Academy Award winner Mark Rylance and Emmy Award winner Benedict Cumberbatch were both beaten to an Olivier Award by Kenneth Cranham.

The veteran Scottish actor beat the two superstars to the title of best actor at the leading theatre awards ceremony for his role in The Father, which visits the Theatre Royal in Brighton later this month.

Written by French playwright Florian Zeller and translated by Christopher Hampton, Cranham’s award has added to the play’s already bulging trophy cabinet as it fast becomes one of the most acclaimed productions of the last decade.

The play has earned ten five stars reviews from the national press and won the Moliere Award for Best Play in 2014.

The Father follows the story of the 80-year-old former tap dancer Andre, played by Cranham, who lives with his daughter Anne and her husband Antoine.

But then as he stumbles around his pyjamas, looking for his watch, he also questions if he was actually once an engineer whose daughter Anne now lives in London with her lover Pierre.

The only thing certain for Andre is his wits are failing and he is losing control as The Father takes a brutal look at a man suffering dementia. 

Cranham has a myriad of credits to his name, including a previous Olivier award nomination for his role in An Inspector Calls on Broadway and numerous West End credits.

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