Karl Shiels (15 September 1971 – 15 July 2019) was an Irish actor of both stage and screen. His stage roles included ''

Henry IV, Part 1 ''Henry IV, Part 1'' (often written as ''1 Henry IV'') is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written no later than 1597. The play dramatises part of the reign of King Henry IV of England, beginning with the battle at ...

'', ''

Penelope Penelope ( ; Ancient Greek: Πηνελόπεια, ''Pēnelópeia'', or el, Πηνελόπη, ''Pēnelópē'') is a character in Homer's ''Odyssey.'' She was the queen of Ithaca and was the daughter of Spartan king Icarius and naiad Periboea. Pe ...

'', ''

At Swim-Two-Birds ''At Swim-Two-Birds'' is a 1939 novel by Irish writer Brian O'Nolan, writing under the pseudonym Flann O'Brien. It is widely considered to be O'Brien's masterpiece, and one of the most sophisticated examples of metafiction. The novel's title d ...

'', ''

The Spanish Tragedy ''The Spanish Tragedy, or Hieronimo is Mad Again'' is an Elizabethan tragedy written by Thomas Kyd between 1582 and 1592. Highly popular and influential in its time, ''The Spanish Tragedy'' established a new genre in English theatre, the reveng ...

'', ''

The Duchess of Malfi ''The Duchess of Malfi'' (originally published as ''The Tragedy of the Dutchesse of Malfy'') is a Jacobean revenge tragedy written by English dramatist John Webster in 1612–1613. It was first performed privately at the Blackfriars Theatre, ...

'', ''

The Shadow of a Gunman ''The Shadow of a Gunman'' is a 1923 tragicomedy play by Seán O'Casey set during the Irish War of Independence. It centres on the mistaken identity of a building tenant who is thought to be an IRA assassin. It is the first in O'Casey's "Dublin ...

'' and ''

This Lime Tree Bower ''This Lime Tree Bower'' is an early play by Conor McPherson. The title is taken from the 1797 poem of the same name by Samuel Taylor Coleridge.McNulty, Charles"Review: ‘This Lime Tree Bower’"''Variety'', May 24, 1999 Productions The play wa ...

''. His screen roles included ''

Fair City ''Fair City'' is an Irish television soap opera which has been broadcast on RTÉ One since 1989. Produced by the public service broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ), it first aired on Monday, 18 September 1989. It has won several award ...

'', ''

Peaky Blinders The Peaky Blinders were a street gang based in Birmingham, England, which operated from the 1880s until the 1910s. The group consisted largely of young criminals from lower- to middle-class backgrounds. They engaged in robbery, violence, racke ...

'' and ''

Batman Begins ''Batman Begins'' is a 2005 superhero film directed by Christopher Nolan and written by Nolan and David S. Goyer. The film is based on the DC Comics character Batman, it stars Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne / Batman, with Michael Caine, Liam ...

''. He died suddenly at the age of 47, with a play he had directed underway in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

and an ongoing screen role as

Robbie Quinn ''Fair City'' is an Irish television soap opera first broadcast on RTÉ One in 1989. The following is a list of characters who currently appear in the programme and a list of former characters, listed in order of first appearance. Some character ...

in ''Fair City''.

Career

He took up performance in the early 1990s, training with the

Gaiety School of Acting The Gaiety School of Acting (GSA) is a drama school located on Essex Street West in Temple Bar, Dublin, Ireland. It was founded by theatre director Joe Dowling in 1986. Organisation and location The Gaiety School of Acting was founded in 198 ...

. In 1998, he debuted with the

Abbey Theatre The Abbey Theatre ( ga, Amharclann na Mainistreach), also known as the National Theatre of Ireland ( ga, Amharclann Náisiúnta na hÉireann), in Dublin, Ireland, is one of the country's leading cultural institutions. First opening to the pu ...

. Among his stage theatre credits were ''

'', ''Beauty in a Broken Place'', ''

'' and ''The Barbaric Comedies'' (those four for the Abbey), ''

'', ''

'',

Conor McPherson Conor McPherson (born 6 August 1971) is an Irish playwright, screenwriter and director of stage and film. In recognition of his contribution to world theatre, McPherson was awarded a doctorate of Literature, Honoris Causa, in June 2013 by the Un ...

's ''

'' and

Mark O'Rowe Mark O'Rowe is an Irish playwright and screenwriter. Life Mark O'Rowe was born in 1970 in Dublin, Ireland, to parents Hugh and Patricia O'Rowe (to whom he dedicated his 1999 play, ''Howie the Rookie''). He grew up in Tallaght, a working class su ...

's ''Howie the Rookie'', as well as the

Druid Theatre Company The Druid Theatre Company, referred to as Druid, is an Irish theatre company, based in Galway, Ireland. As well as touring extensively across Ireland, the company's productions have played internationally to Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the ...

production of

Enda Walsh Enda Walsh (born 1967) is an Irish playwright. Biography Enda Walsh was born in Kilbarrack, North Dublin on February 7, 1967. His father ran a furniture shop and his mother had been an actress. He is the second youngest of six children. Wal ...

's ''

''. Shiels was artistic director of the Theatre Upstairs (above Lanigan's Bar on

Eden Quay Eden Quay () is one of the Dublin quays on the northern bank of the River Liffey in Dublin. The quay runs the bank between O'Connell Bridge and Butt Bridge. The quay is bisected by Marlborough Street and Rosie Hackett Bridge, roughly halfway ...

), and, before this, he had a company,

Semper Fi ''Semper fidelis'' () is a Latin phrase that means "always faithful" or "always loyal" (Fidelis or Fidelity). It is the motto of the United States Marine Corps, usually shortened to Semper Fi. It is also in use as a motto for towns, families, ...

. Among his screen credits were the films ''

'' and ''

Veronica Guerin Veronica Guerin (5 July 1958 – 26 June 1996) was an Irish crime reporter who was murdered by drug lords. Born in Dublin, she was an athlete in school and later played on the Irish national teams for both football and basketball. After stud ...

'', as well as the television series ''

'', ''

The Tudors ''The Tudors'' is a historical fiction television series set primarily in 16th-century England, created and written by Michael Hirst and produced for the American premium cable television channel Showtime. The series was a collaboration among ...

'', '' Into the Badlands'', '' Titanic: Blood and Steel'', '' The Clinic'' and ''

Doctors Doctor or The Doctor may refer to: Personal titles * Doctor (title), the holder of an accredited academic degree * A medical practitioner, including: ** Physician ** Surgeon ** Dentist ** Veterinary physician ** Optometrist *Other roles ** ...

''. He played

in the

soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...

'' between 2014 and his death in 2019. As Quinn he held many high-profile storylines alongside the actress Aisling O'Neill, who portrayed his on-screen lover

Carol Foley Carol Foley, previously Meehan (born 1968), is a Character (arts), fictional character in the Irish soap opera ''Fair City'', portrayed by Aisling O'Neill. O'Neill originally auditioned for the role of Ava Spillane. Carol is one of the main fem ...

. Quinn appeared on screen the night before his death in scenes with Carol, and also became embroiled in disputes with the characters Nora and Ray in the same episode. He had worked on set up to two days before dying, the break only coming about due to the arrival of the weekend. He had also been expected to play a leading role in the 30th anniversary episode, scheduled for September 2019.

Awards and nominations

In 1999, Shiels won Best Actor at the

Dublin Theatre Festival The Dublin Theatre Festival is Europe's oldest specialised theatre festival. It was founded by theatre impresario Brendan Smith in 1957 and has, with the exception of two years, produced a season of international and Irish theatre each autumn. ...

for his performance in ''Comedians''. In 2004, he was nominated in the Best Actor category at the

Irish Film and Television Academy The Irish Film & Television Academy (IFTA) is an all-Ireland organisation focused on film and television. It has about 1000 members, and is based in Dublin, with branches in London and Los Angeles. The IFTA now holds separate ceremonies for the ...

(IFTA) awards for his performance in ''Capital Letters''. In 2010, he was nominated in the Best Actor category at

The Stage Awards ''The Stage'' Awards are theatre awards created by ''The Stage'' to recognise and celebrate theatrical achievements across the UK and internationally. Established in 2011, the awards recognise accomplishments by West End theatres, regional theatr ...

. In 2011, he was nominated in the Best Actor category at ''

The Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is considered a newspaper ...

Theatre Awards Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...

. In 2013, ''The Irish Times'' Theatre Awards presented him with the Judge's Special Prize for his theatre work and involvement in developing fresh stage talent. In 2016, he was nominated in the Best Actor category at the IFTAs.

Personal life

Shiels was from

Chapelizod Chapelizod () is a village preserved within the city of Dublin, Ireland. It lies in the wooded valley of the River Liffey, near the Strawberry Beds and the Phoenix Park. The village is associated with Iseult of Ireland and the location of Iseult ...

. He was a cousin of ''

Twin Peaks ''Twin Peaks'' is an American Mystery fiction, mystery serial drama television series created by Mark Frost and David Lynch. It premiered on American Broadcasting Company, ABC on April 8, 1990, and originally ran for two seasons until its cance ...

'' actress

Amy Shiels thumb Amy Shiels (born 21 February 1991) is an Irish film and television actress who has appeared in the films '' Veronica Guerin'', '' Slaughter'', ''Twin Peaks'', and as Lunafreya Nox Fleuret in ''Final Fantasy XV''. Early life and family S ...

. He worked as an electrician until he turned to acting. In addition, Shiels directed the play ''Bullfight on Third Avenue'', which was running at the Bewley's Cafe Theatre when he died and was scheduled to run throughout the month.

Death

Karl Shiels died suddenly of

natural causes In many legal jurisdictions, the manner of death is a determination, typically made by the coroner, medical examiner, police, or similar officials, and recorded as a vital statistic. Within the United States and the United Kingdom, a distinct ...

on 15 July 2019, aged 47. His colleagues in ''Fair City'' were informed of his death that morning and the news was relayed to the public that lunchtime. Shiels was the second actor on the soap opera to die in less than a month, following the death of Tom Jordan a little over two weeks earlier in June.

Filmography

References

External links

Karl Shiels
at 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 to encourage film production, ...

*
In Pictures: Karl Shiels' ''Fair City'' timeline

In Pictures: Karl Shiels as Robbie on ''Fair City'' over the years
* Crawley, Peter
"Karl Shiels: remembering a singular figure on stage and screen – A passionate advocate for originality, he knew that theatre could be electrifying"
''

''. 16 July 2019. {{DEFAULTSORT:Shiels, Karl 1971 births 2019 deaths Artistic directors Irish electricians Irish male film actors Irish male soap opera actors Irish male Shakespearean actors Irish male stage actors Irish male television actors Irish theatre directors Male actors from Dublin (city) 21st-century Irish male actors