Adam Gillen (born 11 September 1985,

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The ...

) is a British actor, best known for his role as Liam Conroy in the ITV hit series ''

Benidorm Benidorm is a town and municipality in the province of Alicante, Valencian Community, Valencia, on the Mediterranean coast of Spain. Benidorm has been a tourist destination within Spain since 1925, when its port was extended and the first hotel ...

'', Brian in the

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...

comedy '' Fresh Meat'' and Gavin in BBC's '' Prisoners’ Wives''. In 2019, Gillen was nominated for an Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role in Killer Joe.

Early life

Gillen studied acting at Stockport College, before going on to graduate from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in 2007.

Career

In 2000, Gillen was nominated for a

TMA Award The UK Theatre Awards, established in 1991 and known before 2011 as the TMA Awards, are presented annually by UK Theatre (formerly the Theatrical Management Association) in recognition of creative excellence and outstanding work in regional theat ...

for Best Supporting Performance in a play for the

Royal Exchange Theatre The Royal Exchange is a grade II listed building in Manchester, England. It is located in the city centre on the land bounded by St Ann's Square, Exchange Street, Market Street, Cross Street and Old Bank Street. The complex includes the Royal ...

Company's ''

A Taste of Honey ''A Taste of Honey'' is the first play by the British dramatist Shelagh Delaney, written when she was 19. It was intended as a novel, but she turned it into a play because she hoped to revitalise British theatre and address social issues that ...

''. In 2011 he appeared as Moses in ''

The School for Scandal ''The School for Scandal'' is a comedy of manners written by Richard Brinsley Sheridan. It was first performed in London at Drury Lane Theatre on 8 May 1777. Plot Act I Scene I: Lady Sneerwell, a wealthy young widow, and her hireling S ...

''. Gillen is best known for his role as Liam in ''Benidorm'' from 2011 to its conclusion in 2018. Gillen's other television work includes '' The Gemma Factor'', ''Oliver Twist'', ''

Just William ''Just William'' is the first book of children's short stories about the young school boy William Brown, written by Richmal Crompton, and published in 1922. The book was the first in the series of William Brown books which was the basis for ...

'' and '' The Sarah Jane Adventures''. In 2010, Gillen appeared in

Noel Clarke Noel Anthony Clarke (born 6 December 1975) is a British actor, screenwriter, director, and comic book writer. Rising to prominence for playing Mickey Smith in '' Doctor Who'' (2005–2010), he played Sam in the films '' Kidulthood'' (2006), '' ...

’s ''

4.3.2.1. ''4.3.2.1.'' (which stands for "4 girls, 3 days, 2 cities, 1 chance") is a 2010 British crime thriller film directed by Noel Clarke and Mark Davis, written by Clarke and starring Emma Roberts, Tamsin Egerton, Ophelia Lovibond, Shanika-Warren ...

''. He appeared in ''Age of Heroes'' in 2011. In 2014, Gillen appeared in ''Lotty's War'' (written by Giuliano Crispini and directed by Bruce Guthrie) at the

Yvonne Arnaud Theatre The Yvonne Arnaud Theatre is a theatre located in Guildford, Surrey, England. Named after the actress Yvonne Arnaud, it presents a series of locally produced and national touring productions, including opera, ballet and pantomime. The theatre h ...

Guildford Guildford () is a town in west Surrey, around southwest of central London. As of the 2011 census, the town has a population of about 77,000 and is the seat of the wider Borough of Guildford, which had around inhabitants in . The name "Guildf ...

. In October 2016, he appeared as

Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition r ...

in the National Theatre production of

Peter Shaffer Sir Peter Levin Shaffer (; 15 May 1926 – 6 June 2016) was an English playwright, screenwriter, and novelist. He wrote numerous award-winning plays, of which several were adapted into films. Early life Shaffer was born to a Jewish family in L ...

's '' Amadeus'' and reprised the role when the production returned from February to April 2018. A filmed performance was later used in 2020 as part of the National Theatre at Home online series. Filmed from the Olivier Theatre. In 2022, Gillen starred as the title role in

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

and John Fletcher's ''

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...

'', performed at

Shakespeare's Globe Shakespeare's Globe is a reconstruction of the Globe Theatre, an Elizabethan playhouse for which William Shakespeare wrote his plays, in the London Borough of Southwark, on the south bank of the River Thames. The original theatre was built in ...

theatre, London. The production garnered mixed reviews from critics.

Filmography

Theatre

References

External links

*
National Theatre - Company Members - Adam Gillen
1985 births English male television actors Male actors from Manchester Living people Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art {{England-actor-stub