Brendan Coyle

Brendan Coyle was born David Coyle on December 2, 1962 in Northamptonshire, U. K. He moved to Dublin, Ireland in 1981 and attended the Focus Theatre’s Acting Studio. In 1983, he won a scholarship to the Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts in London for his audition of Philadelphia, Here I Come! Throughout the late 80s and early 90s he toured Ireland and Europe with different theatre companies. He starred in Stephen Daldrys The Ragged Trousered Philanthropist and Philadelphia, Here I Come! He began appearing on television and in 1999 he won the Laurence Olivier Award for best supporting actor in his performance on The Weir.
Most recently he has appeared as John Bates in the very popular series Downton Abby. The incredibly successful show has won numerous awards and accolades including Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series three times (2013, 2015, 2016), a Golden Globe, and a Primetime Emmy for best mini-series. It has also received the most Emmy nominations of any international show in the history of the Primetime Emmy.