| Brendan Coyle | |
|---|---|
| Born | 2 December 1963 Corby, Northamptonshire, England |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1992-present |
Brendan Coyle (born 2 December 1963) is a British-Irish actor.
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Coyle was born in Corby, Northamptonshire, to an Irish father and Scottish mother;[1] his parents moved to Corby from Strabane, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. Coyle holds British and Irish citizenship. He is the great nephew of football manager Sir Matt Busby.[2] In September 2011 The Daily Mail ran an article mentioning Coyle's wife;[3] he later clarified that he was referring to his fictional wife on Downton Abbey.[4]
He studied at a drama school in Dublin in 1981, and then received a scholarship to Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts in England in 1983.[1]
Brendan Coyle received a Laurence Olivier Award in 1999 for his performance in Conor McPherson'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.[1] In 2001, Coyle appeared in the film Conspiracy as Gestapo Chief Heinrich Müller. He played Kaz Sweeney in the British drama True Dare Kiss, and Nicholas Higgins on the BBC's North and South. Since 2008, he has played the pivotal part of Robert Timmins in three BBC series based on the Lark Rise to Candleford novels, written by Flora Thompson. In 2010, he began playing John Bates, a lame valet and former British Army batman of the Earl of Grantham in Julian Fellowes's period drama series, Downton Abbey. Fellowes wrote the part for Coyle.[5]
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Fool's Gold: The Story of the Brink's-Mat Robbery | Det. Sgt. Benwell | TV movie |
| The Bill | Chris Bailey | TV series (1 episode: "Radio Waves") | |
| 1994 | Ailsa | Miles Butler | |
| 1995 | The Glass Virgin | Manuel Mendoza | TV mini-series |
| Dangerfield | David Walsh | TV series (2 episodes) | |
| 1996 | Silent Witness | Liam Slattery | TV series (2 episodes) |
| Thief Takers | D.I Bob "Bingo" Tate | TV series (4 episodes) | |
| 1997 | The Last Bus Home | Steve Burkett | |
| Tomorrow Never Dies | Leading Seaman - HMS Bedford | ||
| 1998 | Soft Sand, Blue Sea | Gerry | |
| The General | UVF Leader | ||
| Happy Birthday To Me | short | ||
| 1999 | I Could Read the Sky | Francie | |
| 2000 | McCready and Daughter | Donal McCready | TV movie |
| Paths to Freedom | Jeremy Fitzgerald | TV series (6 episodes) | |
| 2001 | Rebel Heart | Michael Collins | TV mini-series |
| The Inspector Lynley Mysteries | Richard Tey | TV series (1 episode: "A Great Deliverance") | |
| The Bombmaker | George McEvoy | TV movie | |
| Conspiracy | SS Maj. Gen. Heinrich Müller | TV movie | |
| Mapmaker | Robert Bates | ||
| 2002 | Rockface | Douglas McLanaghan | TV series (7 episodes) |
| 2003 | Waking the Dead | Martin Corgan | TV series (2 episodes) |
| Single | Paul | TV series | |
| 2004 | Amnesia | D.C Ian Reid | TV movie |
| Omagh | D.S John White | TV movie | |
| North and South | Nicholas Higgins | TV mini-series (4 episodes) | |
| 2005 | Allegiance | Michael Collins | |
| The Jacket | Damon | ||
| Shameless | Father Polish | TV series (1 episode: "Episode #2.4") | |
| Jericho | Christie | TV series (3 episodes) | |
| The Ghost Squad | Sgt. Ralph Allan | TV series (1 episode: "Heroes") | |
| 2006 | The Commander: Blacklight | Carl Dirkwood | TV movie |
| Soundproof | D.I Dave Cox | TV movie | |
| Offside | Duncan Miller | ||
| Prime Suspect: The Final Act | D.C.S Mitchell | TV movie | |
| Perfect Parents | Ed | TV movie | |
| 2007 | The Mark of Cain | Davey Gulliver | |
| Wedding Belles | Priest | TV movie | |
| The Good Samaritan | Lewis Farrell | TV movie | |
| Damage | Aidan Cahill | TV movie | |
| True Dare Kiss | Kaz Sweeney | TV series (6 episodes) | |
| 2008 - 2010 | Lark Rise to Candleford | Robert Timmins | TV series (31 episodes: 2008-2010) |
| 2009 | Inspector George Gently | Patrick Donovan | TV series(1 episode: "Gently in the Night") |
| Perrier's Bounty | Jerome | ||
| Blue Murder | Derek Jowell | TV series (2 episodes) | |
| 2010-present | Downton Abbey | John Bates | TV series |
| 2011 | The Raven | Reagan | post-production |
Coyle currently resides in the Norfolk village of Heacham.