |
| 2017 | Endeavour | Dudley Jessop | 1 Episode |
| 2018 | Doctors | Kieran Barnes | 1 Episode |
| 2019 | Chernobyl | Dmitri | 1 Episode |
| 2019 | Sanditon | Mr Crowe | 7 Episodes |
| 2021 | Doctor Who | Old Swarm | 2 Episodes |
| 2022–present | House of the Dragon | Larys Strong | Main role, 13 episodes |
| 2023 | Great Expectations | Mr Drummle | TV Mini Series, 4 Episodes |
| TBA | Blade Runner 2099 | TBA | Filming |

### Stage

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2009 | Shades | Mark | Royal Court Theatre |
| 2009 | The Grapes of Wrath | Noah | Chichester Festival Theatre |
| 2011 | Britannicus | Nero | Natural Perspective Theatre Company |
| 2013 | Titus Andronicus | Lucius | Royal Shakespeare Company |
| 2013 | Candide | Candide | Royal Shakespeare Company |
| 2015 | Titus Andronicus | Saturninus | The Globe |
| 2015 | The Jew of Malta | Pilia Borza | Royal Shakespeare Company |
| 2017 | The Twilight Zone | Perry/Stockton/Harrington | Almeida Theatre |
| 2018 | Summer and Smoke | John Buchannan | Almeida Theatre |
| 2019 | Fairview | Jimbo | Young Vic Theatre |