Richard Harrington

Richard Harrington is a Welsh stage and TV actor. He has had starring roles in the shows Hinterland, Bleak House, Gunpowder, Treason & Plot, and the film The All Together. He won a BAFTA Cymru Award for his role in the film Dafydd and another for his role in Hinterland.

Early life and education Richard Harrington was born in Gurnos, Merthyr Tydfil, Wales, and grew up in Dowlais.

He studied at a Welsh Medium school in Merthyr and as a result, speaks Welsh as a second language.

Career Harrington has had starring roles in the Welsh show Hinterland (known as Y Gwyll in Welsh), Bleak House, Jimmy McGovern's Gunpowder, Treason & Plot, and Gavin Claxton's comedy feature film The All Together. He has also had roles in Coronation Street, Spooks, Casualty, Holby City, Hustle, Dalziel and Pascoe, Silent Witness, Lark Rise to Candleford, and Poldark. He won a BAFTA Cymru Award for his portrayal of a young gay hustler in the BBC film Dafydd, part of the Wales Playhouse programme.

On stage, Harrington has toured with Fiction Factory/Y Cwmni's productions of Ed Thomas's plays House of America, Gas Station Angel and Stone City Blue. He also appeared in the 1997 film version of House of America.

In 2015, Harrington won another BAFTA Cymru Award for his role as DCI Tom Matthias in Y Gwyll / Hinterland.

In April 2017, Harrington presented the BBC Two Wales programme Richard Harrington: My Grandfather's War, in which he followed the journey his grandfather had made through Spain in 1937 in order to fight against fascism in the Spanish Civil War.

In 2018 he appeared at the National Theatre in London in Home I'm Darling, a co-production with Theatr Clwyd.

In February 2021, speaking of the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, Harrington revealed that he had worked as a Deliveroo driver to supplement his income during lockdown, due to the lack of work.

In 2026 he was cast as the voice of Grand Moff Tarkin in the Welsh dub of Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope.

Personal life Harrington has two children with a former girlfriend and two with his current girlfriend, Hannah Daniel, with whom he lives in Crystal Palace, London.

In 2012 and 2013, he took part in the Snowdonia Marathon alongside his friend and fellow actor Mark Lewis Jones. They both ran Marathon des Sables in 2014.

Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 1993 Gadael Lenin (Leaving Lenin) Charlie 1996 The Proposition Evan Pobol y Cym Ossie 1997 House of America CatBreeders Jack Motor Driving Made Easy Reflex Action Short 1998 A Light in the Valley Cast member 1999 Oh Little Town of Bethlehem Martin Short 2000 Care (2000 TV film) Tony Collins TV film 2001 Score Neil TV film A Day Out Girl's Father Short 2002 High Speed Spike Mule Ray Short 2003 Rehab Powell TV film The Ride Spike 2004 Secret Passage Joseph Mathilde (film) Babyface 2005 Fatigue 2006 Daddy's Girl Stephen 2007 The All Together Jerry Davies The Contractor Terry Winchell 2008 Strap-on Owl Beak Actor Short Hope Eternal Evan 2011 Little Munchkin Mr. Jones Short Burton: Y Gyfrinach Richard Burton TV film My Times Short 2012 Elfie Hopkins Timothy Jenkins 2014 Under Milk Wood Neighbour TV film 2015 Just Jim Headmaster 2016 Royal Wives at War Narrator TV film My Grandfather's War Himself BBC TV documentary about the International Brigades during the Spanish Civil War 2018 Hatchback John Short Gwen Edward Morris Last Summer Dai Hop 2019 Bitter Sky Roy Short 2021 The Most Reluctant Convert Albert Lewis The story of C.S. Lewis' early life and conversion to Christianity 2022 Fisherman's Friends: One and All Morgan Jenkins 2023 Consent Headmaster Channel Four 2025 Havoc Jake2026Star Wars: Gobaith NewyddGrand Moff TarkinWelsh dub of Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope Television Year Title Role Notes 1987 The District Nurse Donald Turner Episode: "A Blind Eye" 1989 Screen One Series 1: episode 2: "Nineteen 96" 1992 Civvies Taffy's neighbour 1 episode 1993, 1995 Wales Playhouse Sion / Dafydd 2 episodes: "Broken Glass" & "Dafydd"BAFTA Cymru Award - Best Actor (Yr Actor Gorau) 1995 Oliver's Travels Student Mini-series 1995-1997 A Mind to Kill Paul Tam 3 episodes 1997 Tiger Bay Warwick 3 episodes 1999 Coronation Street Owen Williams 4 episodes 2002 The Hidden City Barney 2003 Holby City Lee Walmsley 1 episode: "By Any Other Name" 2004 Hustle Sam Richards 1 episode: "Cops and Robbers" Silent Witness Stephen Barnes 2 episodes: "Nowhere Fast: Parts 1 & 2" Spooks Will North 6 episodes 2005 Dalziel and Pascoe Gary Mileham Series 9: episode 33: "Heads You Lose: Parts 1 & 2" Bleak House Allan Woodcourt 7 episodes 2006 Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of an Empire Yohanon 1 episode: "Rebellion" Casualty Jerry Goater 1 episode: "Last Orders" 2007 Five Days Daf Parry 3 episodes Y Pris Stuart 1 episode: "Parch (Respect)" Sold Paul Bamforth 1 episode 2007–2008 HolbyBlue DS Luke French 20 episodes 2008 New Tricks Ash 1 episode: "Communal Living" 2009 Missing Ryan Long 1 episode: "Deeper Problems" Land Girls Adam Blackfield 2 episodes: "Trekkers" & "Destinies" Collision James Taylor / Ben Hickman 3 episodes 2010 M.I. High Tommy Blumenheck 1 episode: "Don't Cook Now" Midsomer Murders Leo Fincher 1 episode: "Blood on the Saddle" Pen Talar Defi Lewis 7 episodes 2011 Lark Rise to Candleford Gabriel Cochrane Series 4: 6 episodes 2012 Casualty Chris Johnson 2 episodes: "Duty of Care" & "Death and Doughnuts" Alys Simon 8 episodes 2013–2016 Y Gwyll / Hinterland DCI Tom Mathias Lead role 2014 Wolfblood Gerwyn 4 episodes 2015–2016 Poldark Captain Andrew Blamey 5 episodes 2016 Stella Ian Meyer 2017 Inspector George Gently Michael Clements 1 episode: "Gently and the New Age" 2018 Requiem Aron Morgan 6 episodes Father Brown Benedict Northam 1 episode: "The Face of the Enemy" Death in Paradise Bryn Williams 1 episode: "Meditated in Murder" 2019 The Crown Fred Phillips Season 3: episode 3: "Aberfan" 2020 Gangs of London Mal 4 episodes 2020 Endeavour Dr. Dai Ferman 2 episodes: "Oracle" & "Zenana" 2021 Fflam Bedwyr Neale S4C series; 6 episodes 2022 The Chelsea Detective Rory Fisk 1 episode 2022 Dalgliesh Dr David Rollinson 2 episodes 2023 Steeltown Murders Colin Dark 4 episodes 2023 Tree On A Hill Glyn 5 episodes 2024 McDonald & Dodds Lenny 1 episode 2025 The One That Got Away DS Rick Sheldon

Theatre House of America – Fiction Factory Gas Station Angel – Royal Court Stone City Blue – Theatre Clwyd Art and Guff – Soho Theatre Other Hands – Soho Theatre Look Back in Anger – Theatre Royal, Bath Coriolanus – NTW Home I'm Darling – National Theatre The Promise - Chichester Festival The Unseen - Riverside Studios House Of Games - Hampstead Theatre