Steve Speirs
{{Short description|Welsh actor and writer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2021}}
{{Use British English|date=July 2012}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Steve Speirs
| image =
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| birth_name = Steven Roberts
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1965|2|22|df=y}}
| birth_place = Troedyrhiw, Glamorgan, Wales
| death_date =
| death_place =
| occupation = {{hlist|Actor|writer}}
| years_active = 1989–present
| spouse =
| family =
| domesticpartner =
| website =
| awards =
}}
Steve Speirs (born Steven Roberts; 22 February 1965){{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0818648/ |title=Steve Speirs |publisher=IMDb}} is a Welsh actor and writer who has appeared in films such as Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest.
Early life
He was born as Steven Roberts in Troed-y-rhiw, a village now in the borough of Merthyr Tydfil, Wales,{{cite news |title=Steve Spiers the Welshman who wowed Rick Gervais |url=http://www.walesonline.co.uk/lifestyle/showbiz/steve-spiers-welshman-who-wowed-1923902 |work=Wales Online |date=17 April 2010 |access-date=11 September 2016 |first=David |last=Owens}} and went to school at Afon Taf High School where he found a taste for drama. He joined the National Youth Theatre of Wales and studied drama at Loughborough University.{{cite news |first=Rob |last=Driscoll |title=Tinseltown's gain is Hoover's loss; Valleys-born Steve Speirs cuts a dash in big-budget romp The Musketeer |url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Tinseltown's+gain+is+Hoover's+loss%3B+Valleys-born+Steve+Speirs+cuts+a...-a087403188 |newspaper=Western Mail |date=15 June 2002 |access-date=11 September 2016 |via=The Free Library}} He says he took his stage name, Speirs, from the surname of a lecturer at college.{{cite news |first=Sandra |last=Loy |title=Welsh actor Steve Speirs: You'll probably see more of him this Christmas than you'll see of your own family |url=http://www.walesonline.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/youll-see-more-welsh-actor-8318362 |work=Wales Online |date=21 December 2014 |access-date=11 September 2016}}
Career
Since graduating from university, Speirs has played Sloan in Eragon, Andy Fellows in Making Waves and with Ricky Gervais in Extras, as well as playing Captain Tarpals in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace and having a small role in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest.
He appears in Kröd Mändoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire, a comedy fantasy series in which he plays Loquasto, an oafish servant, "who belongs to a race of pig-like creatures known as Grobble".{{cite web |url=http://www.comedycentral.com/shows/krod_mandoon/characters/index.jhtml |title=Original TV Shows, Reality TV Shows |work=Comedy Central |date=30 September 2016 |access-date=21 December 2016 |publisher=Comedy Partners |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091206194050/http://www.comedycentral.com:80/shows/krod_mandoon/characters/index.jhtml |archive-date=6 December 2009}}
He wrote his first film, Caught in the Act, in 2008 and starred in it as the lead character. Based on his memories of growing up in south Wales, it was filmed in the Merthyr Tydfil area.{{cite news |title=Steve Speirs comes home for his first film as a writer |url=http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/local-news/steve-speirs-comes-home-first-2142735 |work=Wales Online |date=29 November 2008 |access-date=21 June 2015}}
Speirs often goes by the name of "Dullard" in honour of his role in Extras, as he considers the character a mirror of himself. Speirs also appeared in the Gervais and Stephen Merchant film Cemetery Junction released in 2010, a part which was written particularly for him. Speirs also starred as the bouncer at Mother McOakley's Tavern in Burke and Hare, a British black comedy directed by John Landis and released (in the United Kingdom) in October 2010.
He also starred in a CBBC show called Sadie J where he portrayed Sadie's dad, a mechanic.
Other roles which Speirs is known for include his portrayal of Bernard Bresslaw in Cor, Blimey!, Big Alan Williams in Stella and Colour Sergeant Wormwood in Sharpe's Peril.
He also appears as a postman on the last episode of Miranda season 3.
Speirs played depressed geography teacher and caretaker Mr Gareth Barber in the BBC One sitcom Big School for two series in 2013 and 2014.
In 2013, Spiers played PC McClintock in the Christmas TV film Gangsta Granny, an adaptation of the book written by David Walliams. He played the role of Dad in the 2014 TV film The Boy in the Dress, also written by Walliams.
In 2015, he appeared in the TV spin off The Bad Education Movie playing Don alongside the main cast of Bad Education as well as many other guests in the movie. The same year, he also appeared in the pilot of the radio sitcom Ankle Tag, which went on to air three series in 2017, 2018 and 2020.
In 2016, he appeared in Ben Elton's BBC One comedy series Upstart Crow playing Richard Burbage , the actor and leader of Will's acting company. He has continued in this role for three series (2016, 2017 and 2018) with two Christmas spin-offs in 2017 and 2018 and in the London West End in Elton's stage version of the show titled The Upstart Crow.
He has created, written and starred in The Tuckers for BBC Wales and BBC iPlayer.
In 1998, he appeared in the video for the Super Furry Animals song Ice Hockey Hair.
Personal life
Speirs lived in Brighton, East Sussex, but now resides in Cardiff, South Wales.{{cite web |last1=Morgan |first1=Patric |title=Steve Speirs: Why I love Rhiwbina |url=https://livingmags.co.uk/steve-speirs-why-i-love-rhiwbina/ |website=livingmags.co.uk |date=28 December 2022}} He has two sons, Jack and Lewes with his first wife. He remarried, had his son, Max and had a daughter, Amelie with his second wife Joanna. His brother is opera singer Jeffrey Lloyd Roberts. He is also a cousin of comedy actor Ben Miller.
Filmography
=Film=
| class="wikitable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role |
|---|
| 1996
|Rough Justice |DC |
| 1997
|The Head |
| 1998
|Martha, Meet Frank, Daniel and Laurence |Taxi Driver |
| 1999
|Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace |Captain Tarpals |
| 1999
|Mr. Kent |
| 2000
|BMW Man |
| 2000
|Married 2 Malcolm |Sam Tex |
| 2001 |
| 2003
|Vacuums |Tinker |
| 2004
|The Baby Juice Express |Mystery Man |
| rowspan=3| 2006
|Gustav Hansfeldt |
| Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
|Quartermaster – Edinburgh |
| Eragon
|Sloan |
| rowspan=2| 2007
|Bryn |
| Octane
|Social worker |
| rowspan=2| 2008
|Caught in the Act |Eric Jenkins |
| Inkheart
|Flatnose |
| rowspan=2|2010
|Sgt. Wyn Davies |
| Burke and Hare
|McMartin's Doorman |
| 2011
|Mr. Cafferty |
| 2014
|Mickey |
| 2015
|Don |
=Television=
| class="wikitable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! Notes |
|---|
| 1989
|Albert Thomas |7 episodes |
| 1993
|Porter |Episode: "Tender Loving Care" |
| 1995
|Phil |Episode: "Nice Work If You Can Get It" |
| rowspan=4| 1996
|Bruce |Episode: "Fur Coat, No Knickers" |
| Dalziel and Pascoe
|Arthur Evans |Episode: "A Clubbable Woman" |
| Murder Most Horrid
|DI Hooper |Episode: "A Life or Death Operation" |
| Cold Lazarus
|Blinda's Apartment Guard | |
| rowspan=2| 1998
|Leonard |Episode "The Card Game" |
| The Wonderful World of Disney
|Chief Armorer |Television film: "A Knight in Camelot" |
| 1999
|Oliver Beauman |Episode: "Pillow Talk" |
| rowspan=3| 2000
|Television film |
| The Scarlet Pimpernel
|Sergeant Bibot |Episode: "Ennui" |
| Holby City
|Jim Ellison |Episode: "The Real Thing" |
| 2002
|Benny Luck |Episodes: "Out of Time" (Parts 1 & 2) |
| rowspan=2| 2003
|The Planman |Darren Westcoate |Television film |
| Absolute Power
|Dave Pine |Episode: "Pope Idol" |
| rowspan=4| 2004
|Herbie Bryant |Episode: "The Chequered Box" |
| The Last Detective
|Caradoc |Episode: "Benefit to Mankind" |
| Making Waves
|CCMEA Andy Fellows |2 episodes |
| Tunnel of Love
|Kimberley's Dad |Television film |
| rowspan=5| 2005
|Barry |Episode: "289a" |
| Midsomer Murders
|Keith Carter |Episode: "Sauce for the Goose" |
| Doctor Who
|Strickland |Episode: "Aliens of London/World War Three" |
| Icon
|Viktor Akopov |Television film |
| Extras
|Dullard |Episode: "Samuel L Jackson" |
| rowspan=2| 2006
|Pete Machin |Episode: "Strictly Bedroom" |
| Holby City
|Richard Price-Thomas |Episode: "Before a Fall" |
| 2007
|Dougie Taylor |Episode: "God's Waiting Room" |
| 2008
|William Pentlow |5 episodes |
| 2008–09
|Norse Dave |6 episodes |
| 2008
|Wormwood |Television film |
| rowspan=3| 2009
|The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler |Piotr |Television film |
| Kröd Mändoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire
|Loquasto |6 episodes |
| A Child's Christmases in Wales
|Uncle Huw |Television film |
| rowspan=3| 2010
|Stewart Kerr |Episode: "Russian Endings" |
| Doctors
|Dave Howells |Episode: "Boyo" |
| Miranda
|Ray |Episode: "The Perfect Christmas" |
| 2011–13
|Steve Jenkins |26 episodes |
| 2011
|Uri | |
| 2012–15
|Alan (Big Alan) |39 episodes |
| 2012
|A Young Doctor's Notebook & Other Stories |Syphilitic Mikhail | |
| 2013–14
|Mr. Barber |12 episodes |
| 2013
|PC McClintock |Television film |
| 2014
|Peter |Television film |
| rowspan=3| 2016
|Inspector Thompson | |
| Cuckoo
|Barman |Episode: "The Holiday" |
| Rovers
|Tel |6 episodes |
| 2016–2020
|19 episodes |
| rowspan=2|2017
|Johnny Lucas |Episode: "Charlie" |
| Decline and Fall
|Davis |Episode: "King's Thursday" |
| 2018-2022
|The Tuckers |Glyn Tucker |19 episodes |
| 2020
|Mitch |Episode: "The Referee's a W***er" |
| 2020-2022
|Dog Waste Man |2 episodes |
| 2024
|Slasher Sam Byrne |Episode: "B&B Mammy" |
| 2025
| Lloyd | |
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20081014033714/http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/individual/350036 Steve Speirs] at the British Film Institute
- {{IMDb name|0818648}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Spiers, Steven}}
Category:Alumni of Loughborough University
Category:Welsh male film actors
Category:Welsh male television actors