Aidan Turner

Aidan Turner (born 19 June 1983) is an Irish actor. He began his career in the RTÉ medical drama The Clinic (2008–2009) and the BBC Two series Desperate Romantics. He later gained attention for co-starring as one of the main leads in the popular BBC Three series Being Human (2009–2011), and for playing the dwarf Kíli in Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit trilogy (2012–2014), before starring as Ross Poldark in Poldark (2015–2019).

Early life and education Aidan Turner was born at home in Clondalkin, a suburban town of Dublin, The family later moved to Walkinstown.

Turner attended secondary school at St Mac Dara's Community College in Templeogue before leaving to join his older brother at Firhouse Community College, where, he said, he "probably wasn't a great student".

Before becoming an actor, Turner was a successful ballroom dancer, once obtaining third place in the adult section of the Irish National Championships. He graduated from the Gaiety School of Acting in 2004.

Turner's television acting career began in 2007 with an uncredited appearance on the first episode of The Tudors. In the same year he produced and starred in the film Porcelain, directed by Gavin Cleland, which was shot in a convent in Dublin. However, only a trailer of the movie was released.

Between 2008 and 2009, Turner had a recurring role as Ruairí McGowan in eighteen episodes of The Clinic. He followed The Clinic with the BBC production Desperate Romantics. He portrayed Dante Gabriel Rossetti in all six episodes of the show, which aired in 2009.

Turner's film career began with two short films, The Sound of People and Matterhorn, both in 2007. He later played Mal in the thriller feature film Alarm (2008).

Turner played the vampire John Mitchell for the first three series of the supernatural drama programme Being Human (2009 to 2011), for which he received widespread praise. His role on Being Human brought Turner to the attention of Sir Peter Jackson, who cast him as the dwarf Kíli in The Hobbit Trilogy (2012–2014). In 2014, he won the Empire Award for Best Male Newcomer for the second film in the series, The Desolation of Smaug.

In the 2015 BBC TV miniseries And Then There Were None, based on the Agatha Christie novel, Turner played the cynical mercenary Philip Lombard. Joining him in the ensemble cast were Maeve Dermody, Miranda Richardson, Toby Stephens, Charles Dance, Anna Maxwell Martin, Noah Taylor, Douglas Booth, Burn Gorman, and Sam Neill. The miniseries was critically-acclaimed, with Maureen Ryan (Variety) and Mike Hale (New York Times) among those applauding Turner's "standout" work.

Turner performed the title role of Ross Poldark in the 2015 revival of the BBC series Poldark. At the National Television Awards in 2016, Turner received the NTA's inaugural Impact Award for his performance.

In 2021, Turner led the Italian series Leonardo, portraying the titular artist. The following year saw him in the ITV police procedural The Suspect, in which he played Dr Joseph O'Loughlin, a psychologist adjusting to his recent diagnosis of early-onset Parkinson's disease.

Turner next played Glenn Lapthorne, a professional tennis coach accused of sexually abusing his former underage protégé (portrayed by Ella Lily Hyland), in the 2023 British television drama Fifteen-Love.

In 2024, Turner played TV journalist Declan O'Hara in the Disney+ series Rivals, an adaptation of Jilly Cooper's Rutshire Chronicles. He starred alongside David Tennant, Victoria Smurfit, Alex Hassell, Bella Maclean, Nafessa Williams, Katherine Parkinson, and Danny Dyer. The second season of the series premiered in May 2026.

Personal life In 2017, Turner met actress Caitlin FitzGerald. He also bought an 18th-century house in East London that year. The couple married in August 2020; they have a child together, born in January 2022. Turner is a longtime snooker enthusiast.

Acting credits +Key Denotes projects that have not yet been released Film Year Title Role Notes 2007 The Sound of People Father Short film Matterhorn Theodoro Porcelain Kevin Unreleased 2008 Alarm Mal 2012 The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Kíli 2013 The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones Luke Garroway The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Kíli 2014 The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies Kíli 2016 The Secret Scripture Jack Conroy Post-production Unferth Pre-production

Television Year Title Role Notes 2007 The Tudors Bedoli Episode: "In Cold Blood" 2008–09 The Clinic Ruairí McGowan Main role, 18 episodes 2009 Desperate Romantics Dante Gabriel Rossetti Main role, 6 episodes 2009–11 Being Human John Mitchell Main role, 22 episodes 2010 Resonance TT Pilot 2011 Hattie John Schofield TV film 2015 And Then There Were None Philip Lombard Mini series 2015–2019 Poldark Ross Poldark Lead role 2021 Leonardo Leonardo da Vinci 2022 The Suspect Dr. Joseph O'Loughlin Lead role 2022Toast of TinseltownBarneyEpisode: "Death Valley"2023 Fifteen-Love Glenn Lapthorne Lead role 2024–present RivalsDeclan O'HaraLead role 2025 The DiplomatCallum EllisRecurring role

Theatre

Audio

Awards and nominations Year Award Category Work Result 2011 SFX Awards Best Sci-Fi or Fantasy Actor Being Human Sexiest Male 2012 Online Film & Television Association Best Original Song The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey SFX Awards Best Sci-Fi Actor Being Human Sexiest Male 2013 The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey 2014 Empire Awards Best Male Newcomer CinEuphoria AwardsBest Ensemble 2015 Radio Times Champion Drama Champion Poldark TV Choice Awards Best Actor 2016 Broadcasting Press Guild Awards Breakthrough Award Poldark /