John Noble Biography
John Noble is an Australian actor known for his roles as Denethor in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy from 2001 to 2003 and Dr. Walter Bishop in FOX’s Fringe from 2008 to 2013. He is notably known for lending his distinct deep voice to animated and video game projects, like Rockstar Games’ L.A. Noire(2011), Transformers: Prime (2010–2013), and Batman: Arkham Knight(2015).
John Noble Career
Noble launched his acting career in theater throughout the 1970s and 1980s. He worked as an artistic director for the Stage Company of South Australia for a decade. Moreover, he served as a Trustee of the Adelaide Festival Centre and chairman of the Adelaide Festival of the Arts.
In 1979, Noble appeared in Errol Flynn’s Great Big Adventure Book for Boys at the Edinburgh Festival in Scotland. He was nominated for the Young Australian of the Year award by South Australian Premier John Bannon in 1984.
Noble debuted on film at the age of 40, appearing in the 1988 horror film The Dreaming. He also made frequent appearances in All Saints. He became famous to international audiences when he appeared as Denethor, son of Ecthelion, in The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Next, he starred as Russian Consul Anatoly Markov in 24 Season 6.
Noble has received awards for playing the role of eccentric scientist Walter Bishop in Fringe for 5 seasons, from 2008 to 2013. He then starred as Morland Holmes, father of Sherlock Holmes, in Elementary. He appeared as a series regular for season 4 with guest appearances in seasons 6 and 7.
On February 21, 2025, Noble debuted on season 2 of Severance in the sixth episode, titled “Attila,” playing the role of a character named Cecil Fields. Fields is a homosexual man who is married to Burt Goodman, who is often identified as “Burt G.
Voice-over Artist
Besides acting in films, theatre, and TV shows, Noble has worked as a voice-over artist, usually portraying villains. He lent his voice to the Dragon Spirit in The Last Airbender. Additionally, he voiced Real Estate tycoon Leland Monroe in Rockstar Games’ L.A. Noire and Unicron in Transformers: Prime and Transformers Prime Beast Hunters: Predacons Rising. In 2021, he voiced the Diviner in Star Trek: Prodigy. He starred as an alternate version of the Diviner called Ilthuran in 2024.
Noble lent his voice for many DC Comics projects, including the supervillain Brainiac in Superman: Unbound, Scarecrow in Batman: Arkham Knight, and the demon Mallus in Legends of Tomorrow. He also appeared as himself in the Legends of Tomorrow episode “Guest Starring John Noble.”
John Noble Age
Noble was born on August 20, 1948, in Port Pirie, South Australia, Australia. He is 77 years old as of 2025. Noble celebrates his birthday on August 20th.
John Noble Height
Noble stands at an approximate height of 5 feet and 11¾ inches.
John Noble Family
Noble has managed to keep his personal life away from the limelight; hence, he has not disclosed any information about his parents. It is also not known if Noble has any siblings.
John Noble Wife
Noble married Penny Noble, who owns a Yoga school. They split their time between residences in New York City and Sydney, Australia. He enjoys music, painting, and narration.
The couple has three children, including Samantha, Dan, and Jane. Samantha is an actress who has worked on television series and films. She is best known for starring in Gabriel and the films See No Evil and Court of Lonely Royals. Dan is an entrepreneur, while Jess is a consultant.
John Noble Net Worth
Noble has an estimated net worth ranging between $1 million – $5 million, which he has earned through being an actor.
John Noble The Lord of the Rings
Noble starred as Denethor in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy from 2001 to 2003. Denethor is the 26th ruling Steward of Gondor and father of Boromir and Faramir. Albeit corrupt, the death of his favorite son, Boromir, and the anguish over Mordor’s superior numbers drive him into madness during the Siege of Gondor.
Noble’s performance in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King won him a 2003 National Board of Review Best Cast Award, the 2004 Broadcast Film Critics Association Best Cast Award, and the 2004 Critics’ Choice Best Cast Award. He also won a 2004 Screen Actors Guild Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Award.
John Noble Fringe
Noble starred as dysfunctional scientist Dr. Walter Bishop in FOX’s Fringe from 2008 to 2013. He requested the writers of Fringe to keep things grounded in what could be scientifically feasible, as he had studied theoretical physics.
Often described as a “mad scientist,” Dr. Walter was institutionalized in a mental institution for 17 years after a lab accident caused the death of his assistant. While he was institutionalized, his colleague William Bell surgically removed parts of his brain to control his dangerous knowledge and behaviors. As a result, he is unstable and exhibits some childlike behavior, memory issues, and occasional outbursts.
Dr. Walter, alongside his son, Peter, and FBI agent Olivia Dunham, are recruited as members of the newly formed Fringe Division in the Federal Bureau of Investigation. In this capacity, they use fringe science to examine a chain of unexplained and often dire events that are related to a parallel universe.
Noble’s performance in the film won him the Critics’ Choice Television Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series Award and Saturn Best Supporting Actor on Television Award. He also received nominations for Critics’ Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film(2008–09), and Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor on Television (2010, 2012–13).
John Noble Foundation/Is John Noble Sick?
In 2012, Noble was diagnosed with osteoporosis, a systemic skeletal disorder characterized by low bone mass, micro-architectural deterioration of bone tissue. He started his charity, Noble Bones, to raise awareness of the disease.
John Noble Movies and TV Shows
Noble has starred in several movies and TV shows during his career such as
- All Saints
- A Sting in the Tale
- Call Me Mr. Brown
- Virtual Nightmare
- The Nostradamus Kid
- Young Lions
- Home and Away
- The Outsider
- The Monkey’s Mask
- Sleepy Hollow
- Fracture
- Devil’s Playground
- The Mystery of Natalie Wood
- One Night with the King
- Running Scared
- Elementary
- Superman: Unbound
- Salvation
- Star Trek: Prodigy
- The Mule
- Cowboy Bebop
- Totally Completely Fine
- The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It
- Twilight of the Gods
- Severance