Richard Coyle
About
Biography
Biography
Richard Coyle was an English character actor best known on the American side of the pond for his role in the BBC2 series "Coupling." Born February 27, 1972 in Sheffield, England, Coyle was the second youngest of five brothers. A job entertaining passengers aboard a ferry (where he was spotted by a theatre director, who told him he had real talent) led to him pursuing acting as a profession. After graduating from the University of York, a desire to raise money to attend the Old Vic Theatre School resulted in a role as an extra in "Jane Eyre" (1996). However, after director Franco Zeffirelli heard of Coyle's intent to attend drama school, he gave Coyle a line in the film - "Mr. Rochester, Mr. Rochester, your house sir!" Several small TV and film roles followed before Coyle landed a role in the ITV 1998 production of "The Life and Crimes of William Palmer." He also earned praise for his cameo in the film "Human Traffic" (1999). The year 2000 proved to be the turning point in his career, however, with Coyle debuting as the socially maladroit romantic Jeff in Steven Moffat's sex-driven sitcom "Coupling" (BBC2 2000-04) along with an appearance in a BBC adaptation of "Lorna Doone." Coyle's decision to leave "Coupling" after three series proved controversial; citing a fear of typecasting as the sex-obsessed Jeff, he refused to even film a farewell episode. From there, he starred in the short-lived BBC series "Strange" (2003) followed by his performing in various theatre productions as well as smaller TV and film roles. In 2010, he landed the lead role in the TV movie "Going Postal" (Sky1 2010) which he followed with another starring role, in Renny Harlin's action drama "5 Days of War" (2011). A recurring role on the American TV series "Covert Affairs" (USA 2010-14) was up next, with Coyle appearing through season three. Harkening back to his stage roots, in 2013, his own theatre company debuted at a refurbished Arcola Theatre in Dalston, London.
Filmography
Cast (Feature Film)
Film Production - Main (Feature Film)
Misc. Crew (Feature Film)
Cast (Special)
Cast (TV Mini-Series)
Life Events
2000
Co-starred in BBC2's "Coupling"
2003
Starred in BBC's "Strange"
2011
Starred in director Renny Harlin's film "5 Days of War"
