Englishman Simon McBurney enjoyed two distinct phases of his screen career; he began as a character player, who excelled at playing ruddy-faced, wizened, vaguely sinister types, often of a European or Eastern European origin. His resumé -- in this capacity -- includes such films as Kafka (1991), Eisenstein (as the famous Russian director), and Jonathan Demme's political thriller remake The Manchurian Candidate (2004).
As of 2007, however, McBurney shifted gears somewhat by stepping behind the camera, when he executive produced and authored the screen story of the Rowan Atkinson vehicle Mr. Bean's Holiday. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide. 