Hamish Linklater

Hamish Linklater is an American actor and playwright whose career spans stage, television, and film. He is best known for his breakout role as Matthew Kimble on the CBS sitcom The New Adventures of Old Christine, and for his critically acclaimed performance as Father Paul Hill in the Netflix horror miniseries Midnight Mass. Linklater's work is marked by a deep intellectual and emotional presence, often playing morally complex characters. He currently voices Bruce Wayne / Batman in the animated series Batman: Caped Crusader. Fans and critics alike regard him as an actor's actor, respected for his craft and his ability to deliver powerful, nuanced performances. He is known for his intense, thoughtful portrayals and his distinctive voice, which makes him a natural fit for voice acting.[edit]

Linklater was born on July 7, 1976, in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. He grew up in the Berkshires, immersed in theatre from a young age. His mother, Kristin Linklater, co-founded the Shakespeare & Company theatre festival in Lenox, and Hamish spent his childhood backstage, watching rehearsals and performances. He began acting at age 11 in Shakespeare & Company productions. He attended the progressive Putney School in Vermont, where he continued to develop his acting skills. After high school, he enrolled at Williams College but left before graduating to pursue acting full-time. A pivotal moment came in 1999 when he was cast in a production of The Seagull at the Williamstown Theatre Festival, which led to his first major film role. He made his film debut in Groove (2000), a drama about the rave scene, and appeared in HBO's The Laramie Project (2002). He made his Broadway debut in 2003 in Edward Albee's The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia?.[edit]

Linklater's big break came in 2006 when he was cast as Matthew Kimble, the brother of Julia Louis-Dreyfus's character, on the CBS sitcom The New Adventures of Old Christine, which ran for five seasons. In 2011, he starred on Broadway in Seminar opposite Alan Rickman. He later played Andrew Keanelly on The Crazy Ones (2013–2014) alongside Robin Williams. Linklater took on the role of Clark Debussy in the FX series Legion (2017–2019). His career reached a new peak in 2021 when he starred as Father Paul Hill in Netflix's Midnight Mass, earning widespread critical acclaim and several awards, including the Critics' Choice Super Award and Saturn Award for Best Actor in a Horror Series. In 2022, he appeared in the Netflix limited series The Midnight Club. In 2024, he began voicing Batman in Batman: Caped Crusader on Amazon Prime Video, which was renewed for a second season. He is attached to star in an upcoming independent film, The Lost Boys of the Berkshires, a drama about his mother's theatre company.[edit]

Linklater is known for his intense, thoughtful performances, often portraying intellectuals or morally conflicted figures. Critics frequently describe him as an actor's actor, praising his ability to deliver long, dense monologues with emotional clarity. He keeps a low public profile and is not a tabloid fixture, but his work commands respect. On the rare occasions he posts on Instagram (where he has about 45,000 followers), he comes across as witty, self-deprecating, and supportive of his collaborators. Fans of Midnight Mass often refer to themselves as Midnight Mass-ives or simply as Flanagan fans, after creator Mike Flanagan. His performance in Midnight Mass was listed by Rolling Stone as one of the best TV performances of 2021, and IndieWire ranked him #2 on their list. He is frequently praised for his ability to hold the space for other people's faith, as he noted in a New York Times interview.[edit]

Hamish Linklater's fanbase is a quiet but devoted collective, no formal name, no official fan clubs, no coordinated campaigns. Instead, his supporters are scattered across social media and Reddit threads, united by a shared appreciation for his versatility and his uncanny ability to inhabit morally complex characters. They trade favorite monologues, dissect his choices in indie films and network sitcoms alike, and celebrate his recurring thematic niche: the haunted island. From Father Paul Hill in Midnight Mass to Richard Warren in Widow's Bay, fans have turned his tendency to play leaders of isolated, supernatural communities into an inside joke, one Linklater himself leans into with self-deprecating humor. His Instagram presence, warm, witty, and supportive of colleagues, reinforces the sense of a performer who values craft over celebrity.

Despite this dedicated following, iFANN's Global Fame Engine has evaluated Hamish Linklater but he currently holds no placement in the published rankings, neither the Global Top 1,000 nor any Top-100 scope list. His fame, while substantial within niche circles, has not translated into the broad algorithmic visibility required for a ranked position. He remains, in the truest sense, an actor's actor: revered by those who know his work, yet operating beneath the radar of global name recognition.[edit]

Linklater is a published playwright; his play The Whirligig premiered at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in 2014, and his other works include The Cheats and The Vandal. He was considered for the role of the Tenth Doctor in Doctor Who before David Tennant was cast. Despite his Scottish surname, he has no known direct lineage to actor Andrew Linklater or director Richard Linklater. He is a trained Shakespearean actor, having performed in over a dozen Shakespeare productions. His mother was renowned vocal coach Kristin Linklater, who taught at Juilliard. He stands 6 feet 2 inches tall. In a Vanity Fair interview about Midnight Mass, he said, 'The show is about the danger of certainty.'

One of the most enduring legends in his career is the 'haunted island' motif. After Midnight Mass, Linklater deliberately sought out the role of Richard Warren in Widow's Bay, telling Decider, 'I don't want to see anybody else run a little haunted island better than me.' The flashback episode was reportedly filmed on ultra rare antique lenses unused since The Sound of Music, adding production lore to the tale. His voice performance as Batman in Batman: Caped Crusader has also sparked critical conversation, with reviews singling out his interpretation of the Dark Knight.[edit]

Linklater is the son of Kristin Linklater, a celebrated dramatic vocal trainer and Shakespearean acting teacher of Scottish descent who taught at the Juilliard School, and James Lincoln, a philosophy professor. His parents divorced when he was young, and he was raised primarily by his mother in the Berkshires. He has one older sister, Liza Linklater, who is a children's book author. Linklater has two children with his wife Jessica Goldberg: a daughter born in 2006 and a son born in 2009. The family lives in Los Angeles. His mother, Kristin, passed away in 2020.[edit]

Linklater frequently collaborates with director Mike Flanagan, who cast him in Midnight Mass and The Midnight Club. He co-starred with Julia Louis-Dreyfus on The New Adventures of Old Christine, with Robin Williams on The Crazy Ones, and with Aubrey Plaza on Legion. He is also close friends with actress Lily Rabe, his co-star in Seminar.[edit]

Linklater married playwright and screenwriter Jessica Goldberg in 2002. The couple met while working in the New York City theatre scene. They have two children together: a daughter born in 2006 and a son born in 2009. The family resides in Los Angeles. There are no public reports of separation, divorce, or other relationships. As of 2026, Linklater remains married to Goldberg.[edit]

iFANN's editorial analysis currently estimates Hamish Linklater's net worth at $4 million. His primary income source is his acting career. His long-running role on The New Adventures of Old Christine (2006–2010) likely earned him $30,000 to $50,000 per episode in later seasons. His role on The Crazy Ones (2013–2014) commanded a similar salary. The success of Midnight Mass boosted his per-project fee to the $100,000 to $200,000 range for limited series. He also earns residuals from syndication and streaming. Linklater has no known major business ventures, endorsement deals, or real estate holdings publicly documented beyond his primary residence in Los Angeles. His net worth has grown steadily over the years, reflecting his consistent work in television and theatre. He has not won an Oscar, Golden Globe, BAFTA, Emmy, SAG, Grammy, or Tony; his major awards are from genre-specific and critics' organizations.[edit]

Linklater has won two major awards: the Critics' Choice Super Award for Best Actor in a Horror Series and the Saturn Award for Best Actor in a Streaming Presentation, both for his performance in Midnight Mass (2022). He has not won an Oscar, Golden Globe, BAFTA, Emmy, SAG, or Tony.[edit]