(Lucius) Alexander Plantagenet Cary, Master of Falkland (born 1 February 1963), is an English screenwriter, producer, and ex-soldier.
Life and career
Cary was born in
Hammersmith, London, to
Lucius Cary, 15th Viscount of Falkland, and Caroline Butler. His father is
an elected hereditary peer, and Cary is next in line to be
Viscount of Falkland
Viscount Falkland is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. Referring to the royal burgh of Falkland in Fife, it was created in 1620, by King James VI, for Sir Henry Cary, who was born in Hertfordshire and had no previous connection to Scotla ...
,
the senior viscountcy of
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...
(created in 1620 by Scottish
King James VI
James VI and I (James Charles Stuart; 19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625) was King of Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the Scottish and English crowns on 24 March 1603 until ...
).
Cary grew up in
Chelsea
Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to:
Places Australia
* Chelsea, Victoria
Canada
* Chelsea, Nova Scotia
* Chelsea, Quebec
United Kingdom
* Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames
** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...
, London, where his neighbours were actors
André Morell
Cecil André Mesritz (20 August 1909 – 28 November 1978), known professionally as André Morell, was an English actor. He appeared frequently in theatre, film and on television from the 1930s to the 1970s. His best known screen roles were as ...
and
Joan Greenwood
Joan Mary Waller Greenwood (4 March 1921 – 28 February 1987) was an English actress. Her husky voice, coupled with her slow, precise elocution, was her trademark. She played Sibella in the 1949 film ''Kind Hearts and Coronets'', and also app ...
. He knew from the age of twelve that he wanted to work in the film industry. He was initially educated at
Westminster School
(God Gives the Increase)
, established = Earliest records date from the 14th century, refounded in 1560
, type = Public school Independent day and boarding school
, religion = Church of England
, head_label = Hea ...
, but was expelled before his A-levels, and sent instead to
Loretto in Scotland. He left with unremarkable grades and, after a brief stint as a runner in a
New York theatre, joined the army on a whim: "I had a bet with a friend who didn't think I could do it, but I loved it. Having been a total pain in the neck about authority at school, I took a perverse enjoyment in being given instructions and carrying them out."
He graduated from
Sandhurst Military Academy
The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS or RMA Sandhurst), commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is one of several military academies of the United Kingdom and is the British Army's initial officer training centre. It is located in the town o ...
in 1985 and was commissioned as an officer into the
Scots Guards
The Scots Guards (SG) is one of the five Foot Guards regiments of the British Army. Its origins are as the personal bodyguard of King Charles I of England and Scotland. Its lineage can be traced back to 1642, although it was only placed on the E ...
. He was posted to
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
during the height of
the Troubles
The Troubles ( ga, Na Trioblóidí) were an ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland that lasted about 30 years from the late 1960s to 1998. Also known internationally as the Northern Ireland conflict, it is sometimes described as an " ...
. He saw active service during the
Gulf War
The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a Coalition of the Gulf War, 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Ba'athist Iraq, ...
, in which he was attached to a company of
United States Marines
The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through com ...
.
He left the military shortly after the war, and went to
Hollywood to pursue a career as a screenwriter. After a decade of little success, he achieved a spot in the writers' room for the first series of ''
Lie to Me
''Lie to Me'' (stylized as ''Lie to me*'') is an American crime drama television series. It originally ran on the Fox network from January 21, 2009, to January 31, 2011. In the show, Dr. Cal Lightman (Tim Roth) and his colleagues in The Lightma ...
'' in 2009. He later became a writer and producer for ''
Homeland
A homeland is a place where a cultural, national, or racial identity has formed. The definition can also mean simply one's country of birth. When used as a proper noun, the Homeland, as well as its equivalents in other languages, often has ethn ...
'', and has also worked on ''
The Riches'' and ''
In Plain Sight
''In Plain Sight'' is an American drama television series that premiered on the USA Network on June 1, 2008. The series revolves around Mary Shannon ( Mary McCormack), a Deputy United States Marshal attached to the Albuquerque, New Mexico, offic ...
''.
On 23 July 1993, Cary married American actress
Linda Purl
Linda Purl (born September 2, 1955) is an American actress and singer, known for her roles as Ashley Pfister (Fonzie's girlfriend) on '' Happy Days'' (she originally played Gloria as Richie’s date in season 2 episode 6), Sheila Munroe in the 198 ...
,
with whom he has a son, Lucius (born 6 February 1995).
He also has son Sebastian (born c. 2004) from another relationship.
Purl and Cary later divorced.
In 2013, he became engaged to American actress Jennifer Marsala, a cast member in ''Homeland''.
The marriage took place in Somerset on 31 December 2013.
He appeared in the BBC programme ''The Gift'' on 10 February 2015, in which he met a fellow ex-soldier who wished to thank him for saving his life.
References
External links
*
"You can all relax, Brody is back and taking centre stage in Homeland" Tim Walker for ''The London Evening Standard''. 29 November 2013.
Stephen Gordon for ''The Belfast Telegraph''. 9 February 2015.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cary, Alexander
1963 births
Living people
People educated at Westminster School, London
People educated at Loretto School, Musselburgh
Scottish screenwriters
Scots Guards officers
Alexander
Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history.
Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...