Famous actors who have played Cyrano de Bergerac

The French classic was first performed in 1897, telling the story of the 17th-century writer and swashbuckling hero. Now Adrian Lester brings his interpretation to the West End.

Summary

• Benoît-Constant Coquelin originated the role in 1897; José Ferrer won a Tony and an Oscar for his performances; Ralph Richardson; Derek Jacobi and James McAvoy all gave memorable turns; Adrian Lester now takes to the stage as the poetic swordsman

The life of 17th-century writer and swordsman Cyrano de Bergerac was full of swashbuckling adventure and unrequited love. Two and a half centuries after his death, he was immortalised by French playwright Edmond Rostand in his 1897 play, which involves a mix of fact and fiction.

Cyrano, cursed with an oversized nose (based on the fact but exaggerated for dramatic effect), believes himself too unattractive to win the heart of the beautiful Roxane, who is in love with the handsome but inarticulate Christian de Neuvillette. Cyrano then becomes their conduit by penning Christian’s love letters. The role involves a winning blend of comedy and tragedy, and plenty of vulnerability.

This summer, Adrian Lester will take the role in the West End in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s production that was first seen in Stratford-upon-Avon last year. In the meantime, take a nose into the past with the previous actors who have played the role on stage. Famously, the play introduced the word “panache” to the English lexicon – something that all actors who have played the role have possessed in spades!

Book Cyrano de Bergerac tickets on LondonTheatre.co.uk.

Benoît-Constant Coquelin

Coquelin was director of Théâtre de la Porte Saint-Martin where he created the role of Cyrano de Bergerac in 1897. He also performed the role at London’s Lyceum Theatre and on Broadway, with Sarah Bernhardt as Roxane. In 1900, he filmed the duel scene, which is thought to be the first ever film made in colour and with sound.

José Ferrer

In 1946, the Puerto Rican José Ferrer starred in a major Broadway revival of the play and won the first Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play. Ferrer then won an Oscar when he reprised the role in the 1950 film adaptation. The other most famous screen Cyrano is Gérard Depardieu, who was Oscar nominated for his performance in 1990.

Ralph Richardson

1947 marked the third and final season of the “triumvirate” of Ralph Richardson, Laurence Olivier, and director John Burrell as co-directors of the Old Vic. The headline productions of the season were Olivier as King Lear and Richardson as Cyrano de Bergerac. During the run, Richardson was knighted. He reprised the role in the 1960s for an audio recording.

Christopher Plummer

While Christopher Plummer’s singing voice was dubbed in The Sound of Music, he won a Tony for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical in 1973 for a musical version of Cyrano with music by Michael J Lewis and book and lyrics by Anthony Burgess (of A Clockwork Orange fame – Burgess also penned two “straight” adaptations of the play).

The story has also been musicalised by Dutch writers Ad van Dijk and Koen van Dijk (an English-language version was performed on Broadway in 1993) and the prolific Frank Wildhorn (first performed in Japan in 2009 – Wildhorn’s Death Note will be seen at the Barbican this summer).

Keith Michell

The actor best known for his performances as Henry VIII had a go at the expert swordsman at Chichester Festival Theatre in 1973. The production was directed by the aforementioned legendary Cyrano José Ferrer.

Derek Jacobi

Derek Jacobi won his first Olivier Award for his performance as Cyrano for the Royal Shakespeare in 1983, directed by Terry Hands. He reprised the role on Broadway in repertory with Much Ado About Nothing (Sinead Cusack played Roxane and Beatrice). The production was filmed for television in 1985.

Antony Sher

The Royal Shakespeare Company revived the play in 1997 to celebrate its centenary. The late Antony Sher took the title role and LondonTheatre.co.uk’s reviewer remarked that “He is delightful and charming and captures the essence of his character perfectly”. The production was directed by Gregory Doran, Sher’s partner.

Stephen Rea

Northern Irish actor Stephen Rea took the title role in Howard Davies’s pared-back production at the National Theatre in 2004. According to LondonTheatre.co.uk’s reviewer, “Rea show the vulnerability of a man whose panache is a means to disguise his pain. And though his panache is not of the romantic kind, it does capture the heroic sentiments of Cyrano's heart.”

Kevin Kline

2007 was a huge year for Kevin Kline on Broadway. Shortly after playing King Lear, he returned to the stage as Cyrano. New York Theatre Guide’s reviewer praised “Kline’s perfect blend of pathos and courage… he cuts a swath as elegant as Errol Flynn.” Fellow film star Jennifer Garner played Roxane, and the production was filmed for PBS’s Great Performances.

James McAvoy

Jamie Lloyd first directed the play in 2012 at Broadway’s Roundabout Theatre Company, with Douglas Hodge in the lead. He returned to the piece in 2019, this time starring James McAvoy. The “matinee-idol handsome film star” performed the role with no changes to his face. LondonTheatre.co.uk’s reviewer remarked that “He is a compulsively watchable actor who brings a vital sense of both energy and danger to the stage.” The production won the Olivier Award for Best Revival.

Peter Dinklage

Across the pond in 2019, Game of Thrones star Peter Dinklage starred in a production directed by his wife Erica Schmidt. The show featured music from the rock band The National. A film adaptation was made in 2021, directed by Joe Wright.

Virginia Gay

In December 2024, a gender-switched version arrived at the Park Theatre from Australia via the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The piece was adapted by Virginia Gay, who also took the title role. LondonTheatre.co.uk’s reviewer observed that “Gay’s awkward, angry, and intense Cyrano rests somewhere between stand-up and acting… her gender and, therefore, her entire physical appearance, is the blocker.”

Adrian Lester

Following a run in Stratford-upon-Avon in autumn 2025, Adrian Lester, an Olivier winner (Company) and Tony nominee (The Lehmann Trilogy), is the latest actor to bring his panache to the role of Cyrano de Bergerac in the West End in a new adaptation by Debris Stevenson with direction by Simon Evans. Says Lester: ”I am so happy to be stepping back into the role of Cyrano in order to bring this playful and poignant production to more audiences in the West End. This fresh take on the classic is packed with the joyful lyricism of Simon Evans and the amazing Debris Stevenson, whose poetry completely reinvented our approach to this classic.”

Book Cyrano de Bergerac tickets on LondonTheatre.co.uk.

Photo credit: Adrian Lester in Cyrano de Bergerac. (Courtesy of production)