Brendan Coyle (born 2 December 1962) is a British-Irish actor.
He won the
Olivier Award for Best Performance in a Supporting Role for ''
The Weir'' in 1999. He also played Nicholas Higgins in the miniseries ''
North & South'', Robert Timmins in the first three series of ''
Lark Rise to Candleford'', and more recently
Mr Bates, the valet, in ''
Downton Abbey
''Downton Abbey'' is a British historical drama television series set in the early 20th century, created and co-written by Julian Fellowes. It first aired in the United Kingdom on ITV (TV network), ITV on 26 September 2010 and in the United St ...
'', which earned him a nomination for a
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series and a
BAFTA
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA, ) is an independent trade association and charity that supports, develops, and promotes the arts of film, television and video games in the United Kingdom. In addition to its annual awa ...
nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
Early life
Brendan Coyle was born David Coyle in Corby, Northamptonshire, on 2 December 1962, the son of a Patrick B Coyle and Bedelia M B Anderson. He has an older brother named Shaun
Due to his British birth and Irish heritage, he holds both British and Irish citizenship. He is the great-nephew of football manager
Sir Matt Busby.
He studied drama in
Dublin
Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...
in 1981 and received a scholarship to
Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts
Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts, formerly Mountview Theatre School, is a drama school in Peckham, south London, England, founded in 1945. Mountview Academy provides specialist vocational training in acting, musical theatre and actor musicians ...
in
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
in 1983.
Career
Coyle received a
Laurence Olivier Award
The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply The Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognize excellence in West End theatre, professional theatre in London. The awards were originally known as the Society of We ...
in 1999 for his performance in
Conor McPherson
Conor McPherson (born 6 August 1971) is an Irish playwright, screenwriter and director of stage and film. In recognition of his contribution to world theatre, McPherson was awarded an honorary doctorate of literature in June 2013 by University C ...
's ''
The Weir'' and won a New York Critics Theater World Award for Outstanding Broadway Debut for the same play in its New York production.
In 2001, Coyle appeared in the film ''
Conspiracy
A conspiracy, also known as a plot, ploy, or scheme, is a secret plan or agreement between people (called conspirers or conspirators) for an unlawful or harmful purpose, such as murder, treason, or corruption, especially with a political motivat ...
'' as
Gestapo
The (, ), Syllabic abbreviation, abbreviated Gestapo (), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe.
The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of F ...
Chief
Heinrich Müller. He played Kaz Sweeney in the
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies.
* British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...
drama
Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...
''
True Dare Kiss'', and Nicholas Higgins in ''
North & South'' for the
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
.
From 2008 he played Robert Timmins in three BBC series based on the ''
Lark Rise to Candleford'' novels, written by
Flora Thompson
Flora Jane Thompson (née Timms; 5 December 1876 – 21 May 1947) was an English novelist and poet best known for her autobiography, semi-autobiographical trilogy about the English countryside, ''Lark Rise to Candleford''.
Early life and f ...
. In 2010, he began playing John Bates, valet and former British Army
batman
Batman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on M ...
to the Earl of Grantham in
Julian Fellowes's period drama series, ''
Downton Abbey
''Downton Abbey'' is a British historical drama television series set in the early 20th century, created and co-written by Julian Fellowes. It first aired in the United Kingdom on ITV (TV network), ITV on 26 September 2010 and in the United St ...
''. Fellowes wrote the part for Coyle, and it won him nominations for a BAFTA and IFTA, as well as a nomination for the
Primetime Emmy Awards
The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Owned and operated by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the P ...
as Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 2012. He also won three Screen Actors Guild Awards 2013–16. Coyle also played the character of Terry Starling in the short-lived
Sky
The sky is an unobstructed view upward from the planetary surface, surface of the Earth. It includes the atmosphere of Earth, atmosphere and outer space. It may also be considered a place between the ground and outer space, thus distinct from ...
comedy series ''
Starlings''.
Personal life
Coyle divides his time between
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
and
Norfolk
Norfolk ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in England, located in East Anglia and officially part of the East of England region. It borders Lincolnshire and The Wash to the north-west, the North Sea to the north and eas ...
. He is a fan of the football team
Manchester United FC
Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional football club based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England. They compete in the Premier League, t ...
, which was managed by his great-uncle
Matt Busby
Sir Alexander Matthew Busby (26 May 1909 – 20 January 1994) was a Scottish football player and manager, who managed Manchester United between 1945 and 1969 and again for the second half of the 1970–71 season. He was the first manager of an E ...
.
Filmography
Film
Television
Anderson Shelter Productions
In July 2014, Brendan Coyle and Joy Harrison formed Anderson Shelter Productions Limited with the mission to "find talented young filmmakers" and assist in funding their short film projects. On 14 September 2014, Coyle announced via Twitter his involvement with Council Child Production's short film, ''Starcross''.
References
External links
Brendan Coyle Fansite*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Coyle, Brendan
1962 births
Alumni of the Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts
English male film actors
English people of Irish descent
English people of Scottish descent
English male stage actors
English male television actors
Living people
People from Corby
Male actors from Northamptonshire
Laurence Olivier Award winners
20th-century English male actors
21st-century English male actors
Theatre World Award winners
People from Heacham
Actors from North Northamptonshire
Actors from King's Lynn and West Norfolk