Nicholas Gleaves (born 2 January 1969) is an English actor and playwright.
Career
Gleaves's first theatre part was as an extra in ''
Don Carlos
''Don Carlos'' is a five-act grand opera composed by Giuseppe Verdi to a French-language libretto by Joseph Méry and Camille du Locle, based on the dramatic play '' Don Carlos, Infant von Spanien'' (''Don Carlos, Infante of Spain'') by Friedri ...
'' at the
Royal Exchange Theatre
The Royal Exchange is a grade II listed building in Manchester, England. It is located in the city centre on the land bounded by St Ann's Square, Exchange Street, Market Street, Cross Street and Old Bank Street. The complex includes the Royal ...
in
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
. He did several plays there including the lead in ''
Macbeth
''Macbeth'' (, full title ''The Tragedie of Macbeth'') is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. It is thought to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those w ...
''. When interviewed about this play, he said he never had the superstition that surrounded it, "...all that spitting and spinning round — it all seems like quite hard work".
He has been in many television shows since 1992;
Gleaves was Rick Powell in the television drama series ''
Playing the Field
''Playing the Field'' is a BBC television drama series following the lives of the Castlefield Blues, a fictitious female football team from South Yorkshire.
Outline
Inspired by Pete Davies's book ''I Lost My Heart to the Belles'' – which was ...
''. He had the role of Ray Fairburn in
Conviction
In law, a conviction is the verdict reached by a court of law finding a defendant guilty of a crime. The opposite of a conviction is an acquittal (that is, "not guilty"). In Scotland, there can also be a verdict of "not proven", which is consid ...
. Conviction was filmed at
Salford Lads' Club
Salford Lads' Club is a recreational club in the Ordsall area of Salford, Greater Manchester, England. The club, on the corner of St. Ignatius Walk and Coronation Street, was established in 1903 as a boys' club but today welcomes people of both ...
which delighted Gleaves because of the building's connection to
The Smiths
The Smiths were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1982. They comprised the singer Morrissey, the guitarist Johnny Marr, the bassist Andy Rourke and the drummer Mike Joyce. They are regarded as one of the most important acts to emerg ...
.
In ''
The Chase'', he was the father Tom Bedford. In 2009, he said the idea for ''
Survivors'', in which he played the scientist Whitaker, was "great".
He played DS Andy Roper in the first two series of ''
Scott & Bailey
''Scott & Bailey'' is a British police procedural series that debuted on ITV on 29 May 2011 and concluded on 27 April 2016. The series stars Suranne Jones, Lesley Sharp, Amelia Bullmore, Nicholas Gleaves, Danny Miller and Pippa Haywood. The s ...
''. Of this role, he said, "I've done quite a few cop shows and as much as I enjoy testosterone, shouting at villains and all that, I really fell in love with this. As soon as I read it I saw something new and original. That was one of the reasons why I wanted to be involved because it was so different and very believable."
Gleaves has also started to write shows for radio.
List of credits
Television
Film
Theatre
His theatre credits include:
*''
The Front Page
''The Front Page'' is a Broadway comedy about newspaper reporters on the police beat. Written by former Chicago reporters Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur, it was first produced in 1928 and has been adapted for the cinema several times.
Plot
The ...
''. This
Sam Mendes
Sir Samuel Alexander Mendes (born 1 August 1965) is a British film and stage director, producer, and screenwriter. In 2000, Mendes was appointed a CBE for his services to drama, and he was Knight Bachelor, knighted in the 2020 New Year Honour ...
production at the
Donmar
The Donmar Warehouse is a 251-seat, nonprofit organization, not-for-profit theatre in Covent Garden, London, England. It first opened on 18 July 1977.
Sam Mendes, Michael Grandage and Josie Rourke have all served as artistic director, a post ...
in 1997 had Gleaves as the newshound Wilson.
* Alan Jeffcote in ''
Hindle Wakes'' by
Stanley Houghton
William Stanley Houghton (22 February 1881 – 11 December 1913) was an English playwright. He was a prominent member, together with Allan Monkhouse and Harold Brighouse, of a group known as the Manchester School of dramatists. His best know ...
at the
Royal Exchange, Manchester
The Royal Exchange is a grade II listed building in Manchester, England. It is located in the city centre on the land bounded by St Ann's Square, Exchange Street, Market Street, Cross Street and Old Bank Street. The complex includes the Royal ...
. Directed by
Helena Kaut-Howson
Helena Kaut-Howson is a British theatre director.
Early life and education
Helena Kaut-Howson was born (as Helena Kaut) in 1940 in Lviv, which was then in Poland. She grew up in Wrocław, Poland. Her training as a director was first at the Po ...
(1996 and 1998).
* ''
On the Shore of the Wide World
''On the Shore of the Wide World'' is a play by English playwright Simon Stephens. It opened 18 April 2005, at the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester, under the direction of Sarah Frankcom. On May 26, the production transferred to the Cottesloe ...
''. In 2005, Gleaves portrayed the father Peter, first at the Royal Exchange Theatre and then at the
Royal National Theatre
The Royal National Theatre in London, commonly known as the National Theatre (NT), is one of the United Kingdom's three most prominent publicly funded performing arts venues, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal Opera House. I ...
. He was nominated for a
MEN Theatre Award in the category of best actor in a leading role.
* ''Macbeth''. He played the lead in 2009 production at the Royal Exchange Theatre.
*''
Dr Faustus''. 2010 saw him take on the role of Mephistophilis.
*''Chair''. In this 2012 production, Gleaves's part is that of a soldier.
Lyric Theatre Studio,
Hammersmith
Hammersmith is a district of West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, and identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.
...
.
*''The Saga of Noggin the Nog''. He played the nasty Uncle Nogbad in spring 2013.
Personal life
Originally from the
Halliwell
Halliwell is a surname. It may refer to:
People
* Bryn Halliwell (born 1980), English football goalkeeper
* Danny Halliwell (born 1981), rugby league footballer who played in the 2000s and 2010s
* David Halliwell (1936–2006), British dramatis ...
area of
Bolton
Bolton (, locally ) is a large town in Greater Manchester in North West England, formerly a part of Lancashire. A former mill town, Bolton has been a production centre for textiles since Flemish people, Flemish weavers settled in the area i ...
,
Lancashire
Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly.
The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...
, England, Gleaves attended
Sharples School
Sharples School is a co-educational secondary school located in the Sharples area of Bolton in the English county of Greater Manchester.
Established in 1974, the School celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2014.
Previously a community school a ...
from 1980 to 1985.
After completing his schooling, his mother made him attend a play and this sparked his interest in acting.
He is a fan of
The Smiths
The Smiths were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1982. They comprised the singer Morrissey, the guitarist Johnny Marr, the bassist Andy Rourke and the drummer Mike Joyce. They are regarded as one of the most important acts to emerg ...
and long time supporter of
Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers Football Club () is a professional football club based in Horwich, Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in . The club played at Burnden Park for 102 years from 1895 after moving from their original home at Pike's ...
.
Gleaves is married to actress
Lesley Sharp
Lesley Sharp is an English stage, film and television actress whose roles on British television include ''Clocking Off'' (2000–2001), '' Bob & Rose'' (2001) and ''Afterlife'' (2005–2006). She was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actres ...
. They have two sons and reside in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gleaves, Nicholas
1969 births
Living people
English male television actors
Actors from Bolton
20th-century English male actors
21st-century English male actors
English dramatists and playwrights