Tom Vaughan-Lawlor (born 4 November 1977) is an Irish actor. He is best known in Ireland for his roles as Nigel 'Nidge' Delaney in the RTÉ One series Love/Hate (2010–2014), and is known internationally for his role as Ebony Maw in Avengers: Infinity War and its sequel Avengers: Endgame.[1][2]
Tom Vaughan-Lawlor | |
|---|---|
| Born | 4 November 1977 Dundrum, Dublin, Ireland |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 2004–present |
| Spouse | Claire Cox |
| Children | 2 |
Early life
editVaughan-Lawlor was born in Dundrum, Dublin, Ireland. He attended De La Salle College, Churchtown, an all-male state secondary school in Dublin 14. He graduated from Trinity College, Dublin, with a degree in Drama Studies and continued his studies at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, England.[3][4]
Career
editAfter leaving the RADA Vaughan-Lawlor starred in many plays including The Quare Fellow directed by Kathy Burke, This Lime Tree Bower, for the Young Vic, and as Christy Mahon in The Playboy of the Western World for the Abbey Theatre which toured North America. Also at the Abbey he played Len in Edward Bond's Saved, Solyony in David Leveaux's production of Three Sisters and as Arturo Ui in Bertolt Brecht's The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui. In 2008 he played Lyngsrand in The Lady from the Sea by Henrik Ibsen directed by Lucy Bailey. At the National Theatre London he played Yolland in Sean Holmes' production of Brian Friel's Translations in 2005
In 2008, Vaughan-Lawlor played the Dauphin in Henry V at the Royal Exchange Manchester for which he received an Ian Charleson Award commendation. For his performance in The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui he won the 2009 Irish Times Best Actor Theatre Award. He won the award again in 2014 for Howie the Rookie.
He also had small roles in The Tiger's Tail, which starred fellow Irish actor Brendan Gleeson and Becoming Jane which starred Anne Hathaway and James McAvoy.[4]
From 2010 to 2014, he began playing the lead role of Nigel "Nidge" Delaney in the critically acclaimed Irish television crime drama Love/Hate. For his portrayal of Nidge he has won the Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Television award at the 2012 IFTA Awards, and the Best Actor for Television award at the 2013 IFTA Awards.[5] On playing the role of Nidge he said "One of the joys of playing the part is he's a different man in all four series, he's always changing and he's incredibly difficult to pinpoint, people are drawn to him because of his humour, the moments he has with his children and the moments he has with his own conscience."[6][7][8]
During Love/Hate he continued working on stage in production such as the 2010 West End production of All My Sons directed by Howard Davies. The next year he played Jerry Devine in Davies's production of Juno and the Paycock. In 2013 Vaughan-Lawlor played both the Howie Lee and the Rookie Lee in Mark O'Rowe's Howie the Rookie. Originally written for two actors, O'Rowe re-imagined the play for one actor to play both parts, and directed the production himself for Landmark Productions. The production opened in Dublin, then toured to Cork, Galway, and the Edinburgh Festival. In 2014 the production was invited to the Barbican Centre London where it played in The Pit for 2 weeks, and then toured to BAM in New York.
In 2013, he appeared in the role of Byrne in fifth episode of the BBC2 crime drama Peaky Blinders.[9] In October 2013, he began filming in Dublin on a three-part political drama Charlie which is based on the life of the late Taoiseach Charles Haughey.[10] He played political spin doctor P. J. Mara in the drama.[11][12]
Vaughan-Lawlor played McCabe in Jim Sheridan's movie The Secret Scripture with Rooney Mara and Jack Reynor which filmed in early 2015, and appeared in the 2016 film The Infiltrator with Bryan Cranston and Diane Kruger, directed by Brad Furman.
He appeared in the three-part drama Trial of the Century, where he played Patrick Pearse. In July 2016 Vaughan-Lawlor played Michaelis in the BBC's 3-part television adaptation of Joseph Conrad's 1907 novel The Secret Agent.[13]
In August 2024, it was announced that Vaughan-Lawlor had been cast as Plummer in the upcoming series A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.[14]
Personal life
editVaughan-Lawlor currently lives in Whitstable, Kent with his wife Claire Cox, who is an actress, and their son.[15]
His father played the part of a priest in Love/Hate and his son Freddie, appeared as Nidge and Trish's second child John in the crime drama.[16]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | The Tiger's Tail | Larry Cooney | |
| 2007 | Becoming Jane | Robert Fowle | |
| 2011 | Foxes | James | Short film |
| 2016 | The Infiltrator | Steve Cook | |
| The Secret Scripture | McCabe | ||
| 2017 | Daphne | Joe | |
| Maze | Larry Marley | ||
| The Cured | Conor | ||
| 2018 | Citizen Lane | Hugh Lane | Documentary |
| Avengers: Infinity War | Ebony Maw | Motion capture | |
| 2019 | Avengers: Endgame | ||
| Rialto | Colm | ||
| 2020 | The Bright Side | Andy | |
| 2022 | The Nan Movie | Mick | |
| 2023 | Baltimore | Dominic | |
| Dead Shot | Keenan | ||
| The Book of Clarence | Antoninus | ||
| 2024 | The Beautiful Game | Kevin |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010–2014 | Love/Hate | Nigel 'Nidge' Delaney | 28 episodes |
| 2013 | Peaky Blinders | Malacki Byrne | Episode #1.5 |
| 2015 | Charlie | P. J. Mara | 3 episodes |
| 2016 | Trial of the Century | Padraig Pearse | 3 episodes |
| The Secret Agent | Michaelis | 3 episodes | |
| 2019 | Dublin Murders | Frank Mackey | 8 episodes |
| 2021 | Frank of Ireland | Peter-Brian | 5 episodes |
| 2021; 2024 | What If...? | Ebony Maw (voice) | 2 episodes: "What If... T'Challa Became a Star-Lord?", "What If... Zombies?!" |
| 2021 | Danny Boy | Patrick | Television film |
| 2022 | The Ipcress File | General Cathcart | 6 episodes |
| 2025 | A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms | Plummer | Filming |
References
edit- ^ "Both sides of the story". Irish Examiner. 15 July 2013. Retrieved 19 August 2013.
- ^ "Why I'm nothing like gang hardman Nidge, reveals Tom". Evening Herald. 7 December 2011. Retrieved 19 August 2013.
- ^ "Tom Vaughan-Lawlor — RADA". www.rada.ac.uk. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
- ^ a b "Tom Vaughan-Lawlor [actor]". lisarichards.ie. The Lisa Richards Agency. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
- ^ "Winners of the 10th Annual Irish Film & Television Awards". IFTA.ie. Archived from the original on 12 February 2013. Retrieved 21 August 2013.
- ^ "Tom Vaughan-Lawlor enjoys Nidge's complexity". RTÉ News. 29 September 2013. Retrieved 11 October 2013.
- ^ "Interview: Tom Vaughan-Lawlor on Love/Hate". Irish Post. 5 August 2013. Retrieved 11 October 2013.
- ^ "Tom Vaughan-Lawlor". RSVP Magazine. 25 September 2013. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 11 October 2013.
- ^ http://www.iftn.ie/news/? act1=record&only=1&aid=73&rid=4286420&tpl=archnews&force=1
- ^ "Hair-raising day in sleepy Dáil when TV wise guys visit". Irish Independent. 11 October 2013. Retrieved 11 October 2013.
- ^ "'Nidge' to play Haughey spin doctor Mara in new role". Irish Independent. 10 October 2013. Retrieved 11 October 2013.
- ^ "'Citizen Charlie', Starring Aidan Gillen & Tom Vaughan-Lawlor, to Begin Production Next Week". IFTN.ie. 10 October 2013. Retrieved 11 October 2013.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "The Secret Agent: Episode 1: Credits". BBC. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
- ^ Petski, Denise (8 August 2024). "'A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms' 'Game Of Thrones' Prequel Adds 7 To Cast". Deadline.
- ^ "Talented Tom's so grateful for role as Nidge". Sunday World. 12 June 2013. Archived from the original on 15 June 2013. Retrieved 19 August 2013.
- ^ "Love/Hate family fun: Tom Vaughan Lawlor's real dad appears as priest in the latest episode of the TV gangland phenomenon". evoke.ie. 15 October 2014. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015.