Conleth Hill
{{short description|Northern Irish actor (born 1964)}}
{{EngvarB|date=July 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2016}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Conleth Hill
| image = Conleth Hill by Gage Skidmore 3.jpg
| imagesize = 220px
| caption = Hill at the 2017 San Diego Comic-Con
| birthname = Conleth Seamus Eoin Croiston Hill
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1964|11|24}}
| birth_place = Ballycastle, County Antrim, Northern Ireland
| occupation = Actor
| spouse =
| yearsactive = 1986–present
| website =
| awards = Olivier Award for Best Actor
2001: Stones in His Pockets
2005: The Producers
}}
Conleth Seamus Eoin Croiston Hill (born 24 November 1964) is a Northern Irish actor. He has performed on stage in productions in the UK, Ireland, Canada and the US. He has won two Laurence Olivier Awards and received two Tony Award nominations. He is best known for his role as Varys in the HBO series Game of Thrones (2011–2019).{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/WatchersOTWall/status/501742477842190338|title=Carice van Houten heads back to Westeros, and new photos from Lokrum and Moneyglass|work=Watchers on the Wall|date=19 August 2014|access-date=4 October 2014}}
Early life
Conleth Hill was born in Ballycastle in County Antrim, Northern Ireland.{{cite web|url=http://www.whatsonstage.com/west-end-theatre/news/01-2005/20-questions-withconleth-hill_24475.html|title=20 Questions With…Conleth Hill|author=Editorial Staff|date=10 January 2005|website=whatsonstage|access-date=27 February 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150111062031/http://www.whatsonstage.com/west-end-theatre/news/01-2005/20-questions-withconleth-hill_24475.html|archive-date=11 January 2015}} He has an older brother who works as a cameraman, a sister who is a producer, and a younger brother, Ronan, who is a sound engineer who has won four Emmy Awards for his sound mixing on Game of Thrones.{{cite news|url=http://www.irishnews.com/news/northernirelandnews/2016/09/12/news/ronan-hill-co-antrim-man-wins-third-emmy-for-game-of-thrones-690744|title=Ronan Hill wins his third Emmy award for work on Game of Thrones |work= The Irish News|access-date=28 August 2017}}{{cite web|url=http://www.audiomediainternational.com/interview/interview-ronan-hill-game-of-thrones-production-sound-mixer/05018|website=audiomediainternational.com|title=Interview: Ronan Hill, Game of Thrones production sound mixer|access-date=26 February 2017|archive-date=12 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170812100353/http://www.audiomediainternational.com/interview/interview-ronan-hill-game-of-thrones-production-sound-mixer/05018|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=http://www.emmys.com/bios/ronan-hill|publisher=emmys.com|title=Ronan Hill |website=Television Academy|access-date=26 February 2017}}{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-19616853|publisher=bbc.co.uk|title=Emmy Award success for local Game of Thrones sound crew |work= BBC News|access-date=26 February 2017}}{{cite web|url=http://www.iftn.ie/news/?act1=record&only=1&aid=73&rid=4289032&tpl=archnews&force=1|website=iftn.ie|title=Third consecutive CAS Award for Game of Thrones Sound Mixer Ronan Hill |publisher=The Irish Film & Television Network|access-date=26 February 2017}}{{cite web|url=https://northernirelandscreen.co.uk/news/14317/ronan-hill-wins-fourth-consecutive-cinema-audio-society-award.aspx|website=northernirelandscreen.co.uk|title=Ronan Hill wins fourth consecutive Cinema Audio Society award|access-date=28 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170227062349/https://northernirelandscreen.co.uk/news/14317/ronan-hill-wins-fourth-consecutive-cinema-audio-society-award.aspx|archive-date=27 February 2017|url-status=dead}}
Hill attended St MacNissi's College, Garron Tower and graduated from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama's (Clothworkers Company Scholar) acting programme in 1989.{{Cite web|url=https://www.gsmd.ac.uk/fileadmin/user_upload/files/Support_the_School/Play_AW17_digital.pdf|title=PLAY magazine Autumn-Winter 2017}}
Career
Hill made his Broadway debut in Marie Jones' Stones in His Pockets. For his work in the Canadian production of the play he received a Dora Mavor Moore Award.{{cite news|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/billy-budd-sails-to-six-dora-wins/article4149928|title=Billy Budd sails to six Dora wins|access-date=28 August 2017|work=The Globe and Mail}} He played the German professor Max Staefel in a television adaptation of Goodbye, Mr Chips (2002). He played "Mum" to Peter Kay's character, Geraldine McQueen, in Peter Kay's Britain's Got the Pop Factor... and Possibly a New Celebrity Jesus Christ Soapstar Superstar Strictly on Ice,{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zGleCAAAQBAJ&pg=PT515 |title=Collection Editions: A Game of Thrones: An Inside Guide to the Hit Show|isbn=9781326097912|last=Buckland|first=Damien|date=25 November 2014|publisher=Lulu.com }} a spoof on the talent show genre of programmes. He also played the role of Edward Darby in the television series Suits, alongside his Game of Thrones co-star, Michelle Fairley.
From 2011 to 2019, Hill appeared as Varys in the television series Game of Thrones, based on George R. R. Martin's novel series A Song of Ice and Fire. Martin hinted, in a February 2013 post on his website, that he thought Hill would be a good choice to play the title character in a TV show based on Martin's science fiction novel Tuf Voyaging.{{cite web|url=http://grrm.livejournal.com/311788.html|title=Not A Blog – Tuf Returns|website=livejournal.com|access-date=27 February 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150318072834/http://grrm.livejournal.com/311788.html |archive-date=18 March 2015}} He also appeared as Carlos Santini in Season 3, Episode 4 of Derry Girls.{{cite news|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/derry_girls/s03/e04 |title=Derry Girls: Season 3, Episode 4 - Rotten Tomatoes }}
Filmography
=Films=
| class="wikitable" border="1" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! Notes |
|---|
| 1994
| A Man You Don't Meet Every Day | Michael | |
| 1998
| Coulter | Also known as Dead Man's Girl (DVD) |
| 2003
| Robert (Teacher) | |
| rowspan="3" | 2009
| Brockman | |
| Perrier's Bounty
| Russ | |
| National Theatre Live: All's Well That End's Well
| Parolles | |
| rowspan="3" | 2011
| Paddy | Short film |
| National Theatre Live: The Cherry Orchard
| Lopakhin | |
| Salmon Fishing in the Yemen
| Bernard Sugden | |
| rowspan="2" | 2012
| Barber | Also known as Stand Off (North America) |
| Keith Lemon: The Film
| Delivery Man | |
| rowspan="3" | 2014
| Jackie Fullerton | |
| Serena
| Dr. Chaney | |
| The Good Word
| Da Taggart | Short film |
| rowspan="2" | 2015
| Two Down | Harry Montague | |
| A Patch of Fog
| Sandy Duffy | |
| rowspan="2" | 2016
| The Truth Commissioner | Johnny Rafferty | |
| Two Angry Men
| Ritchie McKee | Short film |
| 2017
| National Theatre Live: Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? | George | |
| 2018
| The Isle | Douglas Innis | (Also executive producer) |
| 2019
| |
| rowspan="2" | 2020
| Herself | Aido Deveney | |
| Here Are the Young Men
| Mark Kearney | |
| rowspan="2" | 2021
| Marty Ritt | |
| Infinitum: Subject Unknown
| Professor Aaron Östergaard | |
| 2023
| Tell Me a Creepy Story | Da Taggart | (Segment: The Good Word) |
| 2026
| Three Bags Full: A Sheep Detective Movie | {{TBA}} | Post-production |
=Television=
| class="wikitable" border="1" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! Notes |
|---|
| 1988
| Boon | Second Pupil | Series 3; Episode 7: "Honourable Service" |
| 1988
| Casualty | Rob | Series 4; Episode 4: "Day Off" |
| rowspan="2" | 1990
| Soldier | Series 5; Episode 4: "The Englishman's Wife" |
| Medics
| Liam McGuinness | Series 1; Episode 4: "Niall" |
| rowspan="3" | 1992
| Bunch of Five | Roache | Episode 2: "Blue Heaven" (Pilot for series Blue Heaven) |
| On the Up
| Deliveryman | Series 3; Episode 1: "The Golf Tournament" |
| Screen One
| Neil | Series 4; Episode 8: "Trust Me" |
| 1993
| The Bill | Michael White | Series 9; Episode 40: "Hard Evidence" |
| rowspan="2" | 1994
| Roache | Episodes 1–6 |
| Lit by Love and Sunshine
| Narrator |
| rowspan="2" | 1995
| Casualty | Theo | Series 9; Episode 24: "Duty of Care" |
| Crown Prosecutor
| Neville Osborn | Episode 9 |
| 1996
| Out of the Deep Pan | Derek | Television film |
| 2000
| Meaningful Sex | Carl | Television short film |
| 2001
| TV to Go | Con | Series 1; Episode 2 |
| 2002
| Max Staefel | Television film |
| rowspan="2" | 2007
| Various roles | Episodes 1–3 |
| The Life and Times of Vivienne Vyle
| Jared | Episodes 1–6 |
| 2008
| Britain's Got the Pop Factor... | Geraldine's Mum | Television film (Reality show parody by Peter Kay) |
| 2011–2019
| Lord Varys | Recurring role (season 1), main role (seasons 2–8); 46 episodes |
| 2012
| Sharon's Dad | Series 3; Episode 11: "Sharon Horgan's Little Cracker: The Week Before Christmas" |
| 2013
| Suits | Edward Darby | Seasons 2 & 3 (6 episodes) |
| rowspan="3" | 2014
| Stevie | Series 1; Episode 3: "Tom & Gerri" |
| That Day We Sang
| Frank | Television film |
| Sherlock
| Uncredited role | Episode: "The Empty Hearse" |
| rowspan="2" | 2015
| Sir Ian Woodhead | Series 8; Episode 3: "Elise" |
| Arthur & George
| Sergeant Upton | Mini-series; Episodes 1–3 |
| rowspan="2" | 2017
| Reverend Anthony Huxley | Series 2; Episode 2: "Playing with Fire" |
| Peter Kay's Car Share
| Elsie | Series 2; Episode 2: "The Smurf" |
| rowspan="3" | 2018
| Dave Allen at Peace | John Tynan-O'Mahony | Television film |
| 12 Monkeys
| Interpol Agent Bonham | Series 4; Episodes 2 & 3: "Ouroboros" and "45 RPM" |
| Hang Ups
| Jon Pitt | 4 episodes |
| rowspan="2" | 2019
| Dr. Edward Mullen | Series 9; Episodes 4 & 6: "Paint It Black" and "Equilibrium" |
| Dublin Murders
| Superintendent O'Kelly | Episodes 1–8 |
| 2019–2024
| Mendel Liebermann | Series 1–4 (11 episodes) |
| rowspan="5" | 2022
| Alan Conway | Episodes 1–6 |
| St. Mungo's
| Pronsias Stevenson | Television film |
| Holding
| Sgt. PJ Collins | Episodes 1–4 |
| Why Didn't They Ask Evans?
| Dr. Alwyn Thomas | Mini-series; Episode 1 |
| Derry Girls
| Carlos Santini | Series 3; Episode 4: "The Haunting" |
| rowspan="2" | 2023
| Martin Parker | Series 1; Episodes 1–6{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/mediapacks/the-power-of-parker|title=The Power of Parker comes to BBC One and BBC iPlayer from Friday 28 July|website=bbc.co.uk|access-date=24 July 2023}} |
| The Lovers
| Philip | Episodes 1 & 6 |
| rowspan="4" | 2024
| Pope Gregory XIII | Series 1; Episode 3: "Destroyer of Worlds" |
| Inside No. 9
| Party Guest | Series 9; Episode 6: "Plodding On" |
| The Cleaner
| Brennan | Series 3; Episode 4: "The Lighthouse" |
| Moonflower Murders
| Alan Conway |
| 2025
|Suspect: The Shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes |Episodes 1–4 |
=Video games=
| class="wikitable sortable"
!Year !Title !Voice role !Notes !{{Abbr|Ref.|Reference}} |
| 2012
| Lord Varys | Based on the TV series of the same name | |
=Audio books=
| class="wikitable" border="1" |
| Year
! Book ! Character ! Publisher !{{Abbr|Ref.|Reference}} |
|---|
| 2008
| Tamburlaine: Shadow of God by John Fletcher | Hafez | rowspan="2" | BBC Worldwide Ltd. |
| 2009
| Zurich (The Wire) by Pearse Elliott | Narrator |