Hans Matheson was born on 7th August 1975 in Stornoway on Isle of Lewis, in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland. Shortly after, his family moved to Canterbury, Kent in England but Hans often spent his summer holidays on Stornoway with his grandparents, As a child, his parents Iain (Ado) and Sheena often took him and his younger brother to folk festivals and Bob Dylan concerts. His father Ado is a musician and his grandfather was a Gaelic Singer and Songwriter, performing at concerts and ceilidhs throughout Scotland. His great-grandfather was crowned the Celtic Bard in recognition of his writing in the 50's.
Hans claims to have been a shy and introverted child who was not happy at school. He left school and, at the suggestion of his mother, auditioned for drama school; Avondale Hall in Clapham. At the suggestion of his teacher and mentor, he auditioned for a Jez Butterworth TV show called "Christmas" and this led to a role in "Mojo" on stage at the Royal Court Theatre and later in the film version of the same name. Roles in TV shows Bramwell, Wycliffe and Family Money followed and films Stella Does Tricks, Still Crazy and Bodywork.
His first break on the international arena came with his casting as Marius in Bille August's production of the Victor Hugo classic Les Miserables. He then starred in the European films "Canone Inverso"and "I Am Dina" and the television mini-series "The Mists of Avalon", "Doctor Zhivago", "Virgin Queen", "Nero", and "Tess of the D'Ubervilles". Roles in "Clash of the Titans", "Sherlock Holmes" and "300: Rise of an Empire" brought Hans back to cinema screens as well as the lead role in "The Christmas Candle". ITV's "Jericho" ran in 2016 and is available on DVD/Blu-ray.
Hans is not only a talented actor but plays guitar, violin, piano and harmonica and writes his own songs.
