Michael Smiley (born 1963) is a Northern Irish comedian and actor. He is well known for his roles in the films Kill List (2011) and The Lobster (2015). He has also made appearances in British television series such as Spaced, Luther, Utopia, Black Mirror and Doctor Who.
Michael Smiley | |
|---|---|
 Smiley in 2016 | |
| Born | 1963 (age 60–61) Belfast, Northern Ireland |
| Occupation(s) | Comedian, actor |
| Spouse | Miranda Sawyer |
| Children | 4 |
Early life
editSmiley was born in 1963 in Belfast and grew up in Holywood with an older brother and sister.[1][2] He was raised Catholic.[3]
He moved to London with his first wife in 1983. He began doing stand-up in 1993, after accepting a bet at an open-mic night.[2] He had worked as a cycle courier, like his character in Spaced, and as an acid house DJ.[4]
Career
editHe became well known for his role as Tyres O'Flaherty, the bicycle riding raver, in two episodes of the Channel 4 sitcom Spaced, and for his appearances at the Edinburgh Fringe and the Melbourne Comedy Festival.[4] He played Mac, a former member of the British Army's Parachute Regiment in the 2008 horror film Outpost and as a zombie in Shaun of the Dead.[citation needed]
In 2003, he guest starred in the Doctor Who audio drama Creatures of Beauty. In 2004 he appeared in season 2, episode 4 of Hustle as Max the forger.[5] He also was a small character in episode 2 "The Model" of 15 Storeys High.[citation needed]
He has appeared in all three series of The Maltby Collection on Radio 4 as Des Wainwright, an eccentric security guard who keeps repeating himself and reminding people he was in the SAS. He plays the part of Benny "Deadhead" Silver in the BBC drama series Luther. In 2010, he had a major role in the film Burke & Hare alongside his Spaced co-stars Simon Pegg and Jessica Hynes.
In 2011, he starred in British horror film Kill List. The film received critical acclaim, and earned him the "Best Supporting Actor" Award at the 2011 British Independent Film Awards.[6]
In 2013, he has appeared in an episode of BBC One's Ripper Street as George Lusk, and the critically acclaimed Channel 4 shows Utopia as Detective Reynolds and Black Mirror in the episode "White Bear" as Baxter.[citation needed] He also starred in A Field in England as the main antagonist, the alchemist O'Neill. He also played Roddy in Father Figure. In November 2013 he appeared in the third episode of the BBC Two Mitchell and Webb comedy Ambassadors as Mr Jackson. In 2014, he played Micky Murray in BBC Four's The Life of Rock with Brian Pern.[7]
To coincide with the opening stages of the Giro d'Italia in May 2014, Michael Smiley: Something to Ride Home About was a travelog programme for BBC Northern Ireland, directed by George Kane, featuring Smiley cycling around Northern Ireland and meeting local people.[8][9][10] A second series was commissioned for 2015.[8]
In 2014 Smiley played Colonel Morgan Blue in the Doctor Who episode "Into the Dalek".[11]
He also had a major role in British crime series Luther acting as “Deadhead” Benny Silver from 2010 until 2019.
In 2019, Smiley co-starred with Elijah Wood and Martin Donovan in the film Come to Daddy directed by Ant Timpson.[12]
In 2020, he starred in Dead Still, a six-part Irish-Canadian television drama series, alongside Eileen O'Higgins & Kerr Logan. It premiered on May 18, 2020 on Acorn TV and May 15, 2020 Citytv.[13] The series is a co-production between Ireland's Deadpan Pictures and Canada's Shaftesbury Films and is written by John Morton, and directed by Imogen Murphy and Craig David Wallace.[14][15]
In 2021, Smiley appeared in the lead role in The Toll, a Welsh black comedy film later released in the United States with the title Tollbooth.
Personal life
editSmiley has been married twice and has four children: two with his first wife and childhood sweetheart Merilees, and two with his second wife, journalist/broadcaster Miranda Sawyer.[2] He resides near Brockwell Park in Herne Hill, London.[16]
He shared a flat with Simon Pegg and Nick Frost in the 1990s.[17] He is an avid cyclist.[2]
Filmography
editTelevision
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | The Heist | Detective | Television film; uncredited |
| 1999–2001 | Spaced | Tyres O'Flaherty | 2 episodes |
| 2000 | Burnside | Matthew Hutchins | Episode: "Back with a Vengeance: Part 1" |
| 2000–2002 | Time Gentlemen Please | Martin | 3 episodes |
| 2002 | 15 Storeys High | Insistent Irish visitor | Episode: "The Model" |
| 2004 | Murder Prevention | DC Maurice Gibney | 4 episodes |
| 2005 | Bleak House | Phil Squod | 8 episodes |
| Hustle | Max | Episode: "Missions" | |
| ShakespeaRe-Told | Peter | Episode: "Much Ado About Nothing" | |
| Rose and Maloney | DS Mallam | Episode: "Rise & Fall" | |
| 2007 | In the Spider's Web | Phil | Television film |
| Y Pris | Captain | Episode: "Episode #1.3" | |
| Nearly Famous | Danny | Episode: "Episode #1.5" | |
| 2008 | The Wrong Door | 2 episodes | |
| HolbyBlue | Brendan Duffy | Episode: "Episode #2.10" | |
| Wire in the Blood | Dr. Liam Kerwin | 7 episodes | |
| 2009 | Law & Order: UK | Danny Doyle | Episode: "Unsafe" |
| 2010 | One Night in Emergency | Mortuary Attendant | Television film |
| 2010–2019 | Luther | Benny Silver | 16 episodes |
| 2011 | Stolen | Sean | Television film |
| 2012 | Coming Up | Ricky | Episode: "Spoof or Die" |
| Good Cop | Tom Lomax | Episode: "Episode Two" | |
| New Tricks | Tinker | Episode: "Part of a Whole" | |
| 2013 | Ripper Street | George Lusk | Episode: "In My Protection" |
| Utopia | Detective Reynolds | Episode: "Episode 1" | |
| Black Mirror | Baxter | Episode: "White Bear" | |
| Father Figure | Roddy | 6 episodes | |
| Ambassadors | Mr Jackson | Episode: "The Tazbek Spring" | |
| 2013–2014 | Monumental | Self | |
| 2014 | The Life of Rock with Brian Pern | Micky Murray | 2 episodes |
| Doctor Who | Colonel Morgan Blue | Episode: "Into the Dalek" | |
| Edge of Heaven | Snowy | 2 episodes | |
| 2014–2015 | Michael Smiley: Something to Ride Home About | Self | |
| 2015 | Comedy Feeds | Les | Episode: "Fishbowl" |
| 2016 | The Aliens | Antoine Berry | 5 episodes |
| Murder | Whitmore Harris | Episode: "The Big Bang" | |
| 2020 | Dead Still | Brock Blennerhasset | Series lead |
| 2021 | Bloodlands | Dinger | 4 episodes |
| Intergalactic | Professor Hague Blake | 1 episode | |
| 2022 | The Curse | 1 episode | |
| Bad Sisters | Roger Muldoon | 5 episodes | |
| Ragdoll | DS Finlay | 6 episodes | |
| 2023 | Obituary | Ward Clancy | 6 episodes |
| 2024 | Generation Z | Wrollen | 6 episodes |
Films
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Shaun of the Dead | Zombie Tyres O’Flaherty | Uncredited |
| 2006 | Breaking and Entering | Thaddeus | Uncredited |
| Perfume: The Story of a Murderer | Porter | ||
| Land of the Blind | Thorne's Lieutenant | ||
| 2008 | Outpost | McKay | |
| The Other Boleyn Girl | Physician | ||
| Terra Firma | Quentin | Short film | |
| 2009 | Down Terrace | Pringle | |
| Believe | Lewis | Short film | |
| 2010 | Burke & Hare | Patterson | |
| 2011 | Kill List | Gal | |
| Big Fat Gypsy Gangster | Mad Mick | ||
| 2012 | Shell | Hugh | |
| The ABCs of Death | Father Tom | Segment: ""U Is for Unearthed" | |
| 2013 | For Those in Peril | Frank | |
| A Field in England | O'Neil | ||
| Svengali | Irish Pierre | ||
| We Are the Freaks | Killer Colin | ||
| The World's End | Reverend Green | ||
| 2014 | Glassland | Jim | |
| Black Sea | Reynolds | ||
| 2015 | The Hallow | Garda Davey | |
| The Lobster | Loner Swimmer | ||
| Orthodox | Shannon | ||
| My Name is Emily | Robert | ||
| Tank 432 | Capper | ||
| 2016 | Free Fire | Frank | |
| Rogue One: A Star Wars Story | Dr. Cornelius Evazan | ||
| 2017 | Madame | David | |
| Jawbone | Eddie | ||
| 2018 | Birthmarked | Gertz | |
| The Nun | Priest | ||
| 2019 | Come to Daddy | Jethro | |
| Rialto | Noel | ||
| 2021 | Censor | Doug Smart | |
| Gunpowder Milkshake | Dr. Ricky | ||
| The Toll | Toll Booth | ||
| 2022 | The Silent Twins | Tim Thomas | |
| 2024 | Bookworm | Jethro | [18] |
Radio
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Eye Witness | BBC Radio 3 | |
| 2007–2009 | The Maltby Collection | Des Wainwright | BBC Radio 4 |
References
edit- ^ "BBC One - Monumental - Michael Simley". BBC One. Retrieved 18 August 2013.
- ^ a b c d "Michael Smiley: 'I'm an overnight success after 20 years!'". Belfast Telegraph. 21 April 2014. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
- ^ Nolan, Larissa. "Michael Smiley: My Holywood love story had hardship and a happy ending". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
- ^ a b "Living the life of Smiley". BBC News. 10 August 1998. Retrieved 18 August 2013.
- ^ "Hustle - what time is it on TV? Episode 4 Series 2 cast list and preview". RadioTimes. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
- ^ Exley, Gemma (5 December 2012). "British Independent Film Awards 2011: Fassbender, Ramsey & Sophie from Peep Show win". Holy Moly. Archived from the original on 3 January 2014. Retrieved 18 August 2013.
- ^ "BBC Four - Brian Pern, the Life of Rock with Brian Pern, Birth of Rock".
- ^ a b "'Michael Smiley: Something To Ride Home About' Gets Second Series". Irish Film and Television Network. 18 August 2014. Retrieved 22 October 2014.
- ^ Jarlath Regan (14 October 2013). "Michael Smiley". An Irishman Abroad (Podcast) (7 ed.). SoundCloud. Archived from the original on 15 December 2014. Retrieved 28 November 2014.
- ^ Jarlath Regan (11 June 2014). "George Kane". An Irishman Abroad (Podcast) (56 ed.). SoundCloud. Archived from the original on 15 December 2014. Retrieved 28 November 2014.
- ^ Mulkern, Patrick (30 August 2014). "Into the Dalek ****". Radio Times. London, UK. Retrieved 30 August 2014.
- ^ Come to Daddy Review by Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, February 6, 2020.
- ^ Yeo, Debra (15 May 2020). "He shoots dead people: Acorn TV's delightful 'Dead Still' blends the macabre art of post-mortem photography with period mystery". Toronto Star. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
- ^ Clarke, Stewart (30 May 2020). "Acorn TV, Ireland's RTE Team for Morbidly Comic Drama 'Dead Still'". Variety. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
- ^ Keller, Joel (18 May 2020). "Stream It Or Skip It: 'Dead Still' On Acorn TV, Where A Memorial Photographer Looks Into Murders In Victorian Dublin". Decider. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
- ^ Tyler, Simon (7 June 2013). "Miranda Sawyer Interview". Not a Bad Dad. Archived from the original on 28 September 2013. Retrieved 18 August 2013.
- ^ Marsh, Hannah. "Welcome to the bonkers world of Michael Smiley". The Echo. Basildon. Retrieved 18 August 2013.
- ^ "Bookworm". New Zealand Film Commission. Archived from the original on 3 August 2024. Retrieved 7 August 2024.