Andrew Gerard Simpson (born 1 January 1989) is an actor from
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
. He was spotted while performing in a festival by talent scout Patrick Duncan, who was working for
Aisling Walsh
Aisling Walsh (born 1958) is an Irish screenwriter and director. Her work has screened at festivals around the world and she has won several accolades, including a BAFTA TV Award for '' Room at the Top'' (2012) as well as an Irish Film and Telev ...
, the director of ''
Song for a Raggy Boy
''Song for a Raggy Boy'' is an 2003 Irish historical drama film directed by Aisling Walsh. It is based on the book of the same name by Patrick Galvin and is based on true events.
Plot
In 1939, on the brink of World War II, the St. Judes Refor ...
''. He is best known for playing Steven Connolly in
''Notes on a Scandal''.
Early life
Simpson was born in
Derry
Derry, officially Londonderry (), is the second-largest city in Northern Ireland and the fifth-largest city on the island of Ireland. The name ''Derry'' is an anglicisation of the Old Irish name (modern Irish: ) meaning 'oak grove'. The ...
, Northern Ireland, and grew up in the village of
Fahan
Fahan (; ) is a district of Inishowen in the north of County Donegal, Ireland, located 5 km (3 miles) south of Buncrana. In Irish, Fahan is named after its patron saint, Saint Mura, first abbot of Fahan, an early Christian monastery.
His ...
in neighbouring
County Donegal
County Donegal ( ; ga, Contae Dhún na nGall) is a county of Ireland in the province of Ulster and in the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Donegal in the south of the county. It has also been known as County Tyrconne ...
,
Republic of Ireland
Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island. A ...
. However, he was educated in Derry and attended
Foyle College
Foyle College is a co-educational non-denominational voluntary grammar school in Derry, Northern Ireland. The school's legal name is Foyle and Londonderry College. In 1976, two local schools, Foyle College and Londonderry High School, merged und ...
. His mother sent her four children to Sandra Biddle's speech and drama school in the city.
Career
Simpson's first film appearance was as Gerard Peters 458 in ''Song for a Raggy Boy'' (2003), a story about an Irish reform school. In 2006, he appeared opposite
Cate Blanchett
Catherine Elise Blanchett (; born 14 May 1969) is an Australian actor. Regarded as one of the finest performers of her generation, she is known for her versatile work across independent films, blockbusters, and the stage. She has received nu ...
and
Judi Dench
Dame Judith Olivia Dench (born 9 December 1934) is an English actress. Regarded as one of Britain's best actresses, she is noted for her versatile work in various films and television programmes encompassing several genres, as well as for her ...
in the film ''
Notes on a Scandal
''Notes on a Scandal'' (''What Was She Thinking? Notes on a Scandal'' in the U.S.) is a 2003 novel by Zoë Heller. It is about a female teacher at a London comprehensive school who begins an affair with an minor (law), underage pupil. Heller sai ...
.'' He plays the role of Steven Connolly, a schoolboy whose affair with his art teacher, Sheba Hart (played by Blanchett), leads to disaster. For the role, he earned a five figure sum, which he used to buy a home and pay for university.
In 2012 he appeared in the docudrama ''Saving The Titanic'' as electrician Albert Ervine, the youngest member of the engineering crew, which reunited him with ''Song for a Raggy Boy'' co-star
Chris Newman. In November 2012 he played the part of Nick Nickleby in the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
''. He re-teamed with director
in 2010. After completing his law degree, he returned to Ireland and worked at a building site while continuing to audition. As of 2016, Simpson worked as a hotel manager.