Hugo Speer
{{Short description|English actor and director}}
{{Use British English|date=November 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Hugo Speer
| image =
| caption =
| birth_name = Hugo Alexander Speer
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=y|1968|03|17}}
| birth_place = Harrogate, West Riding of Yorkshire,{{efn|Before 1 April 1974 Harrogate was in the West Riding of Yorkshire.}} England
| spouse = {{marriage|Vivienne Harvey|19 February 2015}}
| occupation = Actor, director
| years_active = 1992–present
| education = Harrogate Grammar School
Arts Educational Schools, London
}}
Hugo Alexander Speer (born 17 March 1968) is an English actor and director. He is best known for playing Guy in The Full Monty (1997), Inspector Valentine in Father Brown (2013–2014), Captain Treville in The Musketeers (2014–2016), Lucius in Britannia (2017–2019), Frank Young in Marcella (2018–2020) and DI David Bradford in London Kills (2019–present).
Early life and education
Hugo Speer was born in Harrogate in the then West Riding of Yorkshire and educated at Harrogate Grammar School.{{cite news|last=Robinson|first=Stuart|title=Drink-drive actor Hugo Speer stripped of his driving licence|newspaper=Yorkshire Evening Post|date=18 July 2009}} He studied acting at the Arts Educational Schools, London.
{{cite news |last=Beacom |first=Brian |title=Star Profile: Hugo Speer |newspaper=Evening Times |location=Glasgow |date=16 August 2001 |page=21}}
Career
=Acting=
Speer began his acting career appearing in the TV series McCallum,{{cite web|url=http://www.hellomagazine.com/profiles/hugo-speer/|title=Hugo Speer |work=Hello!|date=8 October 2009 |access-date=26 May 2016}} The Bill,{{cite web |url=http://www.buddytv.com/info/hugo-speer-info.aspx |title=Hugo Speer Biography |publisher=BuddyTV |access-date=26 May 2016}} and Heartbeat. He played a minor role in the film Bhaji on the Beach before his first notable appearance as Guy in the film The Full Monty. Following this film's worldwide success he went on to appear in Swing (1999), Deathwatch and The Interpreter (playing Nicole Kidman's brother). However, most of his work has been on TV, including sitcom Men Behaving Badly, dramas Clocking Off, The Last Detective, Boudica (2003), and The Rotters' Club (2005), as well as the 2005 BBC adaptation of Dickens' Bleak House. In 2006, he appeared in the postal worker drama Sorted. In 2008, he starred alongside Martine McCutcheon in Echo Beach. In 2011 he played a repairman whose repairs "come to life" in the supernatural drama Haven, based on a Stephen King story. Speer also provides narration for ITV series, Cops with Cameras, Channel 5's The Bachelor, Channel 4 series 999: What's Your Emergency? and the BBC series Seaside Rescue.
He appears as John Foster in the penultimate and final episodes of the fourth series of Skins.
Hugo Speer also narrated a factual programme on Discovery HD called Gold Divers,{{cite web |url=http://www.discoveryuk.com/shows/gold-divers/ |title=Gold Divers |work=Discovery UK |access-date=26 May 2016}} and Alaska: The Last Frontier.{{cite web |title=Alaska: The Last Frontier |url=http://www.yaketyyak.co.uk/news/alaska-the-last-frontier |website=Yakety Yak |access-date=27 May 2020}}
Since 2010 he has played the lead character of DCI John Stone in eight series of the BBC Radio 4 police drama Stone.{{cite web|url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b09m370r|title = Stone|publisher = BBC Radio 4|access-date = 10 January 2019}} From 2013 to 2014 he starred as Inspector Valentine in the new version of Father Brown on BBC TV in the first series and the first episode of the second series. He made a return appearance in the 2020 episode 8.10 "The Tower of Lost Souls"
Starting in 2014, Speer appeared as Captain Treville in The Musketeers.{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/mediapacks/musketeers/hugo-speer |title=Interview with Hugo Speer |work=BBC Media Centre |access-date=26 May 2016}} The series concluded in 2016.
Since 2018 he has played the character Lucius in the historical fantasy drama series Britannia, which is produced by Sky Atlantic and Amazon Prime.{{cite web |last1=McLennan |first1=Cindy |title=Britannia: Season Two; British Historical Fantasy Series Renewed |url=https://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/britannia-season-two-british-historical-fantasy-series-renewed/ |website=canceled + renewed TV shows – TV Series Finale |access-date=27 May 2020 |date=16 March 2018}}
=Directing=
In 2010 Hugo Speer made his directorial début with the short film MAM starring Josie Lawrence, Paul Barber and Ronan Carter. The family drama about a 12-year-old boy was scripted by Vivienne Harvey. It was produced by Vigo Films and shot mostly in Sheffield.{{cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1730304/ |title=Mam (2010) |date=1 November 2010 |publisher=IMDb |access-date=26 May 2016}}
Personal life
On 19 February 2015, Speer married Glaswegian actress, writer and director Vivienne Harvey.
In 2009, Speer was involved in a car accident when his BMW crashed into a traffic island while driving after drinking over the legal limit. He was returning from a wake. No one was hurt in the incident and Speer was banned from driving for eighteen months.{{cite news |title=North Yorks actor, Hugo Speer, banned from roads for drink-driving |url=https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/4499358.north-yorks-actor-hugo-speer-banned-roads-drink-driving/ |access-date=16 May 2020 |work=The Northern Echo |date=17 July 2009 |language=en}}
Speer moved to London after his success in The Full Monty and lived there for fifteen years but moved back to his native North Yorkshire. His pastimes include falconry, walking and music. He is a supporter of Leeds United.{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2005/08_august/18/messiah_speer.shtml |title=Messiah series four press pack Hugo Speer |date=8 August 2005|work=BBC Press Office |access-date=26 May 2016}}
He is friends with fellow actor Andrew Scarborough, whom he worked with in the Hearts and Bones for two series. Speer and Scarborough have known each other since they were children.{{cite news |url=https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-76672961.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201032737/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-76672961.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=1 December 2017 |title=Andy Gets a Kick out of Life; Acting Is Simply Child's Play for Andrew Scarborough after Renewing an Old Pals Act in Top BBC Drama Hearts and Bones |newspaper=Daily Record |location=Glasgow |date=21 July 2001 |publisher=HighBeam Research |access-date=26 May 2016}}
=Misconduct allegations=
In July 2022, Speer was sacked from a planned follow-up television version of The Full Monty made by Disney+ following allegations of "inappropriate conduct". A spokesperson for the actor said Speer denied the allegations and would challenge them.[https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/jul/02/hugo-speer-sacked-from-full-monty-reboot-for-inappropriate-conduct Hugo Speer sacked from Full Monty reboot over ‘inappropriate conduct’ claims] The Guardian, 2 July 2022. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
In June 2023, Speer elaborated his side of the story to The Daily Mail. He claimed that a female runner had walked in on him in his trailer whilst he was naked.{{Cite web|last=Frost|first=Caroline|date=3 June 2023|title='Full Monty' Actor Reveals He Was Sacked From Disney TV Series After Runner Saw Him Naked In Trailer|url=https://deadline.com/2023/06/full-monty-hugo-speer-sacked-disney-tv-series-runner-saw-him-naked-trailer-1235399590/#comments|access-date=4 June 2023|website=Deadline}}
Filmography
=Film=
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! Notes |
|---|
| 1993
| Andy / white youth | |
| 1994
|Mainline Run |Taro | |
| 1997
|Guy | |
| 1999
|Martin 'Marty' Luxford | |
| 2001
|Barnie et ses petites contrariétés |Mark | |
| 2002
|Sgt. David Tate | |
| 2003
|Dervalloc | |
| 2005
|Simon Broome | |
| 2010
|Joe | |
| 2011
|Peter | |
| 2012
|Chiapas the Heart of Coffee |John | |
| 2013
|Mr. H | |
| 2016
|When I Grow Up... |Sergeant James |Short film |
| 2019
|Trick or Treat |The Comedian | |
=Television=
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable"|Notes |
|---|
| 1992–1996
|Dave Williamson (1992) /Sean Tranter (1996) |2 episodes |
| 1993
|Nick Bailey |1 episode |
| 1993–2009
|Chris Rawlings (1993) / Vic Needham (2009) |“Wall of Silence” (1993), “Deadlier Than The Male” (2009) |
| 1994
|Terry |1 episode |
| 1996
|Mayles |1 episode |
| rowspan="3"|1997
|Dr. Aidan Petit |3 episodes |
| Men Behaving Badly
|Tony 2 |1 episode |
| The Drew Carey Show
|Himself |1 episode |
| 1998
|An Englishman in New York |Davey |Television film |
| 1999
|Shockers: Ibiza – £99 Return |Alex |Television film |
| 2000–2001
|Richard Rose |12 episodes |
| 2001
|Nicholas |Miniseries, 2 episodes |
| rowspan="2"|2002
|Green-Eyed Monster |Ray |Television film |
| An Angel for May
|Bob Harris |Television film |
| rowspan="4"|2003
|The Debt |DS Edward 'Ed' Foster |Television film |
| 40
|Robert / Rob |Miniseries, 3 episodes |
| Clocking Off
|Stuart Savage |1 episode |
| Sons & Lovers
|Walter Morel |Television film |
| rowspan="4"|2005
|Sergeant George |Miniseries, 10 episodes |
| Messiah: The Harrowing
|DI Jack Price |Miniseries, 3 episodes |
| The Last Detective
|Sergeant Stephen Kay |Episode: "Towpaths of Glory" |
| The Rotters' Club
|Bill Anderton |Miniseries, 3 episodes |
| rowspan="2"|2006
|Charlie King |6 episodes |
| Love Lies Bleeding
|Stuart Milburn |Television film |
| rowspan="2"|2007
|Mr. H |Miniseries, 2 episodes |
| Silent Witness
|DI Dan Jennings |“Double Dare: Part 1 & 2” |
| rowspan="4"|2008
|Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple |James Abbot |“Murder Is Easy” |
| Echo Beach
|Mark Penwarden |12 episodes |
| Moving Wallpaper
| Hugo Speer as himself | Episode: #1.6, #1.12 |
| Moving Wallpaper: The Mole
| Hugo Speer as himself | Episode: #1.9 |
| 2009
|Ron Cassidy |“So Long Baby” |
| rowspan="3"|2010
|Dave |“Losing My Religion” |
| Skins
|John Foster |“Effy”, “Everyone” |
| Five Days
|Supt. James Carpenter |4 episodes |
| rowspan="4" |2011
|DI Charlie Hulme |1 episode |
| Haven
|Louis Pufahl |1 episode |
| Vera
|Keith Mantel |Episode: “Telling Tales” |
| Midsomer Murders
|Geoff Rogers |“Not in My Backyard” |
| 2011–2012
|Warren Bettany / Warren |12 episode |
| 2012
|Various sketch show characters |3 episodes |
| 2013
|Common Ground |Jack |Television short, 1 episode |
| 2013–2014, 2020
|Inspector Valentine / Chief Inspector Valentine |12 episodes |
| 2014–2016
|Treville / Minister Treville |28 episodes |
| 2017–2019
|Lucius |13 episodes |
| 2018–2020
|Frank Young |9 episodes |
| 2019–
|DI David Bradford |3 series, 15 episodes |
| 2021
|Lieutenant Bohdan |4 episodes |
| 2023
|Guy |4 episodes |
Notes
{{notelist}}
References
{{Reflist|30em}}
External links
- {{IMDb name|0817563|Hugo Speer}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Speer, Hugo}}
Category:Actors educated at the Arts Educational Schools
Category:English male film actors
Category:English male television actors
Category:Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Screen Actors Guild Award winners
Category:Male actors from Harrogate
Category:English male radio actors
Category:English film directors
Category:20th-century English male actors