25 Facts About Richard Rankin

Richard Rankin was born on Richard Harris on 4 January 1983 and is a Scottish film, television and theatre actor.

Richard Rankin is best known for the Scottish sketch show Burnistoun, for playing Roger Wakefield MacKenzie in the Starz drama Outlander and for playing the lead role in the 2024 TV series Rebus, adapted from the Inspector Rebus novels by Ian Rankin.

Richard Rankin was born as Richard Harris on 4 January 1983 in Rutherglen, Scotland, and spent part of his childhood in the East End of Glasgow.

Richard Rankin moved to King's Park when he was ten, eventually attending Stonelaw High School.

Richard Rankin began his professional career in 2006 by starring alongside Robert Florence in VideoGaiden, a Scottish video game show originally aired on BBC Two Scotland.

Two years later Richard Rankin was cast as lovelorn Army Captain Thomas Gillan, alongside Kevin Doyle and Oona Chaplin, in the WWI based mini-series The Crimson Field.

Richard Rankin joined the cast of BBC One's crime drama series Silent Witness in January 2015, starring as Detective Inspector Luke Nelson in series eighteen's two-part story "Falling Angels".

Richard Rankin went on to guest star in two episodes of NBC's conspiracy thriller American Odyssey as corporate hit man Haney, though the series was cancelled after season one.

Writer Kay Mellor tailored the role of Sean McGary for Richard Rankin, changing the character from a Northerner to a Scot, in 2015's third series of her anthology drama The Syndicate.

The series followed a group of colleagues who win the lottery, with Richard Rankin portraying the gamekeeper of struggling English manor Hazelwood.

That same year, BBC One's four part crime drama From Darkness saw Richard Rankin portray Norrie Duncan, husband to Anne-Marie Duff's ex-Manchester cop Claire Church.

December 2015 brought the announcement that Richard Rankin had been cast as adult Roger Wakefield in Starz's time-traveling drama series Outlander, which is based upon Diana Gabaldon's best-selling book series.

Richard Rankin returned in seasons four and five, which premiered 4 November 2018 and 14 February 2020 respectively, with an expanded and recurring role in the series.

Later in 2016, Richard Rankin appeared as Detective Inspector Elliott Carne on the BBC's crime drama Thirteen.

In 2019 Richard Rankin starred in series two of BBC One's drama Trust Me as neurologist Dr Alex Kiernan.

The second series, which began filming in Glasgow, Scotland in September 2018, featured a complete recasting from series one, with Richard Rankin joining Alfred Enoch, Ashley Jensen, and John Hannah in the medical thriller.

In 2023 it was revealed that Richard Rankin had been cast in the lead role of Detective Sergeant John Rebus, in a rebooted series based on the crime novels of author Ian Richard Rankin, called Rebus.

Richard Rankin starred in his first film role with 2011's short Dead Ringer, directed by Carter Ferguson.

Richard Rankin would go on to star in an ultra low-budget horror film, House of Him, which was released during the Glasgow Film Festival, in February 2014.

The next year Richard Rankin was cast in John Well's film Burnt, alongside Bradley Cooper.

In 2008, while still in school at Langside College, Richard Rankin portrayed Bothwell in Liz Lochhead's play Mary Queen of Scots Got Her Head Chopped Off at the Citizen's Theatre in Glasgow, Scotland.

In late 2021 Richard Rankin returned to the stage, at London's Almeida Theatre, in award winning director Yael Farber's production of Shakespeare's The Tragedy of Macbeth.

Richard Rankin was nominated for a WhatsOnStage Award in the category of Best Supporting Performer in a Male Identifying Role for his turn as Ross in the production.

Richard Rankin appeared as Jack in BBC Radio Scotland's four-part Saddled in early 2019, a comedy which revolved around the adventures of The Easy Rider Cycling Club's members.

The series focused on the final settlers of the remote Scottish island St Kilda, with Richard Rankin featuring as Sloane Sinclaire.