Father was Harry McShane, the Manchester United footballer.

After over 40 years in the business, he has finally struck it big internationally with his performance as the macho, gruffly-complex villain, Al Swearengen, on the HBO series, "Deadwood" (2004).

An appealing romantic lead in several hit movies of the sixties, by the late seventies he had progressed to character parts, such as the title roles in the BBC "Disraeli" and the very popular TV series "Lovejoy."

Children: Kate (b. 1971), Morgan (b. 1975)

Grew up in Manchester.