Michael Smiley

Michael Smiley is a comic and actor from Northern Ireland currently living in London.

Early life

Smiley was born in 1963 in Belfast and grew up in Holywood.^[1] He moved to London in his 20s with his wife. He began doing stand-up in 1993, after accepting a bet at an open-mic night. He had worked previously as a cycle courier (like his character in Spaced) and as an acid house DJ.^[2]

Career

He became well known for his role as Tyres O'Flaherty the bicycle riding raver in two episodes of the Channel 4 sitcom Spaced, and for his appearances at the Edinburgh Fringe and the Melbourne Comedy Festival.^[2] He also played Jordan, a former member of the British Army's Parachute Regiment in the 2008 horror film Outpost as well as a Tyres-like zombie in Shaun of the Dead.

In 2003, he guest starred in the Doctor Who audio drama Creatures of Beauty. In 2004 he appeared in season 2, episode 4 of Hustle as Max the forger. He also was a small character in episode 2 "The Model" of 15 Storeys High.

He has also appeared in all three series of The Maltby Collection on Radio 4 as Des Wainwright, an eccentric security guard who keeps repeating himself and reminding people he was in the SAS. He is presently playing the part of Benny "Deadhead" Silver in the BBC drama series Luther.

He appeared as 'Smiley' in the Betfair Front Room adverts.

In 2010, he had a major role in the film Burke & Hare alongside his Spaced co-stars Simon Pegg and Jessica Hynes.

In 2011, he starred in British horror film Kill List. The film received critical acclaim, and earned him the "Best Supporting Actor" Award at the 2011 British Independent Film Awards.^[3]

In 2013, he has appeared in an episode of BBC One's Ripper Street as George Lusk, and the critically acclaimed Channel 4 shows Utopia as Detective Reynolds and Black Mirror as Baxter. He also starred in A Field in England as the main antagonist, the alchemist O'Neill. He also played Roddy in Father Figure. In November 2013 he appeared in the third episode of the BBC Two Mitchell and Webb comedy Ambassadors as Mr Jackson. In 2014, he played Micky Murray in BBC Four's The Life of Rock with Brian Pern.

Personal life

Smiley is married to the journalist and broadcaster Miranda Sawyer with whom he has a son and a daughter. The family lives near Brockwell Park in Herne Hill, London.^[4]

He had previously shared a flat with Simon Pegg and Nick Frost in the 1990s.^[5]

Filmography

Television

• Spaced as Tyres O'Flaherty (1999–2001)
• Time Gentlemen Please (2000–2002)
• 15 Storeys High (2002)
• Murder Prevention (2004)
• Bleak House (2005)
• The Wrong Door (2008)
• Wire in the Blood (2008)
• Luther (2010–2013)
• Good Cop as Tom Lomax (2012)
• New Tricks: "Parts of a Whole" as Tinker (2012)
• Ripper Street as George Lusk (2013)
• Monumental (2013)
• Utopia: Episode 1 (2013)
• Black Mirror: "White Bear" as Baxter (2013)
• Father Figure (2013)
• Ambassadors as Mr Jackson (2013)
• The Life of Rock with Brian Pern as Micky Murray (2014)

Films

• Shaun of the Dead (2004) cameo as a zombified version of Tyres, his character in TV sitcom Spaced
• Breaking and Entering (2006)
• Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (2006)
• Outpost (2008)
• The Other Boleyn Girl (2008)
• Down Terrace (2009)
• Burke & Hare (2010)
• Kill List (2011)
• Shell (2012)
• A Field in England (2013)
• The World's End (2013) as Reverend Green
• Svengali (2013)

Radio

• Eye Witness (2007) Eye
• The Maltby Collection (2007–2009) Des Wainwright

References

External links

• Michael Smiley at the Internet Movie Database