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Ben Miles

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Ben Miles
Born
Benjamin Charles Miles

(1966-09-29) 29 September 1966 (age 58)
Wimbledon, London, England
NationalityBritish
OccupationActor
Years active1989–present
SpouseEmily Raymond
Children3

Benjamin Charles Miles (born 29 September 1966) is an English actor, best known for his starring role as Patrick Maitland in the television comedy Coupling, from 2000 to 2004, as Montague Dartie in The Forsyte Saga, from 2002 to 2003, as propagandist and television executive Roger Dascombe in 2005 film V for Vendetta, as Peter Townsend in the Netflix drama The Crown (2016–2017) and George in episode 8 "The One That Holds Everything" in the TV drama The Romanoffs (2018).

Early life

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Miles was born in Wimbledon, London,[1] and lived as a young man in Ashover, Derbyshire,[2] attending Tupton Hall School. He began acting in school productions, which he pursued mainly because it allowed him to miss classes.[3]

Career

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He moved into television roles in the 1990s, playing supporting roles in such series as Zorro, Soldier Soldier, Is It Legal?, The Bill, Peak Practice and Wonderful You.[1]

Miles played a very small part as a journalist, with just a few words of dialogue, in the 1997 motion picture The Wings of the Dove.[1] He had a leading role in The Round Tower, filmed later in 1997.[4] In 1999, he was cast as Richard Martin in Reach For The Moon.[1] In 2000, he was cast as Robert Brown in Cold Feet[1] and the womanizing Patrick Maitland in the comedy series Coupling,[1] a role which he played until the series ended in 2004. He continued other television work during his tenure in Coupling, appearing in The Forsyte Saga[1] as Montague Dartie (this was the first time Miles acted with Amanda Root) and in Prime Suspect. In 2004, Miles portrayed Charles Ryder in the BBC Radio 4 production of Brideshead Revisited.[1] Miles was the co-lead in the BBC drama, A Thing Called Love, filmed on location in Nottingham, England.[1]

Miles appeared in the 2005 BBC television drama Mr Harvey Lights a Candle,[1] playing the part of a teacher taking an unruly party of pupils on a daytrip to Salisbury Cathedral. In 2006, he appeared in the TV drama After Thomas as the father of a son with autism.[5] He worked alongside actors such as Clive Mantle. In 2008, he appeared as the squire Sir Timothy in the British production Lark Rise to Candleford, and as Plantagenet Palliser in Radio 4 production The Pallisers. In 2009, he appeared as the head of a stock market trading firm in the BBC city-based drama Sex, the City and Me. He played the lead in Pulse opposite Claire Foy,[6] whom he also co-starred with in The Promise in early 2011, just after also appearing in BBC 1's Zen.[1] They were re-united again in The Crown.[1]

Miles often works with director James McTeigue: he appeared in McTeigue's 2005 film V for Vendetta[1] as Roger Dascombe, a government propagandist and television network executive. He appeared in Ninja Assassin,[1] and in Speed Racer.[1] On stage, he played Bolingbroke in the Old Vic's production of Richard II in 2005 alongside his father-in-law Gary Raymond. Miles also appeared in the play The Norman Conquests as Tom in 2009. The Norman Conquests won a Tony Award during his tenure in the play for Best Revival of a Play.[7]

In summer 2011, Miles starred as Robert in Harold Pinter's Betrayal at the Comedy Theatre in London's West End, with Kristin Scott Thomas playing his wife, Emma. The love triangle was completed by Douglas Henshall as his best friend and her lover, Jerry. The revival was directed by Ian Rickson. Also in 2011 he appeared in the television film The Suspicions of Mr Whicher as Dr. Stapleton.[1]

In 2014 Miles played Thomas Cromwell in the RSC version of Hilary Mantel's novels Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies in Stratford and at the Aldwych Theatre in London. In April 2015 the RSC brought the plays to New York City, where his performance was nominated for Best Leading Actor in a Play at the Tony Awards.[8][9]

In 2016, he played Peter Townsend in the Netflix series The Crown,[1] and the Duke of Somerset in The Hollow Crown: The Wars of the Roses,[1] the second cycle in a series of television film adaptations of William Shakespeare's history plays. In the same year, he also had a guest role as Chancellor Tom Pickering in an episode of the anthology series Black Mirror ("Hated in the Nation").[1]

In 2017, he voiced the Time Traveller in a Big Finish Productions adaptation of The Time Machine,[1] and Ace in the UK dub of Bob the Builder: Mega Machines.[1]

In 2018, he played DSU Jack Haley in the BBC Two miniseries Collateral[1] and Simon's father George Burrows in the series The Romanoffs, and appeared on stage at the Lyttelton Theatre as one of the Lehman Brothers in The Lehman Trilogy.[10]

In 2019 he played Commander Danny Hart in The Capture and John Profumo in The Trial of Christine Keeler, both on BBC One.[1]

In 2021, it was announced that he would appear in a new Star Wars spin-off television series for Disney, Andor.[11]

He collaborated with Hilary Mantel on the adaptation of her novel, The Mirror & the Light, into a play at the Gielgud Theatre in London's West End, in which he also starred.[12] The two worked again on a picture book based on her trilogy,[1], and she chose him to read the audiobook versions.[2]

Personal life

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Miles is married to the actress Emily Raymond.[2] They have three children.[5] The two also appeared together in the episode of Peak Practice,[1] "Before The Lights Go Out" in 1999.[citation needed]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
1989 Getting It Right Spiro
1997 The Wings of the Dove Journalist #1
Keep the Aspidistra Flying Ravenscroft Waiter US Title: A Merry War
2001 The Affair of the Necklace Baron Courchamps
2003 Three Blind Mice Lindsey
2005 Imagine Me & You Rob
2006 V for Vendetta Roger Dascombe
2008 Speed Racer Cass Jones
2009 Ninja Assassin Europol Agent Ryan Maslow
2015 Woman in Gold Ronald Lauder
2018 The Catcher Was a Spy Jerry Fredericks
Red Joan Nick
2023 Tetris Howard Lincoln
Widow Clicquot Philippe Clicquot
Napoleon Caulaincourt
2024 Canary Black DCIA Nathan Evans

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1990–1991 Zorro José Rivas 2 episodes
1995 Soldier Soldier John McGovern 1 episode
1996 Is It Legal? Tom 1 episode
1997 Melissa 1st Editor 1 episode
1998 The Round Tower Angus Cotton Television movie
1997–1999 The Bill D.C. Colin Waterman / Dan Price 2 episodes
1998 The Life and Crimes of William Palmer Thomas Palmer 2 episodes
1999 Wonderful You Ray 4 episodes
1999–2000 Peak Practice Rob Sinclair 5 episodes
2000 Cold Feet Robert Brown 7 episodes
2000–2004 Coupling Patrick Maitland 28 episodes
2001 Holby City Ed Somers Episode: "Tip of the Iceberg"
2002–2003 The Forsyte Saga Montague Dartie
2003 Prime Suspect 6 DCI Simon Finch 2 episodes
2004 Hustle Stephen Winterborn 1 episode
2005 The Government Inspector Kevin Marsh Television movie
2005 Under the Greenwood Tree Parson Maybold Television film
2008 Lark Rise to Candleford Sir Timothy Midwinter 10 episodes
2009 Agatha Christie's Marple Percival Fortescue Episode: "A Pocket Full of Rye"
2010 Pulse Joe Sennet Television movie
2011 Zen Amedeo Colonna 3 episodes
Television miniseries
2011 The Promise Max Meyer 4 episodes
Television miniseries
2011 The Suspicions of Mr Whicher Dr. Stapleton Episode: "The Murder at Road Hill House"
2011 Masterpiece Mystery Amedeo Colonna Episode: "Ratking"
2013–2014 Dracula Browning 10 episodes
2016 The Hollow Crown Duke of Somerset 2 episodes
Television miniseries
2016 Black Mirror Tom Pickering Episode: Hated In The Nation
2016–2017, 2022 The Crown Peter Townsend Main role (Seasons 1–2)
Guest role (Season 5)
10 episodes
2017–2018 Bob the Builder Ace (voice) UK version
4 episodes
2017 The Last Post Major Harry Markham 6 episodes
2018 Collateral DSU Jack Haley 4 episodes
2018 The Romanoffs George Burrows Episode: "The One That Holds Everything"
2019–2022 The Capture Commander Daniel "Danny" Hart Main role
2019–2020 The Trial of Christine Keeler John Profumo 6 episodes
2019 The One Show Himself One episode
2020 Devils Edward Stuart 2 episodes
2022 Andor Tay Kolma 4 episodes
2023 Hijack Captain Robin Allen Main role
2024 Douglas Is Cancelled Toby Main role
TBA Death by Lightning George Scovile Upcoming miniseries

Video Games

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Year Title Role Notes
2024 Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree Sir Ansbach Elden Ring DLC

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x "Ben Miles Credits3". tvguide.com. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
  2. ^ a b Kelly, Guy (3 September 2019). "The amount of privacy we give up is scary". The Daily Telegraph. No. 51, 100. p. 20. ISSN 0307-1235.
  3. ^ "Ben Miles". OfficialLondonTheatre.com. 15 October 2008. Retrieved 30 October 2017.
  4. ^ "The Round Tower", British Council, accessed 26 April 2024
  5. ^ a b Powell, Lucy (1 May 2007). "Daddy dearest". The Times. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
  6. ^ Wightman, Catriona (28 May 2010). "Ben Miles: 'BBC Three show defies genre'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 6 November 2016.
  7. ^ Jones, Kenneth (26 July 2009). "Exit, Laughing: Tony-Winning Norman Conquests Ends Broadway Run". Playbill. Archived from the original on 26 August 2010.
  8. ^ Soloski, Alexis (18 March 2015). "Ben Miles Takes On 'Wolf Hall' Onstage". The New York Times. Retrieved 23 March 2015.
  9. ^ Hetrick, Adam (9 April 2015). "Epic London Double-Bill Wolf Hall Opens On Broadway". Playbill. Retrieved 6 November 2016.
  10. ^ Treneman, Ann (13 July 2018). "Theatre review: The Lehman Trilogy at Lyttelton Theatre, SE1". The Times. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
  11. ^ Maxwell, Dominic (23 July 2021). "Ben Miles: How playing Thomas Cromwell in Wolf Hall changed my life". The Times. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
  12. ^ "The Mirror And The Light – 2021 – Full Cast Announced, New Pictures!". London Box Office. 20 August 2021. Retrieved 2 September 2021.
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