Steven Robertson

Steven Robertson (born 1 January 1977) is a Scottish theatre, film and television actor best known for his role as a young man with cerebral palsy in Inside I'm Dancing and for playing Dominic Rook in the popular BBC Three comedy-drama series Being Human. He has had roles in numerous television programs including Luther and The Bletchley Circle. He also played Constable Sandy Wilson on the TV adaptation of Ann Cleeves's Shetland, filmed near where Robertson was born and brought up. Robertson has won an Ian Charleson Award for his role in Chekhov's The Seagull. He battled and overcame severe dyslexia as a child and went on to be named Fife College's Student of the Year.

Personal life

Robertson grew up in the small village of Vidlin in the Shetland Islands with his two sisters. Before pursuing an acting career, he worked as an odd-job man in his village. Growing up, he was close to the Shetland poet Rhoda Bulter. He stated that she was the trigger for him pursuing a career in performing by telling him old Shetland tales.^[1] Roberston was the first Shetlander to be accepted into the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Whilst there he met his wife, actress Charlotte Allam.^{[2] [3]} He is also a member of Aya Theatre and has starred in their adaptation of George Orwell's Burmese Days as Flory.^[4] He currently lives in Hertfordshire with his wife and daughter.

Education

• Vidlin Primary School
• Brae High School
• Anderson High School, Lerwick
• Orkney College - Studying Agriculture
• Fife College (Drama), Kirkcaldy (named Student of the Year)^[5]
• Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London

Career

Robertson's first major film role came in 2004 when he starred alongside fellow Scottish actor James McAvoy in Inside I'm Dancing.^[6]

He then went on to play a small part in the 2005 film Kingdom of Heaven as an Angelic Priest. Following this, he had a big role in the 2005 French war film Joyeux Noel in which he played Jonathan, a young man whose brother was shot dead during WW1.^[7] Robertson then went on to play characters in numerous TV dramas, including Luther, where he played both of the Millberry twins, a murderous duo who decided their victim's fate on the roll of a dice.^[8]

Robertson then played one of his most notable roles as Dominic Rook, a government leader whose department protects the world from supernaturals in series 5 of the British supernatural drama Being Human.

He later worked on series 2 of Utopia, a British conspiracy thriller for Channel 4 where he played the role of Terrence.^[9]

In January 2015, it was announced Robertson would be appearing in a two-part story written by Toby Whithouse for the 9th series of the hit show Doctor Who.

Shetland

Robertson returned to his home in Shetland to film the TV series of the same name, where he starred as Constable Sandy Wilson in this BBC One adaptation of the popular Ann Cleeves book series. The show was criticised for its lack of Shetland accents, with Robertson being the only main cast member born and brought up on the islands. However, the series attracted over 6 million viewers and a second series was commissioned featuring, alongside Douglas Henshall and Robertson, actors Brian Cox, Julie Graham and Alex Norton, with Robertson's character now as a detective.^[10] Robertson stated to Digital Spy that his portrayal of Constable Wilson was a "nice break from playing killers and creeps". A third series, telling a single story, is expected in 2016.

Filmography

Film

• Inside I'm Dancing (2004) (also released under the title Rory O'Shea Was Here) as Michael Connolly
• Kingdom of Heaven (2005) as the Angelic Priest^[11]
• Joyeux Noël (2005) as Jonathan
• True North (2006) as The Cook
• Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007) as Francis Throckmorton
• Neds (2010) as Mr Bonetti
• 5 Days of War (2011) as Davit Kezerashvili
• The Somnambulists (2012) as Man 12

TV

• E=mc² (2005) as Michael Faraday
• He Kills Coppers (2008) as Tony Meehan
• Tess of the d'Urbervilles (2008) as Cuthbert Clare
• Shameless (2009) as Padraig Maguire, deceased father of Paddy Maguire seen in a nightmare
• Red Riding (2009) as Sergeant Bob Fraser
• Ashes to Ashes (2010) as Paul Thordy
• Luther (2011) as Robert/Nicholas Millberry
• Parade's End as Colonel Bill Williams, CO (2012)^[12]
• Being Human (2012-Guest, 2013-Regular) as Dominic Rook
• The Bletchley Circle (2012) as Malcolm Crowley
• Shetland (2013) as Police Constable Sandy Wilson
• New Tricks (2013) as Tim Belgrade
• Utopia (2014) as Terrence ^[13]
• In the Flesh (2014) as John Weston
• Doctor Who (2015) as Richard Pritchard^[14]

Stage

• King Lear (2002) as Kent (Royal Shakespeare Company Academy)
• The Seagull (2003) as Konstantin Gavrilovich Treplyov (Royal Exchange, Manchester)
• Antony and Cleopatra as Octavian (Royal Exchange, Manchester)
• The Tempest (2007) as Ariel (Royal Exchange, Manchester)
• Ghosts (2009) as Oswald Alving (Citizens Theatre)

References

External links

• Steven Robertson at the Internet Movie Database
• Shetlopedia.com – Steven Robertson page