Collin Hurley (born 1957) is an English actor and a former member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, the National Theatre, and the

Shakespeare's Globe Shakespeare's Globe is a reconstruction of the Globe Theatre, an Elizabethan playhouse for which William Shakespeare wrote his plays, in the London Borough of Southwark, on the south bank of the River Thames. The original theatre was built in ...

company, specialising in performing the works of

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

Early career

Born in Leicester, Hurley first became interested in acting at Alderman Newton's Boys' School when he played Le Beau in '' As You Like It'' before going on to act in youth theatre, school plays and amateur dramatic societies. On leaving school in 1969 he spent ten years working in repertory theatres around the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

when his roles included the title role in ''

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

'',

Nero Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus; 15 December AD 37 – 9 June AD 68), was the fifth Roman emperor and final emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, reigning from AD 54 unti ...

in '' Britannicus'', Gus in ''

The Dumb Waiter ''The Dumb Waiter'' is a one-act play by Harold Pinter written in 1957. "Small but perfectly formed, ''The Dumb Waiter'' might be considered the best of Harold Pinter's early plays, more consistent than ''The Birthday Party'' and sharper tha ...

'', Tony Lumpkin in ''

She Stoops to Conquer ''She Stoops to Conquer'' is a comedy by Oliver Goldsmith, first performed in London in 1773. The play is a favourite for study by English literature and theatre classes in the English-speaking world. It is one of the few plays from the 18t ...

'', (

Salisbury Playhouse Salisbury Playhouse is a theatre in the English city of Salisbury, Wiltshire. It was built in 1976 and comprises the 517-seat Main House and the 149-seat Salberg, a rehearsal room and a community & education space. It is part of Arts Council En ...

), Ariel in '' The Tempest'' ( Gateway Theatre, Chester), the title role in ''

Henry V Henry V may refer to: People * Henry V, Duke of Bavaria (died 1026) * Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor (1081/86–1125) * Henry V, Duke of Carinthia (died 1161) * Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine (c. 1173–1227) * Henry V, Count of Luxembourg (1 ...

'',

The Black Prince Edward of Woodstock, known to history as the Black Prince (15 June 1330 – 8 June 1376), was the eldest son of King Edward III of England, and the heir apparent to the English throne. He died before his father and so his son, Richard II, su ...

in '' Edward III'' (

Theatr Clwyd Theatr Clwyd () is a regional arts centre and producing theatre from Mold, Flintshire, in North East Wales. It opened as Theatr Clwyd in 1976, but was known between 1998 and 2015 as Clwyd Theatr Cymru, before reverting to its original name. His ...

), Pip in '' Great Expectations'' (

Wolsey Theatre The New Wolsey Theatre is an award-winning producing theatre with a café & bar in Ipswich, Suffolk. It is a midsized regional theatre, having a seating capacity of 400. History It replaced The Arts Theatre, the town's much loved and respecte ...

, Ipswich) and Dromio of Syracuse in ''

The Comedy of Errors ''The Comedy of Errors'' is one of William Shakespeare's early plays. It is his shortest and one of his most farcical comedies, with a major part of the humour coming from slapstick and mistaken identity, in addition to puns and word play. ...

'' (

Bristol Old Vic Bristol Old Vic is a British theatre company based at the Theatre Royal, Bristol. The present company was established in 1946 as an offshoot of the Old Vic in London. It is associated with the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, which became a f ...

). He also worked with Communicado and The Custard Factory, playing Tyresius in ''

Antigone In Greek mythology, Antigone ( ; Ancient Greek: Ἀντιγόνη) is the daughter of Oedipus and either his mother Jocasta or, in another variation of the myth, Euryganeia. She is a sister of Polynices, Eteocles, and Ismene.Roman, L., & R ...

'', Johnnie in ''Hello and Goodbye'', and the Farrant twins in ''Corpse!'' for

Vienna's English Theatre Vienna's English Theatre ''(VET),'' located in Vienna, Austria, is the oldest and most established English-language theatre in continental Europe. History It was founded in 1963 by the Austrian director Franz Schafranek and his American wife, ...

. He then studied at the

Central School of Speech and Drama The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama was founded by Elsie Fogerty in 1906, as The Central School of Speech Training and Dramatic Art, to offer a new form of training in speech and drama for young actors and other students. It became a ...

, graduating in 1981.

Shakespeare and other roles

A regular performer at

, his stage roles there include ''

The Golden Ass The ''Metamorphoses'' of Apuleius, which Augustine of Hippo referred to as ''The Golden Ass'' (''Asinus aureus''), is the only ancient Roman novel in Latin to survive in its entirety. The protagonist of the novel is Lucius. At the end of the no ...

'' (2001-2), Lucio in '' Measure for Measure'' (2003-4), ''

Troilus and Cressida ''Troilus and Cressida'' ( or ) is a play by William Shakespeare, probably written in 1602. At Troy during the Trojan War, Troilus and Cressida begin a love affair. Cressida is forced to leave Troy to join her father in the Greek camp. Meanwh ...

'' (2004-5), Autolychus in '' The Winter’s Tale'' (2004-5), Louis VI in ''

In Extremis ''In extremis'' is a Latin phrase meaning "in the farthest reaches" or "at the point of death." In extremis or extremis may also refer to: * ''Extremis'' (2005–2006), a six-issue story arc from the Marvel Comics series ''Iron Man'' (vol. 4), p ...

'' (2006-7), '' Henry VIII'' (2010), Cardinal Wolsey and Henry Barrow in ''

Anne Boleyn Anne Boleyn (; 1501 or 1507 – 19 May 1536) was Queen of England from 1533 to 1536, as the second wife of King Henry VIII. The circumstances of her marriage and of her execution by beheading for treason and other charges made her a key ...

'' (2010), Lavatch in '' All's Well That Ends Well'' (2011), and Stanley/King Edward IV in '' Richard III'' (2012), which transferred to Broadway (2013). Other appearances include Dennis in '' Loot'' at the Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith (1992), Andrey Prozorov in '' Three Sisters Two'' at the

Orange Tree Theatre The Orange Tree Theatre is a 180-seat theatre at 1 Clarence Street, Richmond in south-west London, which was built specifically as a theatre in the round. It is housed within a disused 1867 primary school, built in Victorian Gothic style. T ...

(2002), The Actor in '' The Woman in Black'' at the

Fortune Theatre The Fortune Theatre is a 432-seat West End theatre on Russell Street, near Covent Garden, in the City of Westminster. Since 1989 the theatre has hosted the long running play ''The Woman in Black''. History The site was acquired by author, playw ...

(2003), David in ''Here’s What I Did With My Body One Day'' at the

Pleasance Theatre The Pleasance is a theatre, bar, sports and recreation complex in Edinburgh, Scotland, situated on a street of the same name. It is owned by the University of Edinburgh, and for nine months of the year it serves the Edinburgh University Stude ...

(2004), and Sir Toby Belch in ''

Twelfth Night ''Twelfth Night'', or ''What You Will'' is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night's entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins Vi ...

'' in the West End (2012) and on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

(2013). With the Royal Shakespeare Company he appeared as

Lord Byron George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron (22 January 1788 – 19 April 1824), known simply as Lord Byron, was an English romantic poet and peer. He was one of the leading figures of the Romantic movement, and has been regarded as among the ...

in '' Camino Real'' (1996), as Horatio in ''

'' (1998), Ulysses in ''

'' (1998) and Herr Schaaf in '' A Month in the Country'' (1999).Hurley on the Chichester Festival Theatre website
With the National Theatre Hurley appeared as Henry Earl of Richmond/Lord Grey in '' Richard III'' (1990), as Gentleman in ''

King Lear ''King Lear'' is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare. It is based on the mythological Leir of Britain. King Lear, in preparation for his old age, divides his power and land between two of his daughters. He becomes destitute and insane ...

'' (1990), ''Remember This'', '' Wild Oats'' (1995), '' The Oedipus Plays'', Davison in '' Mary Stuart'' (1996), and ''

The Good Person of Szechwan ''The Good Person of Szechwan'' (german: Der gute Mensch von Sezuan, first translated less literally as ''The Good Man of Setzuan'') is a play written by the German dramatist Bertolt Brecht, in collaboration with Margarete Steffin and Ruth Berlau ...

''.

Film and TV

His television appearances include

David Copperfield ''David Copperfield'' Dickens invented over 14 variations of the title for this work, see is a novel in the bildungsroman genre by Charles Dickens, narrated by the eponymous David Copperfield, detailing his adventures in his journey from inf ...

in ''

'' (1986), Prisoner 1 in '' The Storyteller'' (1988), Prisoner #1 in ''

The Jim Henson Hour ''The Jim Henson Hour'' is a television series that aired on NBC in 1989. It was developed as a showcase for The Jim Henson Company's various puppet creations, including the Muppet characters. Nine of the twelve episodes produced aired on NBC bef ...

'' (1989), Ian Harper in '' Hero Hungry'' (1990), Ray Murray in '' The Chief'' (1994), Colin Hastings in ''

The Bill ''The Bill'' is a British police procedural television series, first broadcast on ITV from 16 August 1983 until 31 August 2010. The programme originated from a one-off drama, '' Woodentop'', broadcast in August 1983. The programme focused o ...

'' (2000), Keith Jordan in ''

Peak Practice ''Peak Practice'' is a British drama television series, series about a General Practice, GP surgery in Cardale—a small List of fictional towns in television, fictional town in the Derbyshire Peak District—and the Physician, doctors who wor ...

'' (2000), Desk Sergeant in ''

The Infinite Worlds of H. G. Wells ''The Infinite Worlds of H. G. Wells'' is a four-hour television miniseries conceived by Nick Willing and released in 2001 by the Hallmark Channel. It is based on a number of short stories by H. G. Wells, and in some territories was titled ''Th ...

'' (2001), and Glyn Hollis in '' Holby City'' (2003).Hurley
on the

Internet Movie Database IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...

Colin also made an appearance in Dreamland in 2023. His film roles include Grandpré in ''

'' (1989), Blake in ''

Black Pond ''Black Pond'' is a low-budget independent film by young British directors Tom Kingsley and Will Sharpe. The film was nominated for the 2012 BAFTA Outstanding British Debut Award. The film stars Chris Langham in his first acting role since he ...

'' (2011), and Lavatch in '' All's Well That Ends Well'' (2012). Hurley also wrote the plays ''House'' and ''Shuffling Off'' which were performed at the New Grove Theatre and also has written two short films, ''Bruised Fruit'' and ''Billy Badmouth''. He plays the role of Barry in ''

Flowers A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism ...

'' for Kudos on Channel 4.

References

External links

Hurley
on the

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery (United Kingdom), National Lot ...

website
Hurley on the Chichester Festival Theatre website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hurley, Colin 1951 births Living people People from Leicester Alumni of the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama English male television actors English male film actors English male stage actors Royal Shakespeare Company members English dramatists and playwrights English male Shakespearean actors English male dramatists and playwrights