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John Pirkis, born John Simon Alexander Lyne-Pirkis in Guildford, Surrey, England, was raised in the nearby market town of Godalming. His father, Dr. Richard Hugh Godfrey Lyne-Pirkis, hailed from English aristocracy (Earls of Liverpool), while his mother, Ellinor Bessie Maureen (Austin), came from Irish aristocracy (Earls of Carysfort). Their heritage includes Russian, French, German, and Scandinavian roots.
John received private education, attending Penthorpe preparatory school in Rudgewick, Sussex, followed by Sutton Valence School in Kent, where he earned several awards for writing and public speaking. He trained as an actor at The Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. Shortly after graduating, he joined a circus company, touring medieval jousting tournaments across Great Britain and Europe as both the Earl Marshall (Ring Master) and various combative knights. Over the next thirty years, John performed internationally on stage and screen, appearing in numerous British TV dramas, notably portraying Freddie Chalk Marshall opposite Hugh Laurie in two seasons of the acclaimed Jeeves and Wooster. During this period, he lived in London.
His film appearances include National Treasure II, Young Victoria (as Emily Blunt's uncle, the Duke of Cumberland/Earl of Derby), Swing Kids (alongside Robert Sean Leonard), and he completed filming Stephen Gaghan's Gold with Matthew McConaughey, Bryce Dallas Howard, and Corey Stoll.
John's theatre work spans Shakespeare, Chekhov, Oscar Wilde, Bertolt Brecht, Jean-Paul Sartre, Jean-Marie Besset, Nick Ward, and others, with performances in London's West End and across Great Britain and Europe. He also studied at the Meisner Centre in Los Angeles and explored Alba Emoting and Feldenkrais techniques at the Université de Montréal.
In 2002, John co-founded Theatre 503 in London, known for showcasing innovative new writing and dubbed "Britain's most important little theatre" by Lynn Gardner of The Guardian. This achievement earned him recognition among the top 100 individuals contributing most to British theatre in the 21st century by The Stage. In 2010, Theatre 503 gained prominence when its production of Katori Hall's The Mountaintop, starring David Harewood and Lorraine Burroughs and directed by James Dacre, won the Olivier Award for Best Play, making Katori the first Black female writer to receive this honor. Following its West End transfer, the play debuted on Broadway in 2011 with Samuel L. Jackson (his Broadway debut), Angela Bassett, and direction by Kenny Leon.
In 2011, John relocated to Los Angeles, where he married French actress and director Cecile Delepiere. In 2014, they moved to New York with their two rescue cats, Harley Gingerson and Luther. They now reside in Los Angeles, where John continues his acting career and serves as an ambassador for Theatre 503.
