
Dominic West is a super cutie British actor. I was developing a crush on him, then he played Oliver Cromwell complete with upsetting facial moles and I got turned off. Luckily, he got right back to form and after his goatee in Colette, I am All A-twitter!
Richard III (1995)
As Henry, Earl of Richmond (the future King Henry VII) in this 1930s-set adaptation of the Shakespeare classic starring Ian McKellan.

Surviving Picasso (1996)
As artist Pablo’s son, Paolo, in this story about Picasso’s mistress, artist Françoise Gilot.

The Gambler (1997)
As Alexei, protagonist of Dostoevsky’s novel, in this film about the writing of the novel.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1999)
As Lysander in yet another period-reset (this time it’s Edwardian) Shakespeare adaptation starring Christian Bale.


A Christmas Carol (1999)
As Fred, Scrooge’s (Patrick Stewart) nephew, in the classic Dickens story.

The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby (2001)
As the debauched Sir Mulberry Hawk in the better TV adaptation of the Dickens novel, trying to seduce Sophia Myles‘s Kate Nickleby.


Chicago (2002)
As Fred Casely, Roxie’s deceitful lover and murder victim, in the 1920s-set musical starring Renée Zellweger and Catherine Zeta-Jones.
Mona Lisa Smile (2003)
Julia Roberts is a 1950s bohemian art teacher, West plays the minor role of her very nice professor boyfriend.


300 (2006)
As Theron, the baddie Spartan politician who tries to Fuck Shit Up while the king (Gerard Butler) is away at war.


The Devil’s Whore (2008)
Slightly derailing my crush, playing Oliver Cromwell to Andrea Riseborough’s mid-17th century noblewoman during the English Civil War.


Breaking the Mould (2009)
As scientist Howard Florey, working to create penicillin in 1930s/40s England.

From Time to Time (2009)
A young boy finds he can travel back in time from the 1940s to the Regency, where he interacts with his ancestors, including West as John Caxton.

Centurion (2010)
As General Titus Flavius Virilus in a story loosely based on the disappearance of the Roman Empire’s Ninth Legion in Caledonia in the early second century AD starring Michael Fassbender.

The Awakening (2011)
A 1921-set ghost story; West plays a boarding school teacher who enlists the help of a hoax exposer.

The Hour (2011-12)
Wherein my crush on West went into overdrive. He plays Hector Madden, manly man journalist on a 1960s TV news show that Romola Garai produces.


Burton and Taylor (2013)
As actor Richard Burton to Helena Bonham Carter‘s Elizabeth Taylor; okay, so it’s set in 1983, but still, I’m a completionist!
Testament of Youth (2014)
As Alicia Vikander’s character’s father in this World War I-set adaptation of Vera Brittain’s memoir.

National Theatre Live: Les Liaisons Dangereuses (2016)
A stage production, but luckily it was televised, so I can include these images of West as Valmont in the ultimate 18th-century story (and furiously fan myself).


Colette (2018)
As Willy, overbearing husband of French writer Colette (Keira Knightley).



Coming Up
Les Misérables (2018-19)
He’ll be playing the lead of Jean Valjean in the new, non-singing BBC/PBS miniseries.
Dominic West: yes?
“Daw, I love a good silly top hat!”
Absolutely! I wish they’d come back into fashion. I’m not even joking, someone bring back the topper for daily wear.
You know, I’ve only just become aware of him recently, thanks to “The Hour”.
Eh. I’ll acknowledge that he’s a handsome man. And he may even be a really nice person IRL. But he’s played so many scoundrels that my gut reaction on seeing him is always “nope”. He was especially unlikable in ‘The Wire’ (great performance, scumball of a character), and that sort of cast the die for me. I’m definitely still going to see ‘Les Miserables’ of course. (David Oyelowo! So swoonworthy! Have you done a MCM about him yet?)
I have an MCM for David Oyelowo half-finished!
:kermit flail:
He’s so dishy. I know he hasn’t done a ton of historical costume work, but I’ll take what I can get. :)
Corrrrrr. Is that Liasons Dangereuses production available to watch generally then?
I don’t know if I’d call his Mona Lisa Smile character ‘a very nice guy,’ since he slept with students and lied about his involvement with the war enough that Julia Roberts’ character dumped him.
I mean, it’s mostly the sleeping with students thing that skeeves me, but at the same time, I get why the students would want to do it, he is very pretty.
ooo, clearly it’s been too long since I saw that movie — and I’m not gonna rewatch it, thanks for the correction!
Nods vigorously. About the sleeping with students being skeevy.
I have a lot of issues with that whole movie, but I find it very discuss-able. I wish I had seen it in college when I could debate with people about it or write a paper on it. Now if I ask, “Have you seen Mona Lisa Smile?” I get either, “No,” or “Yes, I love that movie!” and I’m like, “Oh, I generally dislike the movie and want to discuss the choices and motivations of the characters.” Somehow no one will take me up on this! :p
Kate, I did a full video on my feelings about the movie, i would LOVE to discuss it with you.
You are not alone.
I really loathe that movie and find virtually all the characters wildly unsympathetic except for Julia Stiles’ and Gennifer Goodwin’s. And probably the University President, played by the magnificent Marian Seldes, although she does have an alarming tendency to cave.
I can never tell if I am supposed to actually like Maggie Gyllenhaal’s ostensibly wildchild libertine iconoclast, or find her pitiable and Kirsten Dunst’s character’s late comeuppance and, sorta rehabilitation actually made me lose whatever respect I had for her.
I was a history grad student when Mona Lisa Smile came out, and I’ve always wondered if the lying about his WWII experiences was inspired by the 2001 revelation that Joseph Ellis, history professor at the all women’s Mount Holyoke college in MA, had been lying to his students about fighting in Vietnam while teaching classes about said war: https://www.nytimes.com/2001/08/21/opinion/the-lies-of-joseph-ellis.html
And as a current professor, sleeping with your students is decidedly a bad idea!
Sam, Sarah, Abby, you are my people!
Kate D, Sam, Sarah, Abby: I haven’t watched “Mona Lisa Smile” all the way through, so I can’t comment on its merits or demerits as a whole. I found it to be slow, and I didn’t really connect with any of the characters. I stopped watching it with the intention to try it again when I was in the “right mood” for it, but alas that right mood never came. Your comments make me want to give it another try.
A few years ago, I stumbled on a 2009 movie called “Cracks” starring the always-beautiful Eva Green. The movie is adaptation from a novel of the same name by Sheila Kohler (which I haven’t read). Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed “Cracks.” The movie set in the 1930’s in an elite British boarding school (which is different from the novel which I’ve read is set in South Africa). The dynamic is somewhat different from “Mona Lisa Smile” because the students in “Cracks” are younger (equivalent to freshmen and sophomores in US high school).They form a clique around their young, beautiful, dynamic swim instructor played by Eva Green. For me, this movie was everything that the 30 – 40 minutes I saw of “Mona Lisa Smile” was not. I highly recommend it.
Added bonuses: The musical score to the film is gorgeous, and it was directed by Jordan Scott, daughter of Ridley Scott.
I should add that “Cracks” and “Mona Lisa Smile” are not equivalents not only because of the differences in the characters’ ages. “Cracks” is a very disturbing yet well-done psychological thriller. My fuzzy memory of “Mona Lisa Smile” is that was a (polite?) period piece that examined women’s roles in the 1950s.
Stunning as Valjean. Role of a lifetime, well, that and The Wire. But wow, so good. Much better without the music.
I think you should do a post on your favorite d.i.l.f s (dads I’d like to fuck/ dad characters who are still sexy as hell) because I think West as Jean Valjean is definitely going to be in that category.
Isn’t that half of our MCMs? ;)
Les Miserables just dropped on my PBS station. Jean Valjean is all the yes.
ALL THE YES!!!
There’s just something about a man in a frock coat.
Everyone who enjoys him should watch this Architectural Digest video on youtube about his wife’s family castle that they live in: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7R2RyqU4hjI The castle is stunning, she comes across as extremely intelligent, and he rather goofy!
There’s super sexy (short) scene from Richard III where he is just about to consummate his hasty political dynasty-founding marriage to Elizabeth of York (the old kings daughter) where you can see his really cute, young tushie.
Oooh, I was slightly interested in seeing the new BBC/PBS production, not I’m very interested! I wish more of these films would come across the pond since I don’t subscribe to BBC America.
I’m definitely a fan of Mr. Cooper, though I do weary of seeing him typecast as villains. At least he got to play a more nuanced and unusual kind of baddie in Responsible Adult–a horrifying character but with a cuddlier affect. But I truly love him in The Awakening. It’s a movie about loneliness as much as ghosts, and he gets to show a sensitive, tormented side that pushes (or unfastens) all the right buttons for me.
Oops, that should have been Appropriate Adult.
I don’t really know DW very well, but it was fascinating to see this go up and realize he was the person a friend was talking about who apparently has a very strange understanding of Javert’s motivations for continuing to hunt Valjean, namely that it was erotic. So in my mind he’s now a pretty face mainly, and I look forward to the David Oyewolo MCM, as I imagine he has a much deeper understanding of his character’s motivations than “Jean Valjean is hot.”
“And chewable shoulders :P”…😂 I think I’ve finally found the title of my sex tape
Thanks FrockFlicks
I’ve been crunching on Dominic West since “Richard III.” He is a great combination of sexy and handsome, which is rare, in my opinion. He looks so wonderful in all the pictures you selected here, but I find him the most irresistible in his small role in “28 Days.”
….fans self!!
“Collette” played for 2 minutes in my local theater, and I missed it. This MCM post just reminded me to bump it up on my movies to watch list.
I love him in Richard III. He is also really good in Pride (which takes place in the 1980s–so after the purview of this site).
I find him slightly creepy and he looks a little perverted somehow.
Now, of course, we have his shenanigans with Lily James, which is kinda how I saw him prior. Hated him in The Affair…skeevy.