Craig Haydn Roberts (born 21 January 1991) is a Welsh actor and director. He is best known for lead roles as Oliver Tate in the
coming-of-age
Coming of age is a young person's transition from being a child to being an adult. The specific age at which this transition takes place varies between societies, as does the nature of the change. It can be a simple legal convention or can be ...
comedy-drama
Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...
film ''
Submarine
A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely o ...
'' (2010) and David Meyers in the series ''
Red Oaks
The genus ''Quercus'' contains about 500 species, some of which are listed here. The genus, as is the case with many large genera, is divided into subgenera and sections. Traditionally, the genus ''Quercus'' was divided into the two subgenera ''C ...
'' (2014–2017), and for playing
Rio Wellard in the television series ''
The Story of Tracy Beaker'' (2004–2006).
Early life
Roberts was born on 21 January 1991
in
Newport,
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...
, the son of Alison (Bishop) and Haydn Roberts. He was raised in
Maesycwmmer,
Caerphilly
Caerphilly (, ; cy, Caerffili, ) is a town and community in Wales. It is situated at the southern end of the Rhymney Valley.
It is north of Cardiff and northwest of Newport. It is the largest town in Caerphilly County Borough, and lies w ...
and attended
Lewis School, Pengam
Lewis School, Pengam is a comprehensive school, founded in 1729 in the parish and village of Gelligaer and, later, moved to the nearby village of Gilfach, in the Rhymney Valley in South Wales. It was founded and funded by a legacy of Sir Edwar ...
. Roberts has a sister, Chelsea, and two half-sisters, Natalee and Angharad.
Career
Roberts began his television career in the dramas ''Care'' (2000) and ''Little Pudding'' (2003). After these he was given roles in the series ''
The Story of Tracy Beaker'' (2004–2006) and ''
Casualty
Casualty may refer to:
*Casualty (person), a person who is killed or rendered unfit for service in a war or natural disaster
** Civilian casualty, a non-combatant killed or injured in warfare
* The emergency department of a hospital, also known a ...
'' (2005–2008), and played vampire fanatic Robin Branagh in ''
Young Dracula
''Young Dracula'' is a British children's horror drama comedy television series which aired on CBBC, loosely based on '' Young Dracula'', a 2002 children's book by Michael Lawrence. It is also based on the epistolary novel ''Dracula'', writ ...
'' (2006–2008). He also appeared in the dramas ''Kiddo'' (2005) and ''Scratching'' (2006).
On stage, Roberts toured Britain in 2008 with
Y Touring Theatre Company, playing young Ryan in ''Full Time'', a play that explores racism, sexism and homophobia in football; in January 2009 he played the evil queen's sidekick Drax in the pantomime ''Snow White'' at Worthing.
In 2010, Roberts had worldwide success with the teenage lead role in the film ''
Submarine
A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely o ...
'', based on the 2008 novel by
Joe Dunthorne. It was directed by
Richard Ayoade
Richard Ellef Ayoade ( ; born 23 May 1977) is a British actor, comedian, broadcaster and filmmaker. He is best known for his role as socially awkward IT technician Maurice Moss in Channel 4 sitcom ''The IT Crowd'' (2006–2013), for which he ...
and also starred
Paddy Considine
Patrick George Considine (born 5 September 1973) is an English actor, director, and screenwriter. He frequently collaborates with filmmaker/director Shane Meadows. He has received two British Academy Film Awards, three Evening Standard Britis ...
and
Yasmin Paige.
Since then Roberts has appeared in the
BBC Three television show ''
Being Human'' (2011, 2012) and in the online spin-off series ''
Becoming Human
''Becoming Human'' is a British supernatural comedy-drama webisode series and a spin-off from the TV series '' Being Human''. Created by Toby Whithouse, it was directed by Alex Kalymnios, written by Brian Dooley, Jamie Mathieson and John Jackson ...
'' (2011) as
Adam
Adam; el, Ἀδάμ, Adám; la, Adam is the name given in Genesis 1-5 to the first human. Beyond its use as the name of the first man, ''adam'' is also used in the Bible as a pronoun, individually as "a human" and in a collective sense as " ...
.
In 2012, he starred in
The Killers
The Killers are an American rock band formed in Las Vegas in 2001 by Brandon Flowers (lead vocals, keyboards, bass) and Dave Keuning (lead guitar, backing vocals). After going through a number of short-term bass players and drummers in t ...
' music video for "Here with Me" with
Winona Ryder
Winona Laura Horowitz (born October 29, 1971), professionally known as Winona Ryder, is an American actress. Originally playing quirky roles, she rose to prominence for her more diverse performances in various genres in the 1990s. She has recei ...
, directed by
Tim Burton
Timothy Walter Burton (born August 25, 1958) is an American filmmaker and animator. He is known for his gothic fantasy and horror films such as ''Beetlejuice'' (1988), ''Edward Scissorhands'' (1990), '' The Nightmare Before Christmas'' (1993) ...
. He also starred in Kassidy’s music video for “One Man Army” in 2012.
In late 2012, Roberts started working on a short television comedy he wrote and directed, entitled ''The Sheepish Approach''. In 2014, he starred in the film ''Jolene: The Indie Folk Star'' alongside
Charlotte Ritchie and
Rosamund Hanson. He played the role of Dom in the seventh series of the TV show ''
Skins'', and "Assjuice" in the 2014 film ''
Neighbors''. He also appeared in the
Manic Street Preachers
Manic Street Preachers, also known simply as the Manics, are a Welsh Rock music, rock band formed in Blackwood, Caerphilly, Blackwood in 1986. The band consists of cousins James Dean Bradfield (lead vocals, lead guitar) and Sean Moore (musician ...
video for ''
Show Me the Wonder'' and directed the music video for the
Los Campesinos! single "Avocado, Baby" from their album ''
No Blues''.
In 2015, Roberts made his feature-director debut with ''
Just Jim'', which he also wrote and starred in.
On 9 October 2015, Amazon Studios released Season 1 of ''
Red Oaks
The genus ''Quercus'' contains about 500 species, some of which are listed here. The genus, as is the case with many large genera, is divided into subgenera and sections. Traditionally, the genus ''Quercus'' was divided into the two subgenera ''C ...
'', an original comedy series where Roberts stars alongside
Paul Reiser
Paul Reiser (; born March 30, 1956) is an American actor, comedian, and television writer. He is known for his roles as Michael Taylor in the 1980s sitcom ''My Two Dads'', Paul Buchman in the NBC sitcom ''Mad About You'', Modell in the 1982 fi ...
. Season 2 was released in late 2016, after which the show was renewed for a third and final season.
Roberts starred in the 2016 film ''
The Fundamentals of Caring'' alongside
Paul Rudd
Paul Stephen Rudd (born April 6, 1969) is an American actor. He studied theater at the University of Kansas and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, before making his acting debut in 1991. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in ...
. He played Trevor, a quick-witted 18-year-old boy with
Duchenne muscular dystrophy
Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a severe type of muscular dystrophy that primarily affects boys. Muscle weakness usually begins around the age of four, and worsens quickly. Muscle loss typically occurs first in the thighs and pelvis follo ...
. The film premièred at the
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,6 ...
in January and was released on
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...
in June.
In 2019, Roberts appeared in the film ''
Horrible Histories: The Movie – Rotten Romans'' as
Emperor Nero
Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus; 15 December AD 37 – 9 June AD 68), was the fifth Roman emperor and final emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, reigning from AD 54 unt ...
.
Filmography
Film
Television
Music videos
Awards and nominations
British Independent Film Awards
London Critics Circle Film Awards
Empire Awards
BAFTA Awards, Wales
Fantasporto film festival Awards
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Roberts, Craig
1991 births
Living people
21st-century Welsh male actors
People educated at Lewis School, Pengam
People from Caerphilly
People from Newport, Wales
Welsh directors
Welsh male child actors
Welsh male film actors
Welsh male television actors