Robert Carlyle

Robert Carlyle is a lesser-known actor in America than the UK. He is of Scottish decent and has played numerous villainous roles in movies including the 1999 James Bond epic 'The World is not Enough' which starred Judi Dench, Denise Richards and John Cleese. Between Hollywood and made-for-television movies, Robert Carlyle has an extensive list of credits in his acting portfolio, both in America and abroad.

Born in Glasgow, Scotland on April 14, 1961, Robert Carlyle was raised by his father, Joe, from the age of four after his mother abandoned him. He became inspired and interested in an acting career after reading Arthur Miller’s The Crucible and Carlyle began taking acting classes at the Glasgow Arts Centre at the age of 21. He and four of his friends founded an acting company in 1991.

He gained some attention as a psychotic murderer on an episode of Cracker, a popular crime-drama in the UK in the mid 90s. This led to the role Highland police officer, Hamish Macbeth, on the same-titled BBC series from 1995 to 1997.

Robert Carlyle is best known in America for his role in the film The Full Monty, a story originally written and then co-produced by Paul Bucknor. The film won the 1997 Academy Award for Original Music Score and was nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen.

In 1999 Carlyle was awarded the OBE by Queen Elizabeth II for his services to drama

After his role as Victor ‘Renard’ Zokas in the 1999 James Bond film, Robert Carlyle also starred in the award-winning film 'Angela’s Ashes', for which Robert won the award of Best British Actor at the 2001 Empire Awards, in the UK. He also played the role of Hitler in the 2003 film Hitler: The Rise of Evil.

Robert Carlyle is married to Anastasia Shirley, a designer and make-up artist working in film. Together they have three children, one daughter and two sons. Carlyle continues to work in film, with several British films currently in production.