Byron Coll
Coll in 2023
Born
Byron Anthony Coll

Christchurch, New Zealand
OccupationActor
Years active2008–present

Byron Anthony Coll is a New Zealand film, theatre and television actor. He has appeared in television series such as BBC's The Luminaries, NBC's La Brea, Cowboy Bebop on Netflix, and New Zealand feature films such as Nude Tuesday, Muru, Shadow in the Cloud and Uproar.

Early life

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Coll was born in Christchurch. He discovered acting at high school and subsequently undertook a Bachelor of Performing Arts at Toi Whakaari: New Zealand Drama School,[1] graduating in 2007.[2]

Career

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Coll has appeared in numerous New Zealand theatre productions including the national tour of the play HEAT,[3] NZ Opera's The Mikado, and the 2017 musical Pleasuredome alongside Lucy Lawless.[1][4]

Coll made his feature film debut in Gaylene Preston's Home By Christmas in 2010.[5]

In 2013, he starred in New Zealand feature film Shopping which screened at Sundance Film Festival and won Best Film at the 2013 Rialto Channel New Zealand Film Awards.[6] In the same year, he appeared in Jane Campion's television series Top of the Lake.[7]

From 2013 to 2017, Coll was most well-known to New Zealand audiences as Tim, the All Blacks superfan in a series of popular Mastercard commercials.[8][9][10]

In 2014, Coll played the WWI conscientious objector Mark Briggs in the New Zealand telemovie Field Punishment No.1

In 2020, he played Charlie Frost in the BBC television series The Luminaries – an adaptation of Eleanor Catton's novel of the same name. The same year, he played Scottish RAF crew member Terence Taggart in Roseanne Liang's action horror Shadow in the Cloud alongside Chloë Grace Moretz. In 2021, Coll played Mark Manley in the television series Cowboy Bebop on Netflix.

In 2022, he starred in New Zealand comedy film Nude Tuesday, written by Jackie van Beek and Armağan Ballantyne and directed by Ballantyne. He also appeared in Muru, a New Zealand action-drama film about the 2007 New Zealand police raids of the Ngāi Tūhoe community of Rūātoki. In the same year he appeared in NBC science fiction drama series La Brea, as Professor Franklin Marsh.

Coll is a regular cast member on sketch comedy series from Viva La Dirt League.

In 2023, Coll starred New Zealand feature film Uproar[11]. He will appear in Christine Jeff's A Mistake, and Rachel House's debut feature The Mountain.[12][13]

Coll is also a fine art photographer and was one of Capture Magazine's Top 20 Emerging Photographers in Australasia in the Landscape category.[14][15]

Filmography

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Denotes works that have not yet been released

Film

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Year Title Role Notes
2010 Home By Christmas Hoppy Feature film
2013 Shopping Lindsay Feature film
2013 Jack the Giant Slayer Soldier Feature film
2014 Dive George Short film
2019 Daffodils Stuart Feature film
2019 Guns Akimbo Skizm Goon Feature film
2020 This Town Tony Feature film
2020 Shadow in the Cloud Terence Taggart Feature film
2022 Nude Tuesday Finnius Feature film
2022 Muru Jarrod Feature film
2023 Uproar Bullivant Feature film
TBA The Mountain † Hugh Feature film
TBA A Mistake † Jason Latham Feature film

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
2009 Skyrunners Mr Hiddlebaum TV Movie
2010 Tangiwai: A Love Story Stan Avery TV Movie
2013 Woodville Sid Web series
2014 Bored Byron Web series
2014 Field Punishment No.1 Mark Briggs TV Movie
2016 Terry Teo Sgt. Phipps TV series
2017 Power Ranger Ninja Steel Redbot TV series
2018 Power Rangers Super Ninja Steel Clint TV series
2019 Educators Sex Ed Teacher TV series
2019 Wellington Paranormal Unhelpful Fisherman TV series
2020 The Luminaries Charlie Frost TV series
2020 Inside Gary TV series
2021 D&D Logic Wizard Web series
2021 Cowboy Bebop Mark Manley TV series
2021 Last at 11 Manny Sullivan TV series
2022 The Brokenwood Mysteries Pablo Piccante TV series
2022 La Brea Franklin Marsh TV series

References

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  1. ^ a b BEYNEN, JACK VAN (5 March 2017). "How Cantabrian Byron Coll, that guy from the Mastercard ads, got into opera". Stuff. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
  2. ^ "Graduate". www.toiwhakaari.ac.nz. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
  3. ^ Benson, Nigel (14 October 2010). "Naked feet happy but knees not so good". Otago Daily Times Online News. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  4. ^ Wilson, Simon (30 September 2017). "Pleasuredome is a funkadelic musical aiming to make it from Avondale to Vegas". The Spinoff. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  5. ^ Screen, NZ On. "Byron Coll | NZ On Screen". www.nzonscreen.com. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  6. ^ Screen, NZ On. "Shopping | Film | NZ On Screen". www.nzonscreen.com. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
  7. ^ Screen, NZ On. "Byron Coll | NZ On Screen". www.nzonscreen.com. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
  8. ^ "Carter's epic All Blacks prank revealed". NZ Herald. 19 June 2023. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
  9. ^ "Superfan splits sides and steals hearts in winning ad". NZ Herald. 9 October 2023. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  10. ^ Fox, Rebecca (5 May 2016). "A night with Richie's mate". Otago Daily Times Online News. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  11. ^ Screen, NZ On. "Uproar | Film | NZ On Screen". www.nzonscreen.com. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  12. ^ "Byron Coll – IMC". Retrieved 19 June 2023.
  13. ^ reporter, Regional (16 May 2023). "New film featuring Taranaki Maunga will be Rachel House's directing debut". Stuff. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
  14. ^ "Australasia's Top Emerging Photographers Awards 2019 Winners - Capture magazine". www.capturemag.com.au. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
  15. ^ "Lion Rock Management". lionrock.nz. Retrieved 19 June 2023.