Olly Rix

Olly Rix (born 14 February 1985) is a British actor. His initial roles were in theatre productions, notably with the Royal Shakespeare Company. His stage debut saw him portray the titular role in '' Cardenio'', going on to appear in various other productions including '' Marat/Sade'', '' The City Madam'' and '' Richard II''. Rix has also starred in various television series including '' Death Comes to Pemberley'', '' WPC 56'', '' Of Kings and Prophets'', '' The Spanish Princess'' and ''Call the Midwife'', as well as joining the cast of ''Casualty'' in 2025.

Life and career

1985–2013: Early life and stage work

Rix was born in 1985 on Valentine's Day, 14 February. The schools he attended as a child did not offer drama opportunities to his annoyance, so Rix did not start performing on stage until university. He felt like his fellow students had been acting since young children so tried to get as involved as possible. He studied at Oxford University, eventually going on to train in acting at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. Whilst at the latter, one of his close friends was Sam Claflin. His first stage performance was as Oedipus inside a cathedral at Christchurch College, Oxford. He has since joked that he was "almost certainly god-awful" and said that he was terrified, but added that he had a lot of fun. Rix attained his first professional credit in the 2010 short film ''The Duel at Blood Creek''.

Rix made his stage debut in 2011 when he starred as the titular role in '' Cardenio''. He initially believed he was auditioning for a minor role and has admitted he was unaware what ''Cardenio'' was, but was shocked to learn he was being considered for the lead role. He felt lucky to have landed a titular role as his first stage role, initially believing he would have to wait years to be considered for such. He then starred in a production of '' Marat/Sade'' with the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) later that year, as well as '' The City Madam'' at the Swan Theatre. In 2012, Rix starred in a production of '' I Am a Camera'' as Clive at Southwark Playhouse. A year later, he appeared at the Royal Court Theatre in their production of ''Narrative''. Also in 2013, he returned to the RSC for their production of '' Richard II''. He portrayed the Duke of Aumerle. WhatsOnStage wrote that his portrayal "tugs at the heartstrings".

2013–present: Breakthrough with television work

In 2013, after his final stage appearance in ''Richard II'', Rix made his television debut. He portrayed the role of Cartwright in the BBC miniseries '' Death Comes to Pemberley''. A year later, he appeared in an episode of ITV's ''Midsomer Murders''. In 2015, he recurred in the BBC period drama series '' The Musketeers''. That same year, he starred in the third series of '' WPC 56'', also on BBC. In 2016, Rix made his international breakthrough when he starred in ABC's drama series '' Of Kings and Prophets'' as David. At the time, Rix was considered an unknown stage actor and was shocked to be flown out to Los Angeles four times for screen tests. He was exhausted with the process, believing he stood no chance of securing the role. He lived in South Africa for a year whilst filming the series, which he described as one of the best times of his life. However, ABC pulled ''Of Kings and Prophets'' after two episodes, citing low ratings as the reason. Rix said he "went from being on top of the world to back in my parents' spare room working out what the hell happened".

In 2017, Rix was cast in a main role in the television film ''The Machine''. A year later, he starred in the third series of the BBC military drama series '' Our Girl''. He portrayed Captain Bones McClyde. In 2019, he appeared in an episode of the Acorn TV series '' Agatha Raisin'', as well as joining the cast of '' The Spanish Princess''. In the latter, he portrayed Edward Stafford until 2020. Then, in 2021, he joined the cast of the BBC's period drama ''Call the Midwife''. He portrayed series regular Matthew Aylward for three years, after which his character was written out. Following his exit, he was pictured near the set of fellow BBC drama series ''Casualty'' in July 2024, and it was rumoured that he was to join the series. The reports were confirmed by the BBC in February 2025, with them announcing that Rix will portray Flynn Byron in the thirty-ninth series, reuniting him with his Midsomer Murders co-star Robert Bathurst.

Filmography

Stage

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Rix, Olly
1985 births
21st-century English male actors
Alumni of the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art
Alumni of the University of Oxford
British male Shakespearean actors
British male stage actors
British male television actors
Living people