Robert Carlyle
Scottish actor
Robert Carlyle is a Scottish actor, born in Glasgow on 14 April 1961, known for intensity and a commitment to authenticity that borders on method. He won the BAFTA for Best Actor in a Leading Role for The Full Monty and made Begbie in Trainspotting one of the decade's most frightening characters. Bond villain Renard, Ravenous and 28 Weeks Later followed. On television he led Hamish Macbeth, Stargate Universe, which won him a Gemini Award, Once Upon a Time and Sky's COBRA. He was appointed OBE in 1999.
Robert Carlyle appears in 5 films and 1 TV series in The Rerun, from 1996 to 2011. Most of that work is in drama, thriller and adventure. Frequent collaborators in The Rerun: Danny Boyle (2).
Known for
- The Full Monty (1997). Won the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role.
- Trainspotting (1996).
- Once Upon a Time (2011), Rumplestiltskin. Starred in the series from 2011 to 2018.
- Stargate Universe (2009). Won a Gemini Award for the series.
- COBRA (2020). Starred in the series from 2020 to 2023.
Career
Carlyle left school at 16, came to acting through the Glasgow Arts Centre and trained at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. Ken Loach cast him in Riff-Raff (1990), and a chilling turn as a killer in Cracker led to the BBC’s Hamish Macbeth. Then came two films in two years: Trainspotting (1996) and The Full Monty (1997), which won him the BAFTA. Angela’s Ashes, Ravenous and The World Is Not Enough all followed in 1999.
He played Hitler in Hitler: The Rise of Evil, earned an Emmy nomination for Human Trafficking, and led 28 Weeks Later. Television defined the next stretch: Dr. Nicholas Rush in Stargate Universe, Rumplestiltskin for seven years on Once Upon a Time, and Prime Minister Robert Sutherland in COBRA. In 2023 he returned as Gaz for the Full Monty sequel series.
Where to start
- Trainspotting (1996): Begbie, pure menace.
- The Full Monty (1997): his BAFTA winner, warm and funny.
- 28 Weeks Later (2007): a bleak, gripping sequel with a brutal opening.
- The World Is Not Enough (1999): a Bond villain who cannot feel pain.
- Once Upon a Time (2011): Rumplestiltskin, played with relish.
Shows
Movies
Quick answers
- What movies and TV shows has Robert Carlyle been in?
- Robert Carlyle appears in Once Upon a Time (2011), 28 Weeks Later (2007), The Beach (2000), The World Is Not Enough (1999), The Full Monty (1997) and Trainspotting (1996) on The Remote.
- When was Robert Carlyle born?
- Robert Carlyle was born on 14 April 1961.
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