Colin Hurley

Colin Hurley is an English actor born in 1957 in Leicester who has worked extensively with the Royal Shakespeare Company, the National Theatre, and Shakespeare's Globe, with a particular focus on the works of William Shakespeare. His Broadway appearances span 2013 to 2017 and include Twelfth Night, King Richard II, and Farinelli and the King.

Hurley's earliest exposure to acting came at Alderman Newton's Boys' School, where he played Le Beau in As You Like It. He subsequently participated in youth theatre, school plays, and amateur dramatic societies before leaving school in 1969 and spending a decade in repertory theatres across the United Kingdom. During that period his roles encompassed the title parts in Hamlet and Henry V, Ariel in The Tempest at the Gateway Theatre in Chester, Tony Lumpkin in She Stoops to Conquer and Nero in Britannicus at the Salisbury Playhouse, The Black Prince in Edward III at Theatr Clwyd, Pip in Great Expectations at the Wolsey Theatre in Ipswich, and Dromio of Syracuse in The Comedy of Errors at the Bristol Old Vic. He also performed with Communicado and The Custard Factory, taking on roles including Tyresius in Antigone, Johnnie in Hello and Goodbye, and the Farrant twins in Corpse! for Vienna's English Theatre. He later trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama, graduating in 1981.

Hurley became a regular presence at Shakespeare's Globe, where his credits include The Golden Ass, Lucio in Measure for Measure, Troilus and Cressida, Autolycus in The Winter's Tale, Louis VI in In Extremis, Henry VIII, Cardinal Wolsey and Henry Barrow in Anne Boleyn, Lavatch in All's Well That Ends Well, and Stanley/King Edward IV in Richard III. That production of Richard III transferred first to the West End and then to Broadway in 2013. Also in 2013, he appeared on Broadway in Twelfth Night, having previously played Sir Toby Belch in the West End production of that comedy in 2012. His Broadway work continued with King Richard II and Farinelli and the King, extending his New York stage presence through 2017.

His association with the Royal Shakespeare Company produced credits including Lord Byron in Camino Real in 1996, Horatio in Hamlet and Ulysses in Troilus and Cressida both in 1998, and Herr Schaaf in A Month in the Country in 1999. At the National Theatre, Hurley appeared as Henry Earl of Richmond and Lord Grey in Richard III and as a Gentleman in King Lear, both in 1990, as well as in Remember This, Wild Oats, The Oedipus Plays, Davison in Mary Stuart, and The Good Person of Szechwan. Additional stage work includes Dennis in Loot at the Lyric Theatre Hammersmith in 1992, Andrey Prozorov in Three Sisters Two at the Orange Tree Theatre in 2002, The Actor in The Woman in Black at the Fortune Theatre in 2003, and David in Here's What I Did With My Body One Day at the Pleasance Theatre in 2004.

On screen, Hurley's television roles include David Copperfield in David Copperfield in 1986, Prisoner 1 in The Storyteller in 1988, Ian Harper in Hero Hungry in 1990, Ray Murray in The Chief in 1994, Colin Hastings in The Bill in 2000, Keith Jordan in Peak Practice in 2000, Desk Sergeant in The Infinite Worlds of H. G. Wells in 2001, Glyn Hollis in Holby City in 2003, and an appearance in Dreamland in 2023. He also plays Barry in Flowers for Kudos on Channel 4. His film credits include Grandpré in Henry V in 1989, Blake in Black Pond in 2011, and Lavatch in All's Well That Ends Well in 2012. In addition to his performing career, Hurley wrote the plays House and Shuffling Off, which were staged at the New Grove Theatre, and authored two short films, Bruised Fruit and Billy Badmouth.