Adrian Rawlins

Actor profile

Career and selected work

Adrian Rawlins is an English actor whose screen career connects supernatural fiction, historical drama and intimate stories about ordinary lives. Many viewers recognise him as James Potter, Harry’s father, but that familiar association represents only one strand of his work. His lead role in the television adaptation of The Woman in Black predates the Potter films and offers a very different encounter with the supernatural. In Chernobyl, the setting is historical and the fear comes from institutional decisions and their consequences. Those three credits alone make a useful introduction to the variety of his screen work.

For a first comparison with Moonflower Murders, choose one of the smaller-scale films in the list below. Living and One Life place him in ensembles where relationships and the social setting matter as much as plot. Breaking the Waves supplies another point of comparison. This is a selected route through his work, rather than a claim that all these performances have the same tone. A familiar face can carry very different expectations from one production into another.

Six roles to explore

• The Woman in Black (1989) — Arthur Kidd.
• Breaking the Waves (1996) — Dr Richardson.
• Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (2001) — James Potter.
• Chernobyl (2019) — Nikolai Fomin.
• Living (2022) — Middleton.
• One Life (2023) — Geoff.

In the Susan Ryeland adaptations

In Moonflower Murders, Rawlins plays Lawrence Treherne, one of the owners of Branlow Hall, and Lance Gardner in Alan Conway’s novel. Lawrence belongs to the contemporary story surrounding the disappearance of his daughter Cecily. Lance belongs to the 1950s mystery Susan reads. Keeping those names separate helps enormously when the action moves between the two periods. Watch how each man fits into his own household before deciding what the resemblance means. The casting gives viewers a connection to examine; it does not make either character’s evidence interchangeable with the other’s.

Where to watch and explore next

Explore the Susan Ryeland episodes. Check local streaming services for other roles before subscribing. Use the year and character to identify the right production.

The character links below lead into the story guides. Endings stay in closed sections. Open them when you are ready for spoilers. Watching for the first time? Follow the episodes in order. Rewatching? Compare the performances across the two worlds.

Characters played

• Lawrence Treherne
• Lance Gardner