Paddy Considine

Patrick George Considine is an English actor, filmmaker, screenwriter, and musician born on 5 September 1973. Raised as the youngest of six siblings on a council estate in Winshill, Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, he grew up with an Irish father. He pursued performing arts at Burton College, where he first crossed paths with future collaborator Shane Meadows, and later completed a first-class photography degree at the University of Brighton.

Considine made his feature film debut in Meadows's 1999 project A Room for Romeo Brass. His performance led to his first lead film role in Paweł Pawlikowski's Last Resort (2000), which earned him a Best Actor award at the Thessaloniki Film Festival. He subsequently expanded his profile with roles in 24 Hour Party People and In America, gaining a reputation for playing complex antiheroes. In 2004, he co-wrote and starred in the revenge drama Dead Man's Shoes, winning an Empire Award, and reteamed with Pawlikowski for My Summer of Love.

Throughout the 2000s and 2010s, Considine built a broad body of film work across independent features and studio productions. His credits include Cinderella Man, Bosque de Sombras, The Bourne Ultimatum, Hot Fuzz, Submarine, Blitz, The World's End, and The Girl with All the Gifts. On television, he appeared in productions such as Pu-239, My Zinc Bed, Red Riding, Informer, The Suspicions of Mr Whicher, Peaky Blinders, The Outsider, and The Third Day. Between 2022 and 2024, he played King Viserys I Targaryen in the drama series House of the Dragon.

Beyond acting, Considine established himself as a writer and director. He made his directorial debut with the 2007 short film Dog Altogether, winning a British Academy Film Award, a BIFA, and a Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival. He expanded the story into his debut feature film Tyrannosaur (2011), which received a directing award at the Sundance Film Festival and a BAFTA for Outstanding Debut. He later wrote, directed, and starred in the 2017 drama Journeyman.

Considine made his stage debut in 2017 starring in The Ferryman in the West End and later on Broadway, earning nominations for both an Olivier Award and a Tony Award. As a musician, he has performed in early bands before founding the rock group Riding the Low as lead vocalist, releasing multiple records. Considine married Shelley Insley in 2002, and the couple has three children. He continues to reside in Burton upon Trent and has publicly discussed his diagnoses of Asperger syndrome and Irlen syndrome.