Paul Hilton

Paul Hilton is an English actor born in Oldham, Lancashire, in 1970 to Dorothy and David Hilton. He has described his upbringing as working-class and far removed from the theatrical world he would later inhabit. His interest in acting was sparked by a drama teacher at North Chadderton School and by school trips to theatres in and around Manchester, including the Oldham Coliseum Theatre, where he saw his first school play at age 14. He trained at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama before relocating to London, and has since built a career spanning theatre, television, film, and radio.

On stage, Hilton's credits include Sandy in Mark Haddon's Polar Bears at the Donmar Warehouse in 2010, the title role in Marlowe's Doctor Faustus at Shakespeare's Globe in 2011, and a role in the world premiere of Damon Albarn's musical Wonder.land at the Manchester International Festival in July 2015. He played The Boson in Lucy Kirkwood's Mosquitoes at the National Theatre in 2017, directed by Rufus Norris, and that same year took the title role in a National Theatre Live production of Peter Pan. In 2023 and 2024, he played Father Manders in Henrik Ibsen's Ghosts at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, and in 2024 portrayed Peter Stockmann in an adaptation of Ibsen's An Enemy of the People at the Duke of York's Theatre, a performance that earned him a Laurence Olivier Award nomination for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. From September to November 2024, he starred as Joxer Daly in Juno and the Paycock at the Gielgud Theatre, and from November 2025 to January 2026, he played Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol at the Old Vic.

Hilton's Broadway debut came in 2019 with The Inheritance, Matthew Lopez's play in which he originated the role of E. M. Forster at the Young Vic in 2018 before the production transferred to the Noël Coward Theatre in the West End and subsequently to the Ethel Barrymore Theatre on Broadway. His performance earned a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actor in a Play, a Drama League Award nomination for Distinguished Performance, and the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play in 2020.

His screen work includes appearances in television programmes such as Garrow's Law, The Bill, Silent Witness, Wire in the Blood, Midsomer Murders, Robin Hood, True Dare Kiss, and Casualty 1909. He played David Holmes in the television drama A Very English Scandal, based on John Preston's account of the Thorpe affair. His film credits include Klimt, the role of Mr. Earnshaw Snr. in Andrea Arnold's 2011 adaptation of Wuthering Heights, and Alexander, the husband of the protagonist Katherine, in the 2016 film Lady Macbeth. On radio, he starred as William Palmer in the Pilgrim dramas on BBC Radio 4's Afternoon Play series.

In 2025, Hilton narrated the audiobook of Mark Bowles's debut novel All My Precious Madness, co-published by Galley Beggar Press and Spiracle. He received nominations in both the New Voice and Best Audiobook Fiction categories at the inaugural British Audio Awards, winning the latter.

Hilton is married to actress Anastasia Hille, and they have two adult children. In 2023, he was among the signatories of a campaign led by actress Julie Hesmondhalgh to save the Oldham Coliseum Theatre from demolition. The campaign succeeded in reversing the closure decision and securing a £10 million refurbishment, with the venue set to reopen in 2026.