Guy Masterson

Guy Alexander Masterson (né Mastroianni; born 10 August 1961) is a British actor, writer, theatre director, producer, and playwright. He is known for his solo stage performances, including adaptations of Under Milk Wood,^[1] Animal Farm,^[2] and Shylock by Gareth Armstrong.^[3][4]

Masterson has also been involved in numerous productions at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, including Twelve Angry Men (2003), The Odd Couple (2005), Morecambe (2009), and The Shark Is Broken (2019).^[5] Both Morecambe and The Shark Is Broken later transferred to London’s West End, with The Shark Is Broken making its Broadway debut on 10 August 2023.^[6]

Masterson was born in Hampstead, North London,^[7] to Carlo Libinick Mastroianni and Marian Mastroianni (née James). He studied at Hadley Wood Primary School, Christ's Hospital school, and Cardiff University, where he earned a degree in biochemistry and a minor in chemistry. He later trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA). In 1999, he married Brigitta Scholz, a German actress and model.^[8]

Masterson began his acting career in the late 20th century, working in stage productions and later expanding into directing and producing. His work includes solo theatre pieces, ensemble productions, and adaptations of existing texts. He has collaborated with performers and companies across multiple countries.^[9][10]

Masterson began acting in Los Angeles in the 1980s, before moving to London to train at LAMDA. His early career included performing and directing several solo shows, including Under Milk Wood, Animal Farm, and Shylock.^[11] These productions toured internationally, with performances in countries, including India and New Zealand.

He founded Theatre Tours International and has presented or co-presented numerous productions at the Edinburgh Fringe and other festivals worldwide, with works including Playing Burton, Skin Tight, Krishnan's Dairy, Adolf, Americana Absurdum, and Number Two.

In later years, he directed plays such as The Odd Couple, Scaramouche Jones, Reasonable Doubt, and Picasso: Le Monstre Sacré. He also produced Morecambe, which won a Laurence Olivier Award for Best Entertainment.

He continued directing and producing works through the 2010s and 2020s, including commemorative shows and international collaborations. He was nominated for the Laurence Olivier Award twice in 2010 (winning one for Morecambe (play)), and again in 2022 for The Shark Is Broken.^[12][13]

He has performed in productions such as "The Solo Show", a collection of one-man shows where he plays various characters.

Masterson is also known for his roles in productions like "The Old Man and the Sea", in which he performed a leading role in this adaptation of the Ernest Hemingway novella of the same name, and for "The Man Who Planted Trees", a one-man show in which he plays a tree-planting farmer.