Darren Boyd

Darren John Boyd (born 30 January 1971)[1] is a British actor who starred in the Sky 1 series Spy, for which he won a BAFTA award.[2] His work in television and film spans comedy and drama.

Darren Boyd
Born
Darren John Boyd

(1971-01-30) 30 January 1971
Hastings, Sussex, England
NationalityBritish
OccupationActor
Years active1998–present
Spouse(s)Amanda Ashy Boyd (m. 2004; div. 2017)
Children2

Early life

Boyd began acting at age 17 in amateur theatre and performed in local productions from 1989 to 1995. Boyd moved to London in his mid-20s, where he continued to work in theatre until being cast in 'Kiss Me Kate' for the BBC in 1998.[1]

Career

Television

Boyd co-starred in the BBC comedy Kiss Me Kate (1998), which ran for three years. This led to starring roles in British comedies such as Hippies (1999) and Smack the Pony (1999). In 2001, he worked with Victoria Pile on a new series Los Dos Bros, an off-beat sitcom exploring physical comedy and the relationship between Boyd and Cavan Clerkin as the titular (half-)brothers. Boyd was co-creator and co-writer. The show won a silver rose at Montreux in 2002. During this time Boyd was cast in the American NBC series, Watching Ellie, starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus.

Boyd returned to the UK in 2005 and took on characters such as Dr. Jake Leaf in the second series of Green Wing (2006), and as Jonathan in Steve Coogan's Saxondale. In 2009, he appeared in the two-part adaptation of May Contain Nuts, based on John O'Farrell's best-selling novel, Personal Affairs for BBC Three and Royal Wedding (2010), which follows the 1981 Royal Wedding through the perspective of events held in a small Welsh mining village, written by BAFTA winner Abi Morgan and starring Jodie Whittaker.

Boyd starred as Bib in the BBC series Whites and co-starred in the BBC Four drama Dirk Gently playing Dirk Gently's business partner Richard MacDuff. The BBC announced in June 2011 that Boyd would play the role of John Cleese in Holy Flying Circus,[3] a 90-minute dramatisation of the controversy that arose when Monty Python's Life of Brian was released in 1979. Holy Flying Circus was nominated for a BAFTA for Best Single Drama.

From 2011–2013, Boyd starred in the Sky 1 series Spy[4] which won him a BAFTA for his performance. He also starred in two ITV dramas, Case Sensitive, a series adapted from Sophie Hannah's novel Point of Rescue alongside Olivia Williams and three-part drama The Guilty.

In 2014, Boyd was reunited with his Watching Ellie costar Julia Louis-Dreyfus in a guest appearance on her HBO series Veep in the episode "Special Relationship".

Boyd was part of the ensemble cast of Sky Atlantic drama series Fortitude, which premiered simultaneously in the UK and US in early 2015. He won praise from critics for playing Markus Huseklepp. Following Fortitude, Boyd briefly returned to comedy in the lead role of Matthew Bunting in the ITV situation comedy The Delivery Man.

In 2016, he returned to television with two dramatic roles. He starred opposite Idris Elba in the fourth series of Luther for the BBC and James Nesbitt in Stan Lee's Lucky Man, a Sky 1 television series.

In early 2018, Boyd played Frank Haleton in the British BBC drama series Killing Eve.

In late 2019, Boyd provided the voice of Mr. Brown in The Adventures of Paddington which began airing on Nick Jr. in early 2020.

He played Supt. Dave Minty in the 2020 BBC drama, The Salisbury Poisonings.[5]

Notable cameos include an evangelical vicar in Rev. and an ex-athlete named Dave Wellbeck in BBC's Olympics mockumentary Twenty Twelve.

Film

Feature films in which Boyd has appeared include High Heels and Low Lifes (2002), Imagine Me & You (2005), Magicians (2007), Chris Morris' Four Lions (2010), The World's End (2013), Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa (2013), Thomas & Friends: Journey Beyond Sodor (2017) and The Personal History of David Copperfield (2019).

Radio

Boyd co-starred in the BBC Radio 4 comedy ElvenQuest as Vidar the Elf Lord.

Personal life

Boyd lives in London.[6]

Filmography

Film
Year Title Role Notes
2001 High Heels and Low Lifes Ray
2005 Imagine Me & You Cooper
2007 Magicians Otto Johnson
2010 Four Lions Sniper
2011 Spoon Daniel Spoon
2011 Holy flying circus John Cleese
2012 Asylum Seekers Mike Short film
2013 The World's End Shane Hawkins
2013 Underdogs Amadeo (voice) UK version
2013 Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa Detective Sergeant Martin Finch American title: Alan Partridge
2014 The Longest Drive Man Short film
2016 Bridget Jones's Baby Jeremy
2017 Journey Beyond Sodor Theo (voice) UK & US versions
2019 The Personal History of David Copperfield Edward Murdstone

Television
Year Title Role Notes
1998–2000 Kiss Me Kate Craig Chapman 22 episodes
1999–2003 Smack the Pony Various characters 26 episodes
2002–2003 Watching Ellie Ben 16 episodes
2003 Little Robots Additional Voices (voice) Unknown episodes
2006 Green Wing Jake Leaf 5 episodes
2010 Whites Bib 6 episodes
2010–2012 Dirk Gently Richard MacDuff 4 episodes
2011 Mid Morning Matters with Alan Partridge Daniel Langford 3 episodes
2011 Twenty Twelve Dave Wellbeck Episode: "Raising The Bar"
2011–2012 Spy Tim Elliot Lead Role
2015–2018 Fortitude Markus Husekleppe 18 episodes
2015 The Delivery Man Matthew Bunting 6 episodes
2015 Luther DCI Theo Bloom Series 4 Episode 1
2016–2018 Stan Lee’s Lucky Man Detective Sergeant Steve Orwell Series 1–3
2016 National Treasure Hamish Episode: "#1.4"
2018 Killing Eve Frank Haleton 5 episodes
2019 Flack Jeremy Episode: "Brooke"
2020–present The Adventures of Paddington Mr. Brown (voice)
2020 The Salisbury Poisonings Supt. Dave Minty TV series

Awards and recognition

References
  1. "A home-grown Bafta winner". Hastings & St Leonards Observer. 1 June 2012. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
  2. "2012 Television Awards Winners Announced". Retrieved 21 February 2013.
  3. Dowell, Ben (21 June 2011). "BBC to dramatise unholy row over Monty Python's Life of Brian". Guardian.co.uk. London.
  4. "Sky orders new MI5 spy sitcom". The British Comedy Guide. 10 May 2011.
  5. "Meet the cast of The Salisbury Poisonings". Radio Times. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
  6. "More on More" (PDF). 3 (1). October 2012: 7. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  7. "The British Comedy Awards - Past Winners". Retrieved 21 February 2013.
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