The prominent TV & film actor Hugh Bonneville is best known for his role in the award-winning ITV historical drama Downton Abbey as Robert Crawley, Earl of Grantham.

Having studied Theology at Cambridge University, Bonneville made his acting debut during 1986 in A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Open Air Theatre in Regent’s Park. He then went on to perform with the National Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company before becoming a familiar face on television appearing extensively in TV series including Take A Girl Like You, the British Comedy and BAFTA award-winning Twenty Twelve, the spin-off series W1A and the world-renowned Downton Abbey. During the shows six series, Bonneville was nominated for two Emmy awards and won a Golden Globe for his performance, alongside the shows special BAFTA award for its contribution to TV drama. Following his film debut in the 1994 adaptation of Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein, Bonneville has gone on to star in Notting Hill, Mansfield Park and Paddington, amongst others. His role as John Bayley in the 2001 film Iris, alongside Kate Winslet, went on to earn him a BAFTA nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

Alongside his acting career, Bonneville co-produced the critically acclaimed 1994 Beautiful Thing in London’s West End and also wrote and directed the play Half Time. Passionate about a number of charitable and educational causes, Bonneville is the patron of organisations including the National Youth Theatre of Great Britain, The Primary Shakespeare Company and the South Downs National Park Trust.