Steve Speirs

Steve Speirs (born 22 February 1965)[1] is a Welsh actor and writer, who has appeared in films such as Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest.

Steve Speirs
Born
Steven Roberts

(1965-02-22) 22 February 1965
Troedyrhiw, Glamorgan, Wales
FamilyJeffrey Lloyd Roberts (Brother)

Early life

He was born as Steven Roberts in Troed-y-rhiw, a village now in the borough of Merthyr Tydfil, Wales[2] and went to school at Afon Taf High School where he found a taste for drama. He joined the National Youth Theatre of Wales and studied drama at Loughborough University.[3] He says he took his stage name, Speirs, from the surname of a lecturer at college.[4]

Career

Since graduating from university, Speirs has played Sloan in Eragon, Andy Fellows in Making Waves and the "pathetic loser" Dullard alongside Ricky Gervais in Extras, as well as playing Captain Tarpals in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace and having a small role in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest.

He appears in Kröd Mändoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire, a comedy fantasy series in which he plays Loquasto, an oafish servant, "who belongs to a race of pig-like creatures known as Grobble".[5]

He wrote his first film, Caught in the Act, in 2008 and starred in it as the lead character. Based on his memories of growing up in South Wales, it was filmed in the Merthyr Tydfil area.[6]

Speirs often goes by the name of "Dullard" in honour of his role in Extras, as he considers the character a mirror of himself. Speirs also appeared in the Gervais and Stephen Merchant film Cemetery Junction released in 2010, a part which was written particularly for him.[2] Speirs also starred as the bouncer at Mother McOakley's Tavern in Burke and Hare, a British black comedy directed by John Landis and released (in the United Kingdom) in October 2010.

Other roles which Speirs is known for include his portrayal of Bernard Bresslaw in Cor, Blimey!, Big Alan Williams in Stella and Colour Sergeant Wormwood in Sharpe's Peril. He also appears as a postman on the last episode of Miranda season 3. Speirs played depressed geography teacher and caretaker Mr Gareth Barber in the BBC One sitcom Big School for two series in 2013 and 2014.

In 2013, Steve played PC McClintock in the Christmas TV film Gangsta Granny, an adaptation of the book written by David Walliams. He played the role of Dad in the 2014 TV film The Boy in the Dress, also written by Walliams.

In 2015 he appeared in the TV spin off The Bad Education Movie playing Don alongside the main cast of Bad Education as well as many other guests in the movie. The same year, he also appeared in the pilot of the radio sitcom Ankle Tag, which went on to air three series in 2017,2018 and 2020.

In 2016 he appeared in the Ben Elton crafted Upstart Crow playing Richard Burbage (actor and leader of Will's acting company) and has continued in this role for 3 series ( 2016, 2017 & 2018) with 2 Christmas spin-offs in 2017 & 2018.

Steve has created, written and starred in The Tuckers for BBC Wales and BBC iPlayer.

Steve appears in the video for the Super Furry Animals song Ice Hockey Hair released in 1998.

Personal life

Speirs moved to live in Brighton, East Sussex. He is divorced from first wife, Julia, with whom he had two sons, Jack and Lewes.[2] Steve re-married and also has a third son, Max, and a daughter Amelie with his wife Joanna.[4] His brother is opera singer Jeffrey Lloyd Roberts.[3]

Filmography
Film
Year Title Role
1996 Rough Justice DC
1997 House of America The Head
1998 Martha, Meet Frank, Daniel and Laurence Taxi Driver
1999 Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace Captain Tarpals
1999 Topsy-Turvy Mr. Kent
2000 Rancid Aluminum BMW Man
2000 Married 2 Malcolm Sam Tex
2001 The Musketeer Porthos
2003 Vacuums Tinker
2004 The Baby Juice Express Mystery Man
2006 The Last Drop Gustav Hansfeldt
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest Quartermaster – Edinburgh
Eragon Sloan
2007 The Baker Bryn
Octane Social worker
2008 Caught in the Act Eric Jenkins
Inkheart Flatnose
2010 Cemetery Junction Sgt. Wyn Davies
Burke and Hare McMartin's Doorman
2011 Hunky Dory Mr. Cafferty
2014 Set Fire to the Stars Mickey
2015 The Bad Education Movie Don
Television
Year Title Role Notes
1989 We Are Seven Albert Thomas 7 episodes
1993 Screen One Porter Episode: "Tender Loving Care"
1995 Goodnight Sweetheart Phil Episode: "Nice Work If You Can Get It"
1996 The Detectives Bruce Episode: "Fur Coat, No Knickers"
Dalziel and Pascoe Arthur Evans Episode: "A Clubbable Woman"
Murder Most Horrid DI Hooper Episode: "A Life or Death Operation"
Cold Lazarus Blinda's Apartment Guard
1998 Keeping Mum Leonard Episode "The Card Game"
The Wonderful World of Disney Chief Armorer Television film: "A Knight in Camelot"
1999 The Bill Oliver Beauman Episode: "Pillow Talk"
2000 Cor, Blimey! Bernard Bresslaw Television film
The Scarlet Pimpernel Sergeant Bibot Episode: "Ennui"
Holby City Jim Ellison Episode: "The Real Thing"
2002 NCS: Manhunt Benny Luck Episodes: "Out of Time" (Parts 1 & 2)
2003 The Planman Darren Westcoate Television film
Absolute Power Dave Pine Episode: "Pope Idol"
2004 Jonathan Creek Herbie Bryant Episode: "The Chequered Box"
The Last Detective Caradoc Episode: "Benefit to Mankind"
Making Waves CCMEA Andy Fellows 2 episodes
Tunnel of Love Kimberley's Dad Television film
2005 The Bill Barry Episode: "289a"
Midsomer Murders Keith Carter Episode: "Sauce for the Goose"
Doctor Who Strickland Episode: "Aliens of London/World War Three"
Icon Viktor Akopov Television film
Extras Dullard Episode: "Samuel L Jackson"
2006 Doctors Pete Machin Episode: "Strictly Bedroom"
Holby City Richard Price-Thomas Episode: "Before a Fall"
2007 New Tricks Dougie Taylor Episode: "God's Waiting Room"
2008 City of Vice William Pentlow 5 episodes
2008–09 No Heroics Norse Dave 6 episodes
2008 Sharpe's Peril Wormwood Television film
2009 The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler Piotr Television film
Kröd Mändoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire Loquasto 6 episodes
A Child's Christmases in Wales Uncle Huw Television film
2010 Casualty Stewart Kerr Episode: "Russian Endings"
Doctors Dave Howells Episode: "Boyo"
Miranda Ray Episode: "The Perfect Christmas"
2011–12 Sadie J Steve 26 episodes
2011 Benidorm Uri
2012–15 Stella Alan (Big Alan) 39 episodes
2012 A Young Doctor's Notebook & Other Stories Syphilitic Mikhail
2013–14 Big School Mr. Barber 12 episodes
2013 Gangsta Granny PC McClintock Television film
2014 The Boy in the Dress Peter Television film
2016 Dickensian Inspector Thompson
Cuckoo Barman Episode: "The Holiday"
Rovers Tel 6 episodes
2016–present Upstart Crow Richard Burbage 19 episodes
2017 Not Going Out Johnny Lucas Episode: "Charlie"
Decline and Fall Davis Episode: "King's Thursday"
2019 The Tuckers Glyn Tucker 6 episodes
2020 Inside No. 9 Mitch Episode: "The Referee's a W***er"
2020 After Life (TV series) Dog Waste Man Episode 5
gollark: You know, I've thought about it more, and it might actually be a good idea to have a web backend for storage. You could make it really nice and distributed.
gollark: Ah, a fellow functional programmer.
gollark: You must use virtual AI cloud serverless blockchain.
gollark: ^
gollark: ...

References
  1. "Steve Speirs". IMDb.
  2. Owens, David (17 April 2010). "Steve Spiers the Welshman who wowed Rick Gervais". Wales Online. Retrieved 11 September 2016.
  3. Driscoll, Rob (15 June 2002). "Tinseltown's gain is Hoover's loss; Valleys-born Steve Speirs cuts a dash in big-budget romp The Musketeer". Western Mail. Retrieved 11 September 2016 – via The Free Library.
  4. Loy, Sandra (21 December 2014). "Welsh actor Steve Speirs: You'll probably see more of him this Christmas than you'll see of your own family". Wales Online. Retrieved 11 September 2016.
  5. "Original TV Shows, Reality TV Shows". Comedy Central. Comedy Partners. 30 September 2016. Archived from the original on 6 December 2009. Retrieved 21 December 2016.
  6. "Steve Speirs comes home for his first film as a writer". Wales Online. 29 November 2008. Retrieved 21 June 2015.
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