Conleth Seamus Eoin Croiston Hill (born 24 November 1964) is an 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).[1]

Conleth Hill
Hill at the 2017 San Diego Comic-Con
Born
Conleth Seamus Eoin Croiston Hill

(1964-11-24) 24 November 1964 (age 59)
OccupationActor
Years active1986–present
AwardsOlivier Award for Best Actor
2001: Stones in His Pockets
2005: The Producers

Early life

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Conleth Hill was born in Ballycastle in County Antrim, Northern Ireland.[2] 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.[3][4][5][6][7][8]

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.[9]

Career

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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.[10] 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,[11] 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.[12] He appeared in Series 2 episode 2 of Peter Kay's Car Share as Elsie, the drunk deli counter supervisor dressed as Smurfette.[13] He also appeared as Carlos Santini in Season 3, Episode 4 of Derry Girls.[14]

Filmography

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Films

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Year Title Role Notes
2003 Intermission Teacher
2009 Whatever Works Brockman
Perrier's Bounty Russ
2011 Salmon Fishing in the Yemen Bernard Sugden
The Shore Paddy Short film
2012 Whole Lotta Sole Barber
Keith Lemon: The Film Delivery Man
2014 Serena Dr. Chaney
2015 A Patch of Fog Sandy Duffy
2018 The Isle Douglas Innis
2019 Official Secrets Roger Alton
2020 Herself Aido
Here Are the Young Men Mark Kearney
2021 To Olivia Marty Ritt
Infinitum: Subject Unknown Professor Aaron Östergaard
2026 Three Bags Full: A Sheep Detective Movie TBA Filming

Television

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Year(s) Series Character Notes
1988 Boon Second Pupil Episode: "Honourable Service"
1988–1995 Casualty Theo/Rob 2 episodes
1990 Medics Liam McGuinness Episode: "Niall"
1992 Screen One Neil Episode: "Trust Me"
1992–1994 Blue Heaven Roache 7 episodes
1993 The Bill Michael White Episode: "Hard Evidence"
1994 Lit By Love and Sunshine as Narrator[15]
1995 Crown Prosecutor Neville Osborn
2000 Meaningful Sex Carl TV short
2002 Goodbye Mr. Chips Max Staefel TV movie
2007 The Life and Times of Vivienne Vyle Jared 6 episodes
2008 Britain's Got the Pop Factor Geraldine's Mum Reality show parody by Peter Kay
2011–2019 Game of Thrones Varys Recurring role (season 1), main role (seasons 2-8); 46 episodes
2013 Suits Edward Darby 6 episodes
2014 Inside No. 9 Stevie Episode: "Tom & Gerri"
That Day We Sang Frank Television film
Sherlock Uncredited role Episode: The Empty Hearse
2015 Foyle's War Sir Ian Woodhead Episode: "Elise"
Arthur & George Sergeant Upton 3 episodes
2017 Stan Lee's Lucky Man Reverend Anthony Huxley Episode: "Playing With Fire"
Peter Kay's Car Share Elsie Series 2, Episode 2
2018 Dave Allen at Peace John Tynan O'Mahony
12 Monkeys Interpol Agent Bonham 2 episodes
2019 Dublin Murders O'Kelly
Doc Martin Dr. Edward Mullen 2 episodes
2019–present Vienna Blood Mendel Lieberman
2022 Magpie Murders Alan Conway
Why Didn't They Ask Evans? Dr Alwyn Thomas
Holding Sergeant PJ Collins 4 episodes
Derry Girls Carlos Santini/Kevin Episode: "The Haunting"
2023 The Power of Parker Martin Parker 6 episodes[16]
The Lovers Philip
2024 3 Body Problem Pope Gregory XIII Episode: "Destroyer of Worlds"
Moonflower Murders Alan Conway [17]
The Cleaner Brennan Season 3 episode 4 "The Lighthouse"

Video games

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Year Title Voice role Notes Ref.
2012 Game of Thrones Varys Based on the TV series of the same name

Audio books

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Year Book Character Publisher Ref.
2008 Tamburlaine: Shadow of God by John Fletcher Hafez BBC Worldwide Ltd [18]
2009 Zurich (The Wire) by Pearse Elliott Narrator BBC Worldwide Ltd [19]

Radio

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Date Title Role Author Director Station
25 December 2000 The Man Who Came to Dinner Moss Hart and George S Kaufman
adapted for radio by Marcy Kahan
Ned Chaillet BBC Radio 4
7 November 2002 Tricycles Colin Teevan Toby Swift BBC Radio 3 The Wire
18 February 2004 The Travels of Marco Polo Philip Palmer Toby Swift BBC Radio 4 Afternoon Play
19 April 2012 Titanic letters[20] Reader, ep.33 Ciaran Hinds BBC Radio Ulster
24 April 2012 The Biggest Issues[21] Jerry Cartwright Annie McCartney Eoin O'Callaghan BBC Radio 4 Afternoon Drama
2017 Big Country[22][23] JD Quinn Patrick Kielty BBC Radio Ulster

Theatre

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Stage productions

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Awards and nominations

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References

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  1. ^ "Carice van Houten heads back to Westeros, and new photos from Lokrum and Moneyglass". Watchers on the Wall. 19 August 2014. Retrieved 4 October 2014.
  2. ^ Editorial Staff (10 January 2005). "20 Questions With…Conleth Hill". whatsonstage. Archived from the original on 11 January 2015. Retrieved 27 February 2015.
  3. ^ "Ronan Hill wins his third Emmy award for work on Game of Thrones". The Irish News. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
  4. ^ "Interview: Ronan Hill, Game of Thrones production sound mixer". audiomediainternational.com. Archived from the original on 12 August 2017. Retrieved 26 February 2017.
  5. ^ "Ronan Hill". Television Academy. emmys.com. Retrieved 26 February 2017.
  6. ^ "Emmy Award success for local Game of Thrones sound crew". BBC News. bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 26 February 2017.
  7. ^ "Third consecutive CAS Award for Game of Thrones Sound Mixer Ronan Hill". iftn.ie. The Irish Film & Television Network. Retrieved 26 February 2017.
  8. ^ "Ronan Hill wins fourth consecutive Cinema Audio Society award". northernirelandscreen.co.uk. Archived from the original on 27 February 2017. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
  9. ^ a b "PLAY magazine Autumn-Winter 2017" (PDF).
  10. ^ "Billy Budd sails to six Dora wins". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
  11. ^ Buckland, Damien (25 November 2014). Collection Editions: A Game of Thrones: An Inside Guide to the Hit Show. Lulu.com. ISBN 9781326097912.
  12. ^ "Not A Blog – Tuf Returns". livejournal.com. Archived from the original on 18 March 2015. Retrieved 27 February 2015.
  13. ^ "Conleth Hill plays drunk Smurf in Peter Kay's Car Share". Daily Express. Archived from the original on 6 February 2020. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
  14. ^ "Derry Girls: Season 3, Episode 4 - Rotten Tomatoes".
  15. ^ "Lit By Love and Sunshine - View media - Northern Ireland Screen | Digital Film Archive". digitalfilmarchive.net.
  16. ^ "The Power of Parker comes to BBC One and BBC iPlayer from Friday 28 July". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  17. ^ O'Rourke, Ryan (14 December 2023). "Lesley Manville Is Back on the Case in First 'Moonflower Murders' Images". Collider. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
  18. ^ "Amazon.com: Tamburlaine: Shadow of God (BBC Radio 3: Drama on 3) (Audible Audio Edition): John Fletcher, Jeffery Kissoon, John Rowe, Conleth Hill, BBC Worldwide Ltd: Books". amazon.com.
  19. ^ "Amazon.com: Zurich (The Wire) (Audible Audio Edition): Pearse Elliott, Conleth Hill, BBC Worldwide Ltd: Audible Books & Originals". amazon.com.
  20. ^ "BBC Radio 4 – Afternoon Drama, The Biggest Issues". BBC. Retrieved 27 February 2015.
  21. ^ "Program Information BBC Radio Ulster" (PDF). BBC.
  22. ^ "BBC Radio Ulster". BBC.
  23. ^ "Big Country Season 1". Radio Times.
  24. ^ "Part of the Six Pack, program". Digital Theatre Archive.
  25. ^ "Fools' bar, programme". Digital Theatre Archive.
  26. ^ "Incredible adventure of doctor Faustus, programme". Digital Theatre Archive.
  27. ^ according to the memoirs of mr.Richard Orr
  28. ^ Senter, Al (10 March 2017). "Interview with Game of Thrones actor Conleth Hill". The Stage.
  29. ^ Sunday Life, 3 December 1989
  30. ^ Sunday Tribune. 24–25 December 1988
  31. ^ a b "The Importance of Being Earnest, Theatre programme". Digital Theatre Archive. p. 19.
  32. ^ "Theatre Programm". Archived from the original on 26 December 2021.
  33. ^ "Little Shop of Horrors, Theatre programme". Digital Theatre Archive.
  34. ^ The Stage. 26 October 1989
  35. ^ The Stage, 16 February 1989
  36. ^ "Oliver Twist, Theatre programme". Digital Theatre Archive.
  37. ^ "Over the bridge, Theatre programme". Digital Theatre Archive.
  38. ^ The Stage, 15 November 1990
  39. ^ "The Playboy of the Western World, Theatre programme". Digital Theatre Archive.
  40. ^ "Roland Jaquarello". rolandjaquarello.com.
  41. ^ "History of The Lyric Theatre, Belfast". history.lyrictheatre.co.uk.
  42. ^ Sunday Life, 31 Marсh 1991
  43. ^ "irishplayography.com".
  44. ^ The Stage, 29 September 1994
  45. ^ "Tall Tales for Small People / 1995". Communicado Theatre. 15 January 2016.
  46. ^ "irishplayography.com".
  47. ^ Sunday Tribune. 8 December 1996
  48. ^ "troikatalent.com" (PDF).[permanent dead link]
  49. ^ The Stage, 6 February 1997
  50. ^ "Shining "Souls" Theatre programme".
  51. ^ The Stage, 6 November 1997
  52. ^ "The List: 15 August 1997". The List Archive. 15 August 1997.
  53. ^ "The List: 20 February 1998". The List Archive. 20 February 1998.
  54. ^ Sunday Tribune 22 November 1998
  55. ^ "Conleth Hill". National Theatre.
  56. ^ Sunday Tribune 7 November 1999
  57. ^ "Godot without a pause". 4 November 1999. Archived from the original on 26 February 2016 – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
  58. ^ "'Stones' stars Conleth Hill, Seán Campion recall classic duos". 16 February 2011 – via The Irish Echo.
  59. ^ "irishplayography.com".
  60. ^ "Catch STARS - A Ballycastle Nativity live on stage". 16 September 2009. Archived from the original on 18 February 2020. Retrieved 18 February 2020 – via Ballymoney and Moyle Times.
  61. ^ "It's Curtain up for Christmas". Belfasttelegraph. 13 November 2009 – via Belfast Telegraph Digital.
  62. ^ "Cross and Passion College". December 2009.
  63. ^ "gotlottery.uk". 7 October 2009.
  64. ^ "Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf? Buy Direct from The Theatre". atgtickets.com. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
  65. ^ "The Antipodes | National Theatre". nationaltheatre.org.uk. 4 June 2019.
  66. ^ Sunday Life 20 February 2000
  67. ^ "PHOTO CALL: Show Us Your Outer Critics Plaque II: Viola Davis, Stones in His Pockets". Playbill.
  68. ^ "Whatsonstage Awards 2001 | WestEndTheatre.com". westendtheatre.com. 1 January 2009.
  69. ^ 2008 Tony Award Nominations. The New York Times, 13 May 2008.
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