| Birth Name: | Hugh Richard Bonniwell Williams |
| Birth Date: | 1963 11, df=y |
| Birth Place: | Paddington, London, England |
| Occupation: | Actor |
| Years Active: | 1990–present |
| Known For: | Robert Crawley, Earl of Grantham in Downton Abbey |
| Alma Mater: | Corpus Christi College, Cambridge (BA) Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art |
| Children: | 1 |
Hugh Richard Bonniwell Williams[1] (born 10 November 1963), known professionally as Hugh Bonneville, is an English actor.[2] He is best known for portraying Robert Crawley, Earl of Grantham, in the ITV historical drama series Downton Abbey from 2010 to 2015. His performance on the show earned him a nomination at the Golden Globes and two consecutive Primetime Emmy Award nominations, as well as three Screen Actors Guild Awards. He reprised his role in the feature films Downton Abbey (2019) and (2022). He also appeared in the films Notting Hill (1999), Iris (2001), The Monuments Men (2014), and the Paddington films (2014–present).
Hugh Richard Bonniwell Williams was born on 10 November 1963 in Paddington, London. His mother was a nurse and his father was a urological surgeon.[3] He was educated at Dulwich College Preparatory School in south London and at Sherborne School.[4]
Following secondary education, Bonneville read theology at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge.[5] [6] He graduated from Cambridge with a 2:2 in theology.[7] He went on to study at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art in London.
Bonneville is an alumnus of the National Youth Theatre.[4]
When he began acting, Bonneville chose Richard Bonneville, a variation of his middle names, as his stage name, because there was a well-known playwright named Hugh Williams. After appearing as Richard Bonneville for ten years, he changed Richard to Hugh.
Bonneville's first professional stage appearance was at the Open Air Theatre, Regent's Park. In 1987, he joined the National Theatre where he appeared in several plays, then the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1991, where he played Laertes to Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet (1992–1993). He played Valentine in The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Bergetto in 'Tis Pity She's a Whore, Kastril and later Surly in The Alchemist.[8]
In 1994, billed as Richard Bonneville, he appeared in The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes episode "The Dying Detective". His film debut was in 1994's Mary Shelley's Frankenstein with Robert De Niro and Kenneth Branagh. In the 1997 James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies, he had a small role playing a naval sailor onboard "HMS Bedford". His early roles were usually good-natured bumbling characters like Bernie in Notting Hill (1999) and Mr Rushworth in Mansfield Park (1999).
In the BBC television series Take a Girl Like You (2000) and Armadillo (2001), he played more villainous characters, leading up to the domineering Henleigh Grandcourt in Daniel Deronda (2002) and the psychopathic killer James Lampton in The Commander (2003) series. In Love Again, he played the poet Philip Larkin.
In Iris (2001), he played the young John Bayley opposite Kate Winslet, with his performance lauded by critics and receiving a BAFTA nomination for Best Supporting Actor.In 2004, Bonneville played Sir Christopher Wren in the docudrama Wren – The Man Who Built Britain.Bonneville also works extensively in radio.He played the role of Jerry Westerby in the BBC Radio 4 dramatisation of the John le Carré novel The Honourable Schoolboy, first broadcast in January 2010.[9] Earlier, he appeared in the surreal parallel universe comedy Married.
From 2010 until 2015, he appeared in the ITV period drama Downton Abbey, as Robert, Earl of Grantham, a role he repeated in the 2019 film. Bonneville again reprised the role of Robert Crawley in the 2022 film .
In early 2010, he appeared in the comedy film Burke and Hare.[10] In 2011 and 2012, he starred as Ian Fletcher in the award-winning BBC comedy series Twenty Twelve, and reprised the role in the 2014 BBC comedy series W1A. In December 2012, he appeared on BBC Two with co-star Jessica Hynes in World's Most Dangerous Roads, travelling through Georgia. He also appeared in the much-delayed film Hippie Hippie Shake with Cillian Murphy and Sienna Miller.
From 2011 until 2014, Bonneville was the narrator of the Channel 4 show The Hotel. On 18 November 2012, Bonneville appeared on stage at St Martin's Theatre in the West End for a 60th anniversary performance of Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap, the world's longest-running play.[11]
Bonneville played Mr. Brown in the 2014 film Paddington and its 2017 sequel Paddington 2. He has appeared in the singing comedic role of Peter the Pillager, the Pirate King, in the ABC fairy tale-themed musical comedy extravaganza series Galavant during its 2015 and 2016 seasons. He also narrated the ITV series The Cruise.
In 2017, Bonneville portrayed Lord Mountbatten in director Gurinder Chadha's film Viceroy's House, which depicted the tumult and violence surrounding the Partition of India during the final days of British rule. Also in 2017, he portrayed the voice of Merlin in the movie based on the children's TV series Thomas & Friends, Journey Beyond Sodor. Also that year, he narrated the documentary A Return to Grace: Luther's Life and Legacy and it was announced that Bonneville would play Roald Dahl in an upcoming biopic about the author.[12]
In 2018, Bonneville succeeded Julie Andrews as host and narrator of the annual "From Vienna: The New Year's Celebration" episode of Great Performances, broadcast on New Year's Day on PBS in the United States.[13] Also in 2018, he returned to voice Merlin in one of the episodes of the twenty-second series of Thomas & Friends.
In 2019, Bonneville portrayed C. S. Lewis at the Chichester Festival Theatre's production of Shadowlands,[14] along with actors Liz White and Andrew Havill.
On 8 March 2023, Bonneville appeared on ITV’s DNA Journey with comedian, John Bishop.[15]
On 7 May 2023, Bonneville appeared as the host of the Coronation Concert of King Charles III.[16] In June, 2023, it was announced that Bonneville will return to the third instalment of Paddington.[17]
Bonneville married Lucinda Williams in 1998.[18] They lived with their son, Felix, in West Sussex.[19] In September 2023, the couple separated after 25 years together.[20]
In 2009, Bonneville was the voice of Justice Fosse in Joseph Crilly's British premiere of Kitty and Damnation for the Giant Olive Theatre Company at the Lion & Unicorn Theatre in Kentish Town.[21] Shortly thereafter he became Giant Olive's first patron.[22] Bonneville is also a patron of the London children's charities Go Live Theatre Projects[23] and Scene & Heard, as well as an ambassador for WaterAid.[24]
On 8 October 2019, he was appointed as a Deputy Lieutenant of the County of West Sussex.[25]
| Denotes works that have not yet been released |
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Mary Shelley's Frankenstein | Schiller | |
| 1997 | Tomorrow Never Dies | Air Warfare Officer – HMS Bedford | |
| 1999 | Notting Hill | Bernie | |
| Mansfield Park | Mr Rushworth | ||
| 2001 | Blow Dry | Louis | |
| High Heels and Low Lifes | Farmer | ||
| The Emperor's New Clothes | Bertrand | ||
| Iris | Young John Bayley | ||
| 2003 | Conspiracy of Silence | Fr. Jack Dowling | |
| 2004 | Piccadilly Jim | Lord Wisbeach | |
| Stage Beauty | Samuel Pepys | ||
| 2005 | The Commander: Virus | James Lampton | Uncredited |
| The Commander: Blackout | |||
| Man to Man | Fraser McBride | ||
| Asylum | Max Raphael | ||
| Underclassman | Headmaster Felix Powers | ||
| 2006 | Scenes of a Sexual Nature | Gerry | |
| 2007 | Four Last Songs | Sebastian Burrows | |
| Hola to the World | Painter | Short film | |
| 2008 | One of Those Days | Mr Burrell | |
| French Film | Jed | ||
| 2009 | Knife Edge | Charles Pollock | |
| Glorious 39 | Gilbert Williams | ||
| From Time to Time | Captain Oldknow | ||
| 2010 | Critical Eye | Brian | |
| Shanghai | Ben Sanger | ||
| Third Star | Beachcomber | ||
| Burke & Hare | Lord Harrington | ||
| Hippie Hippie Shake | John Mortimer | Unreleased[26] | |
| 2011 | Third Star | Beachcomber | |
| 2014 | The Monuments Men | Lieutenant Donald Jeffries | |
| Muppets Most Wanted | Irish Journalist | ||
| Paddington | Henry Brown | ||
| 2015 | Stick Man | Santa Claus | Voice |
| Silent Hours | Commander William Calthorpe | ||
| 2017 | Viceroy's House | Lord Mountbatten | |
| Paddington 2 | Henry Brown | ||
| Merlin | Voice | ||
| Breathe | Teddy Hall | ||
| A Return to Grace: Luther's Life and Legacy | Narrator | ||
| Secrets of the Magna Carta | Documentary[27] | ||
| 2019 | Downton Abbey | Robert Crawley, Earl of Grantham | |
| 2020 | Mr. Delacroix | ||
| 2021 | To Olivia | Roald Dahl | |
| 2022 | Robert Crawley, Earl of Grantham | ||
| I Came By | Sir Hector Blake | ||
| The Amazing Maurice | The Mayor | Voice | |
| 2023 | Bank of Dave | Sir Charles | |
| Mummies | Lord Sylvester Carnaby | Voice | |
| 2024 | Paddington in Peru | Henry Brown | Post-production |
| 2025 | Robert Crawley, Earl of Grantham | Filming | |
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Chancer | Jas | 2 episodes |
| 1991 | Dodgem | Rick Bayne | 5 episodes |
| 1993 | Captain | Episode: #2.6" | |
| Stalag Luft | Barton | Television movie | |
| 1994 | The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes | Victor Savage | Episode: "The Dying Detective" Credited as Richard Bonneville |
| Peak Practice | Dominic Kent | Episode: "Perfect Love" Credited as Richard Bonneville | |
| Cadfael | Daniel Aurifaber | Episode: "The Sanctuary Sparrow" Credited as Richard Bonneville | |
| Between the Lines | Henry Oakes | Episode: "Close Protection" | |
| 1995 | The Vet | Alan Sinclair | 6 episodes |
| EastEnders | Headmaster | Episode: "14 December 1995" | |
| 1996 | Married for Life | Steve Hollingsworth | 7 episodes |
| Bugs | Nathan Pym | Episode: "Bugged Wheat" | |
| 1997 | Breakout | Peter Schneider | Television movie |
| See You Friday | Daniel | Episode: "#1.1" | |
| The Man Who Made Husbands Jealous | Ferdinand Fitzgerald | Episode: #1.1" | |
| Get Well Soon | Norman Tucker | 4 episodes | |
| 1998 | Heat of the Sun | Edward Herbert | Episode: "Hide in Plain Sight" |
| Mosley | Bob Boothby | 4 episodes | |
| Holding the Baby | Gordon Muir | Unknown episodes | |
| The Scold's Bridle | Tim Duggan | Television movie | |
| 1999 | Murder Most Horrid | Inspector Dawson | Episode: "Confessions of a Murderer" |
| 2000 | Take a Girl Like You | Julian Ormerod | 3 episodes |
| Thursday the 12th | Brin Hopper | Television movie | |
| Madame Bovary | Charles Bovary | ||
| 2001 | Hans Christian Andersen: My Life as a Fairytale | Publisher | |
| The Cazalets | Hugh Cazalet | 6 episodes | |
| Armadillo | Torquil Helvoir Jayne | TV film | |
| 2002 | Midsomer Murders | Hugh Barton | Episode: "Ring Out Your Dead" |
| Tipping the Velvet | Ralph Banner | Episode: "#1.3" | |
| Daniel Deronda | Henleigh Grandcourt | 3 episodes | |
| Impact | Phil Epson | Television movie | |
| The Gathering Storm | Ivo Pettifer | ||
| Right Under My Eyes | James | ||
| The Biographer | Eric | ||
| Doctor Zhivago | Andrey Zhivago | ||
| 2003 | The Commander | James Lampton | |
| Love Again | Philip Larkin | ||
| Hear the Silence | Andrew Wakefield | ||
| 2004 | Wren: The Man Who Built Britain | Christopher Wren | TV documentary |
| 2005 | The Rotters' Club | Adult Ben | Voice; 2 episodes |
| The Robinsons | George Robinson | 6 episodes | |
| 2006 | Courting Alex | Julian/Charles Carter | 10 episodes |
| Prince Regent | Television movie | ||
| Tony Whittaker | Television movie | ||
| 2007 | The Vicar of Dibley | Jeremy Ogilvy | Episode: "The Vicar in White" |
| Five Days | DSI Iain Barclay | 4 episodes | |
| The Replacements | C.L.I.V.E. | Voice; Episode: "London Calling" | |
| The Diary of a Nobody | Charles Pooter | Television movie | |
| Miss Austen Regrets | Rev. Brook Bridges | ||
| 2007–08 | Freezing | Matt | 3 episodes |
| 2008 | Bonekickers | Gregory Parton | 6 episodes |
| Lost in Austen | Claude Bennet | 4 episodes | |
| Sir Hugh Carleton Greene | Television movie | ||
| 2008–11 | Country House Rescue | Narrator | 24 episodes |
| 2009 | Hunter | DSI Iain Barclay | 2 episodes |
| Ruth Watson's Hotel Rescue | Narrator | 6 episodes | |
| Legally Mad | Gordon Hamm | unaired pilot[28] | |
| 2010–15 | Downton Abbey | Robert Crawley, Earl of Grantham | 52 episodes |
| 2010 | Ben Hur | Pontius Pilate | 2 episodes |
| Agatha Christie's Poirot | Edward Masterman | Episode: "Murder on the Orient Express" | |
| The Silence | Chris | 4 episodes | |
| 2010–14 | Rev. | Roland Wise | 3 episodes |
| 2011 | Doctor Who | Captain Avery | Episodes: "The Curse of the Black Spot" "A Good Man Goes to War" |
| Marple: The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side | Inspector Hewitt | Television movie | |
| 2011–12 | Twenty Twelve | Ian Fletcher | 13 episodes |
| 2011–14 | The Hotel | Narrator | 33 episodes |
| 2012 | Turn Back Time: The Family | 5 episodes | |
| Getting On | Philip Moore | Episode: "#3.6" | |
| World's Most Dangerous Roads | Episode: "#3.2" | ||
| Mr Stink | Mr Stink | Television movie | |
| 2013 | Da Vinci's Demons | Duke of Milan | Episode: "The Hanged Man" |
| 2014 | Top Gear | Himself | Episode: "Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car" |
| 2014–17 | W1A | Ian Fletcher | 14 episodes |
| 2015–16 | Galavant | Pirate King | 2 episodes |
| 2015–18 | Sofia the First | Book Narrator | Voice; 6 episodes |
| 2016 | The Hollow Crown | Gloucester | Episode: "Henry VI, Part I" |
| Walliams & Friend | Various | Episode 7 | |
| 2017 | The Grand Tour | Himself | Series 2 Episode 3 |
| A Return to Grace: Luther's Life and Legacy | Narrator | Documentary | |
| 2018 | Countdown to Calvary | Host/Narrator | Documentary |
| Thomas & Friends | Merlin | Voice; Episode: "Seeing is Believing" | |
| Christmas with the Tabernacle Choir[29] | Narrator | ||
| 2018–24 | Great Performances | Host/Narrator | Episode "From Vienna: The New Year's Celebration 2018" |
| Episode "From Vienna: The New Year's Celebration 2019" | |||
| Episode "From Vienna: The New Year's Celebration 2020"[30] | |||
| Episode "From Vienna: The New Year's Celebration 2021" | |||
| Episode "From Vienna: The New Year's Celebration 2022" | |||
| Episode "From Vienna: The New Year's Celebration 2023" | |||
| Episode "From Vienna: The New Year's Celebration 2024" | |||
| 2019 | Last Week Tonight with John Oliver | Narrator | 2 episodes |
| 2020 | Sandylands | One-Eyed Man | 2 episodes |
| 2020–22 | Amphibia | Wigbert Ribbiton | Voice; 2 episodes[31] |
| 2020 | DuckTales | Santa Claus | Voice; Episode: "How Santa Stole Christmas"[32] |
| 2022 | The Hidden Lives of Pets | Narrator | Documentary series[33] |
| Secrets of the Royal Gardens | Documentary series[34] | ||
| 2023 | The Gold | DCI Brian Boyce | 6 episodes |
| DNA Journey | Himself | Episode: "John Bishop and Hugh Bonneville" | |
| Coronation Concert | Host | [35] | |
| 2024 | The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin | Jonathan Wild | 4 episodes |
| Douglas Is Cancelled | Douglas Bellowes | In production[36] |
| Year | Book Title | Role | class=unsortable | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Birds Without Wings | Narrator | ||
| 2014 | Goldfinger | |||
| 2016 | Paddington Takes the Test | |||
| Paddington At Large | ||||
| Paddington Marches On | ||||
| Paddington Abroad | ||||
| Paddington Helps Out | ||||
| 2017 | Paddington At Work | |||
| On the Banks of Plum Creek | ||||
| Paddington Goes to Town | ||||
| Farmer Boy | ||||
| 2018 | Paddington Takes the Air | |||
| Paddington On Top | ||||
| 2021 | Absolute Proof | |||
| 2022 | Late Summer On State Street | |||
| Year | Award | Category | Project | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | British Academy Film Award | Best Supporting Actor | Iris | |
| European Film Award | Best Actor | |||
| 2002 | Berlin International Film Festival | New Talent Award | ||
| 2006 | Monte-Carlo Television Festival | Outstanding Actor in a Miniseries | ||
| 2012 | Primetime Emmy Award | Downton Abbey | ||
| 2013 | ||||
| 2011 | Golden Globe Awards | Best Actor - Miniseries or Television Film | ||
| 2012 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Ensemble in a Drama Series | ||
| 2013 | ||||
| 2014 | ||||
| 2015 | ||||
| 2016 | ||||
| 2011 | Monte-Carlo Television Festival | Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series | ||
| 2013 | ||||
| 2011 | British Comedy Awards | Twenty Twelve | ||
| 2012 | ||||
| 2012 | British Academy Television Award | Best Actor in a Comedy Programme | ||
| 2013 | ||||
| 2015 | W1A | |||
| 2016 | ||||