Beesley was born on 16 April 1971 in Burnage, Manchester.[1][2] His father, Maxton Beesley Sr, is a professional jazz drummer and actor,[2] and his mother was a jazz singer who performed under the stage name Chris Marlowe.[3] He has a step-brother, Jason Milligan, who is also an actor.[4] His middle name was inspired by the American actor Gig Young.[3]
In June 2007, Beesley starred in the ITV series Talk to Me.[1] He also starred in the film Red Roses and Petrol,[1] alongside Malcolm McDowell, and in the BBC One thriller The Last Enemy,[1] with Benedict Cumberbatch and Robert Carlyle. In October 2008, he was one of the lead characters in BBC One's remake of the 1970s drama Survivors,[1] as remorseless former criminal Tom Price. The series consisted of six episodes, with a second series of six episodes transmitted in January 2010. He starred in the ITV drama The Reckoning in April 2011.[1] Beesley gained more exposure with American audiences with a recurring role on Suits,[1] in 2013 and from October 2015 with another recurring role, this time in the US spy drama Homeland,[1] opposite Claire Danes, as ex-British special forces bodyguard Mike Brown. From 2016 to 2018 he starred in Jamestown as Henry Sharrow, depicting the first British settlers to colonise Virginia in 1609.[1]
Beesley is also a voice over artist and has worked for multiple TV advertisements and documentaries including ITV, NFU Mutual's insurance, Energizer's lithium batteries, and PC World.[10] He also provided the voiceover for Manchester United's season review DVD.[when?] He appeared in a TV campaign for the UK recruitment company Jobsite, and was also featured on their homepage.
In 1989, at the age of 18, his first ever boss was Paul Weller.[6] In 1993, Beesley was a member of the jazz band Incognito, but in 1994, after an eight-month tour with them, decided to end his music career and start acting.[12] On 28 October 2006, Beesley appeared as a special guest pianist for James Brown during his performance at the Roundhouse in London as part of the BBC's Electric Proms festival.[13] In 2020, he recorded his first solo album titled Groove Spectrum at Capitol Studios in Los Angeles with Grammy-winning producer/mixer Al Schmitt mixing the album. It features Paul Weller, Robbie Williams, Fred Durst, Lisa Stansfield, jazz pianist Christian Sands, Tommy Blaize, Antonique Smith, John Turrell, Omar, and Francci Richards. A multi-instrumentalist, Beesley wrote, played, and scored the album.
He recorded his first solo instrumental album Zeus in January 2023 in Los Angeles with luminaries Steve Gadd, Walt Fowler, Christian Sands, Dean Parks, Luis Conte, and producing collaborator Jerry Meehan on bass. The album will be released towards the end of 2023 through Legere Records and features the vibraphone, one of the instruments Beesley is mainly associated with. He wrote, arranged, mixed, and produced the album under his "Max Beesley's HIGH VIBES" banner, and will tour the record in 2024 in both Europe and Japan. Critics cite the record as being heavily influenced by the music of Herbie Hancock, The Brecker Brothers, and vibraphonist Roy Ayers.
^ ab"Notable Alumni". Chetham's School of Music. Retrieved 21 July 2011. Ex-Chet's students include [...] actor Max Beesley, who achieved first recognition as percussionist and keyboard player with Jamiroquai, Take That and Robbie Williams