Ciarán Hinds (/ˈkɪərÉ"Ën ˈhaɪndz/ KEER-awn <span>HYNDZ; born 9 February 1953) is a Northern Irish film, television and stage actor. He has built a reputation as a versatile character actor appearing in such high-profile films as Road to Perdition, The Phantom of the Opera, Munich, There Will Be Blood, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows â€" Part 2, The Woman in Black, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and Frozen. His television roles include Gaius Julius Caesar in the series Rome, DCI James Langton in Above Suspicion, Bud Hammond in Political Animals and Mance Rayder in the Emmy Award-winning Game of Thrones. As a stage actor, Hinds has enjoyed spells with the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Royal National Theatre in London and six seasons with Glasgow Citizens' Theatre. Adding to his New York Broadway theatre performances, Hinds starred in a production of Tennessee Williams' Cat on a Hot Tin Roof as Big Daddy in early 2013.
Early life
Hinds was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Brought up as a Catholic in North Belfast, he was one of five children and the only son of his doctor father and schoolteacher mother. His mother, Moya, was also an amateur actress. He was an Irish dancer in his youth and was educated at Holy Family Primary School and St. Malachy's College. After leaving St. Malachy's, he enrolled as a law student at Queen's University, Belfast (QUB), but was soon persuaded to pursue acting and abandoned his studies at Queen's to enroll at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA).
Career
Hinds began his professional acting career at the Glasgow Citizens' Theatre in a 1976 production of Cinderella. He remained a frequent performer at the Citizens' Theatre during the late 1970s and through the mid-1980s. During this same period, Hinds also performed on stage in Ireland with the Abbey Theatre, the Field Day Theatre Company, the Druid Theatre, the Lyric Players' Theatre and at the Project Arts Centre. In 1987, he was cast by Peter Brook in The Mahabharata, a six-hour theatre piece that toured the world, and he also featured in its 1989 film version. Hinds almost missed the casting call in Paris due to difficulties renewing his Irish passport. In the early 1990s, he was a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company.
He appeared in the title role of the RSC's 1993 production of Richard III, directed by Sam Mendes; Mendes turned to Hinds as a last minute replacement for an injured Simon Russell Beale. Hinds gained his most popular recognition as a stage actor for his performance as Larry in the London and Broadway productions of Patrick Marber's Tony Award-nominated play Closer. In 1999, Hinds was awarded both the Theatre World Award for Best Debut in New York and the Outer Critics Circle Award for Special Achievement (Best Ensemble Cast Performance) for his work in Closer. He was on stage in 2001 in The Yalta Game by Brian Friel at Dublin's Gate Theatre. He appeared on Broadway in The Seafarer by Conor McPherson, which ran at the Booth Theatre from December 2007 through March 2008. In February 2009 Hinds took the leading role of General Sergei Kotov in Burnt by the Sun by Peter Flannery at London's National Theatre. Hinds returned to the stage later in 2009 with a role in Conor McPherson's play The Birds, which opened at Dublin's Gate Theatre in September 2009.
Hinds made his feature film debut in John Boorman's Excalibur (1981). He played Captain Frederick Wentworth in Jane Austen's Persuasion (1995), Jonathan Reiss in Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life (2003), John Traynor in Veronica Guerin (2003), and Firmin in the film version of Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera (2004). Hinds also played Carl, a cover-up professional assisting a group of assassins, in Steven Spielberg's political thriller, Munich (2005). In 2006, he appeared in Michael Mann's film adaptation of the 80's television show, Miami Vice, and as Herod the Great in The Nativity Story. In the 2006 film Amazing Grace, Hinds portrayed Sir Banastre Tarleton, one of the chief opponents of abolition of the slave trade in parliament. He starred in Margot at the Wedding, alongside Nicole Kidman, Jack Black and Jennifer Jason Leigh, in a drama-comedy about family secrets and relationships. He also appeared in There Will Be Blood (2007) directed by Paul Thomas Anderson.
On television, Hinds portrayed Gaius Julius Caesar in the first season of BBC/HBO's series, Rome (2006). He has also been featured in a number of made-for-television films, including the role of Michael Henchard in Thomas Hardy's The Mayor of Casterbridge (2004), for which he received the Irish Film and Television Award for Best Actor in a Dramatic Series. Additional television performances include Edward Parker-Jones in the crime drama series Prime Suspect 3 (1993), Abel Mason in Dame Catherine Cookson's The Man Who Cried (1993), Jim Browner in The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes episode The Cardboard Box (1994), Fyodor Glazunov in the science fiction miniseries Cold Lazarus (1996), Edward Rochester in Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre (1997), the Knight Templar Brian de Bois-Guilbert in Sir Walter Scott's Ivanhoe (1997) and a portrayal of the French existentialist Albert Camus in Broken Morning (2003).
Hinds was featured in two notable television docudramas: Granada Television's 1990 docudrama Who Bombed Birmingham? in which Hinds portrayed Richard McIlkenny, a Belfastman falsely imprisoned for an IRA bombing; and HBO's 1993 docudrama Hostages, where he portrayed Irish writer and former hostage Brian Keenan. Hinds starred opposite Kelly Reilly in Above Suspicion, a TV adaptation of Lynda La Plante's detective story, which was broadcast in the United Kingdom in January 2009; he came back again as DCI Langton for Lynda La Plante's sequels The Red Dahlia in 2010, Deadly Intent in 2011 and Silent Scream in 2012. Hinds has performed in audiobook and radio productions as well. He performed as Valmont in the BBC Radio production of Les Liaisons Dangereuses, and Hinds also narrated the Penguin Audiobook Ivanhoe. He also performed in Antony and Cleopatra and The Winter's Tale as part of The Complete Arkangel Shakespeare, an audio production of Shakespeare's plays which won the 2004 Audie Award for Best Audio Drama. He read the short story "A Painful Case" for the Caedmon audio version of James Joyce's Dubliners.
Hinds played the role of Albus Dumbledore's brother Aberforth (replacing Jim McManus, who played the role in a cameo in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix) in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows â€" Part 2, the final film in the Harry Potter series. Also in 2011, he appeared as David Peretz in the 1997 sections of The Debt alongside Helen Mirren and Tom Wilkinson. Hinds played Roy Bland in the 2011 adaptation of the John le Carré's Tinker, Tailor, soldier, Spy.
In September 2011, Hinds returned to the Abbey Theatre Dublin, to star as Captain Jack Boyle in an acclaimed revival of Sean O'Casey's Juno and the Paycock, alongside Sinéad Cusack as Juno. The production transferred to the National Theatre of Great Britain in November 2011 for a three-month run. He played "Joe" in the film The Shore (2011), written and directed by Terry George. The Shore won the Best Short Film, Live Action category at the 84th Annual Academy Awards (The Oscars) in 2012.
In 2013 he was cast as the wildling leader Mance Rayder in Season 3 of the HBO television show Game of Thrones. He reprised this role in Season 4, and is set to reprise it once more in Season 5. At Richard Rodger's Broadway theatre in New York he was Big Daddy to Scarlett Johansson in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, opened 17 January 2013, previews from 18 December 2012.
In the summer of 2013, he performed at the Donmar Warehouse in London in the premiere production of The Night Alive, a play by Conor McPherson, which transferred in November 2013, with Hinds in the lead role, to the Atlantic Theater Company in New York.
Personal life
Hinds lives in Paris with his long-time partner, Hélène Patarot; they met in 1987 while in the cast of Peter Brook's production of The Mahabharata. They have a daughter, Aoife, born in 1991.
Hinds is a close friend of fellow Irish actor Liam Neeson and served as a pallbearer at the funeral of Neeson's wife, actress Natasha Richardson, in upstate New York on 22 March 2009.
Other
Hinds has become Patron of the charity YouthAction Northern Ireland. YouthAction's Rainbow Factory School of Performing Arts is a youth arts projects with 450 young people taking part in a range of workshops and classes. Hinds' mother, Moya, is also a patron and has been a supporter of the charity for many years.
Filmography
Film
Television
Theatre
Glasgow Citizens Theatre Company
- 1976â€"77
- Sid Colin/David Wood Cinderella Giles Havergal Albert the Horse, Courtier
- William Wycherley The Country Wife Philip Prowse Mrs. Dainty Fidget
- Oscar Wilde The Importance of Being Earnest Giles Havergal Lane
- William Shakespeare Macbeth Giles Havergal Malcolm/Third murderer
- Robert David MacDonald Chinchilla Philip Prowse Tancredi
- Pierre de Beaumarchais Figaro Robert David MacDonald An policeman/a lawyer
- 1977â€"78
- Noël Coward Semi-Monde Philip Prowse Freddy Palmer
- Honoré de Balzac Vautrin Robert David MacDonald Joseph
- Joe Orton Loot Giles Havergal McLeavy
- Myles Rudge Mother Goose Giles Havergal Villager
- Robert David McDonald/James Hadley Chase No Orchids for Miss Blandish Robert David MacDonald Johnny Frisk
- John Ford/John Webster Painter's Palace of Pleasure Philip Prowse Giovanni
- 1978â€"79
- Bertold Brecht/Kurt Weill The Threepenny Opera Philip Prowse J. J. Peachum
- Anton Chekhov The Seagull Philip Prowse Dr Dorn
- Miles Rudge Dick Whittington Giles Havergal The Emperor of Morocco
- Carlo Goldoni Country Life Robert David MacDonald Guglielmo
- 1980â€"81
- Carlo Goldoni The Battlefield Robert David MacDonald Faustino
- Bertold Brecht The Caucasian Chalk Circle Giles Havergal Shauva, the policeman/Prince Georgi
- Robert David MacDonald Don Juan Philip Prowse Father Juan
- Shawn Lawton Desperado Corner Di Trevis Frank
- Vernon Sylvaine Madame Louise Giles Havergal Bishop of Porchester
- 1982â€"83
- Philip Massinger The Roman Actor Philip Prowse Paris
- Sean O'Casey Red Roses for Me Giles Havergal Brennan O' the Moor
- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Torquato Tasso Robert David MacDonald Antonio Montecatino
- Bertold Brecht The Mother Giles Havergal Savely
- Carlo Goldoni The Impresario from Smyrna Robert David MacDonald Maccario
- William Shakespeare The Merchant of Venice Philip Prowse Antonio
- George Bernard Shaw Arms and the Man Giles Havergal Nicola, man-servant
- Noël Coward Sirocco Philip Prowse Tonio
- Robert David MacDonald Webster Philip Prowse Webster
- 1983 (autumn)
- Karl Kraus The Last Days of Mankind Robert David McDonald A Man of Government
- Hugo von Hofmannsthal Rosenkavalier Philip Prowse Valzacchi
- Sean O'Casey Juno and the Paycock Giles Havergal Captain Jack Boyle
- Thomas Southerne Oroonoko Philip Prowse Lieutenant Governor
- 1985
- Friedrich von Schiller Mary Stuart Philip Prowse Paulet
- Noël Coward Blithe Spirit Giles Havergal Charles Condomine
- Sean O'Casey The Plough and the Stars Giles Havergal Jack Clitheroe
- Joseph Kesselring Arsenic and Old Lace Giles Havergal "Uncle" Teddy
- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Faust MacDonald Minister of State
- 1986
- Rolf Hochhuth The Representative Robert David MacDonald Pope Pius XII
- Alfred de Musset Hidden Fires Robert David MacDonald Clavaroche
- 1988
- Henrik Ibsen The Lady from the Sea Tom Cairns The Stranger
- William Shakespeare Richard III Jon Pope Richard III
Other Theatre
Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts
- 1975
- Anton Chekhov The Seagull Peter Watson Konstantin (Kostya)
- Anonymous Arden of Faversham Geoff Bullen Black Will
- John Wilson Hamp Euan Smith Prosecutive Officer
- Caryl Churchill Objections to Sex and Violence Arrogant pseudo-intellectual
- 1976
- John Barton When Thou Art King unknown
- Tennessee Williams The Night of the Iguana Nonno
Lyric Theatre, Belfast
- 1977â€"78
- Peter Shaffer Equus
- 1978â€"79
- Brian Clark Whose Life is it Anyway? Tony Dinner Philip Hill (the solicitor)
- Mary O'Malley Once a Catholic Michael Poynor Derek (a Teddy Boy)
- 1983
- Jennifer Johnston Indian Summer Robert Cooper Cathal Dillon
Project Arts Centre, Dublin
- 1979â€"80
- Jim Sheridan The Ha'penny Place Peter Sheridan Hare Krishna/Yehudi
- Peter Sheridan The Liberty Suit Jim Sheridan
- 1981
- Martin Sherman Bent Michael Scott Greta/George
- Liam Lynch Krieg Patrick Mason Jet
- 1982
- Sam Shepard Curse of the Starving Class
Greenwich Theatre, London
- 1984
- John Webster The White Devil Philip Prowse Lodovico
- William Congreve Way of the World Giles Havergal Fainall
- Anton Chekhov The Seagull Philip Prowse Trigorin
- 1986
- Thomas Otway The Orphan Philip Prowse Castalio
Royal Shakespeare Company
- 1990â€"91
- Tirso de Molina/Nick Dear The Last Days of Don Juan Danny Boyle Don Pedro Tenorio
- Christopher Marlowe Edward II Gerard Murphy Roger Mortimer
- Richard Nelson Two Shakespearean Actors Roger Michell Dion Boucicault
- William Shakespeare Troilus and Cressida Sam Mendes Achilles
- 1993
- William Shakespeare Richard III Sam Mendes Richard III
Abbey/Peacock Theatres, Dublin
- 1979
- J. Graham Reid The Death of Humpty Dumpty Patrick Mason Doctor
- 1987
- Peter Sheridan Dialann Ocrais/Diary of a Hunger Strike Peter Sheridan O'Connor
- 1989
- William Butler Yeats Cuchulain Cycle James W. Flannery Cuchulain
- 2011
- Sean O'Casey Juno and the Paycock Howard Davis Captain Jack Boyle
Royal National Theatre, London
- 1993
- Sophie Treadwell Machinal Stephen Daldry The Young Man
- 1997
- Patrick Marber Closer (London production) Patrick Marber Larry
- 2009
- Peter Flannery Burnt by the Sun Howard Davies Serguei Petrovitch Kotov
- 2011
- Sean O'Casey Juno and the Paycock Howard Davis Captain Jack Boyle
Others
- 1981
- Anton Chekhov/Thomas Kilroy The Seagull Patrick Mason Konstantin Grand Opera House, Belfast
- 1982
- James Ellis/W.B. Yeats On Baile's Strand Christopher Fitz-Simon Cuchulain Belltable Arts Centre, Limerick
- Samuel Beckett Waiting for Godot Ben Barnes Estragon Belltable Arts Centre
- Liz Lochhead Blood and Ice Kenny Ireland Byron/the Monster Traverse Theatre Company, Edinburgh
- 1984
- Tom Paulin The Riot Act (Antigone) Stephen Rea Chorus Leader Field Day Touring Company, Derry
- Derek Mahon High Time (School for Husbands) Wolk and Long High Tech Field Day Touring Company
- 1985
- John Ford Tis Pity She's a Whore Garry Hynes Giovanni Druid Theatre Company, Galway
- Oscar Wilde The Importance of Being Earnest Garry Hynes John Worthing Druid Theatre Company
- 1986
- Shane Connaughton I Do Like To Be Jeff Teare David The Irish Company
- Frank McGuinness Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Towards the Somme Michael Attenborough George Anderson Hampstead Theatre, London
- 1987
- Adapted by Jean-Claude Carrière Mahabharata Peter Brook Ashwattaman/Nakula World Tour
- 1992
- Stephen Sondheim/John Weidman Assassins Sam Mendes Samuel Byck Donmar Warehouse, London
- 1995
- Sam Sheppard Simpatico James MacDonald Vinnie Royal Court Theatre, London
- 1999
- Patrick Marber Closer (Broadway production) Patrick Marber Larry Music Box Theatre, New York
- 2001
- Chekhov/Brian Friel The Yalta Game Karel Reisz Gurov Gate Theatre, Dublin
- 2007
- Conor McPherson The Seafarer Conor McPherson Mr Lockhart Booth Theatre, New York
- 2009
- Conor McPherson The Birds Conor McPherson Nat Gate Theatre, Dublin
References
Further reading
- Ciarán Hinds, entretien réalisé par Andréa Grunert,le 16 décembre 2008 http://www.objectif-cinema.com (March 2009) p. 1â€"10. [Interview/French]
- GRUNERT, Andrea. "Ciarán Hinds: Exkursionen ins Reich des Phantastischen" Enzyklopädie des Phantastischen Films. 98th issue. Meitingen: Corian. June 2012. p. 1â€"11. ISBN 978-3-89048-498-3 [German]
- GRUNERT, Andrea. "Ciarán Hinds, acteur". Jeune Cinéma. issue 361/362. Autumn 2014. p. 62-69. [French]
External links
- Ciarán Hinds at the Internet Movie Database
- Website dedicated to his works on stage and screen
- Youthaction.org Northern Ireland Organization Supported by Hinds