Robert James-Collier

Robert James-Collier (born 23 September 1976) is a British actor widely known for his roles as Liam Connor in Coronation Street, Thomas Barrow in Downton Abbey, and Martin Evershed in Ackley Bridge.

Early life and education James-Collier was born on 23 September 1976 in Salford, Greater Manchester, to parents James and Anne Collier as Robert James Collier. When he became an actor, he hyphenated his middle name and surname to form a new surname, to comply with the rules of Equity and avoid confusion with another actor named Robert Collier.

James-Collier was educated at St Patrick's Roman Catholic High School in Eccles, Greater Manchester. He studied business at the University of Huddersfield for his bachelor's degree, and later obtained a master's degree in marketing at the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology.

Career With no acting experience, James-Collier auditioned for the series Down to Earth. Stars Ricky Tomlinson and Denise Welch were convinced by his talent, and he got the part of the womanising pub landlord. In 2006, he appeared in New Street Law and played a small part as 'Stud' in Shameless series 3, episode 5 under the name of Rob Collier.

In 2006, he joined Coronation Street as Liam Connor, joint owner of the Underworld factory. He left the show in October 2008. In an interview in early 2008, he announced he would leave the soap but planned to return. However, in June 2008, it was reported that the character of Liam was set to be 'brutally' killed off as part of a murder-mystery plotline where three well-known residents fell under suspicion for the crime. He soon modelled for British catalogue retailer Argos, appearing in the Autumn/Winter 2007 and Spring/Summer 2008 catalogues.

James-Collier achieved international recognition as the scheming, lonely gay footman (and later under-butler) Thomas Barrow in the historical drama series Downton Abbey (2010–2015), subsequently appearing in the franchise's three feature films, Downton Abbey (2019), Downton Abbey: A New Era (2022) and Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale (2025).

He played Kevin O'Dowd in ITV's 2016 crime drama The Level. In 2017, he starred in British horror film The Ritual; The Guardian described his performance as "a fierce screen presence". He had a principal role in the "Cold River" episode of Vera, aired in 2018.

In 2019, it was announced that he would be cast in the third series of Channel 4 school-drama Ackley Bridge as Martin Evershed.

In September 2023, James-Collier starred in the Channel 5 drama series The Inheritance, appearing alongside Samantha Bond, Jemima Rooper, Gaynor Faye and Adil Ray.

In 2025, James-Collier starred as DC Ben Cooper in the series Cooper & Fry; the series, also starring Mandip Gill, aired on Channel 5 in November 2025.

Awards For his role as Liam Connor on Coronation Street, James-Collier won "Best Newcomer" and "Sexiest Male" at the 2007 Inside Soap Awards. James-Collier won the Sexiest Male award at the 2007 and 2008 British Soap Awards in addition to "Best Exit" at the 2009 British Soap Awards.

Personal life James-Collier married Lauren Chandiram, who ran a fashion boutique before James-Collier's rise to fame. They made their relationship public on the red carpet in 2007. They have one son.

Filmography + Film Year Title Role Notes 2011 Mercenaries Callum 2012 Spike Island Mr Milligan 2013 Wayland's Song John 2015 A Christmas Star Pat McKerrod 2016 The Attendant Alex Short film 2017 The Ritual Hutch 2019 Nancy Nancy's father Short film Downton Abbey Thomas Barrow 2022 Downton Abbey: A New Era 2025 Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale

+ Television Year Title Role Notes 2005 Perfect Day Alex Television film 2005 Down to Earth Nicky Christy 10 episodes 2006 Shameless Stud/Jim Episode #3.5 2006 Casualty Martin Stonewall Episode: "Secrets and Lies" 2006 Dalziel and Pascoe Simon Thewlis Episode 1: "The Cave Woman" Credited as "Rob Collier" 2006–2008 Coronation Street Liam Connor 330 episodes; Won – Best Exit – British Soap Awards Won – Sexiest Male (2008) – Inside Soap Awards Won – Sexiest Male (2007) – Inside Soap Awards 2010–2015 Downton Abbey Thomas Barrow 52 episodes; Won – Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series (2012–14) 2011 Moving On Clive Episode: "The Milkman" 2012 Love Life Joe Main role 2013 Moving On Aiden Evans Episode: "Visiting Order" 2016 The Level Kevin O'Dowd 6 episodes 2018 Urban Myths Colonel Archie Christie Episode: "Agatha Christie" 2019 Vera Richard Episode: "Cold River" 2019 Death in Paradise Oliver Carr Episode: "Murder on the Honore Express" 2019–2022 Ackley Bridge Martin Evershed Main role 2021–2022 Fate: The Winx Saga Saul Silva 14 episodes 2023 The Inheritance Daniel 4 episodes; Channel 5 drama series The Long Shadow DCS Jack Ridgeway Episodes 4 and 5 2024 Generation Z Michael 6 episodes 2025 Cooper and Fry Ben Cooper Main role