Summary
Neil Maskell (born 1976)[1] is an English actor, writer and director who is known for his appearances in British crime and horror films. His credits include Nil by Mouth (1997), The Football Factory (2004), Rise of the Footsoldier (2007), Doghouse (2009), Bonded by Blood (2010), Kill List (2011), Wild Bill (2011), St George's Day and Piggy (both 2012), The Great Train Robbery (2013), Raised by Wolves (2015), The Mummy (2017), King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (2017), Peaky Blinders (2019), Bull (2021), Litvinenko (2022), and Hijack (2023).
Neil Maskell | |
|---|---|
 Maskell in 2022 | |
| Born | 1976 (age 47–48) London, England |
| Alma mater | North West Kent College |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1991–present |
Early life edit
Maskell was born in London. As a youth, he played football for Long Lane JFC as a full back. He first trained in acting at the Anna Scher Theatre in Islington, London, where he attended classes from the age of 11,[2] and studied at the Miskin Theatre, Dartford at North West Kent College from 1992. He later worked as a director at the Miskin Theatre.[3]
Career edit
Film edit
Maskell's film career began in 1997 with an appearance as Schmuddie in Gary Oldman's directorial debut Nil by Mouth which was Nominated for a Palme d'Or (Golden Palm) for best film at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival.[4] In 2004, he appeared as Rod, best friend and sidekick of Tommy, (played by Danny Dyer), in the British hooligan film The Football Factory, which also starred Tamer Hassan, Frank Harper, and Roland Manookian.[5]
In 2007, he was in the British gangster movie Rise of the Footsoldier, also starring Craig Fairbrass and Terry Stone.[6] In 2009, he appeared as Banksy in the comedy zombie film Doghouse, alongside Stephen Graham and Danny Dyer.[7]
His leading role in the 2011 thriller Kill List (2011),[8] attracted positive reviews from critics earning many nominations for the Best Actor, including at the British Independent Film Awards.[9] In 2011, he also starred in Wild Bill, in a cast which included Charlie Creed-Miles, Will Poulter, Leo Gregory, Liz White, Iwan Rheon, Olivia Williams, Jaime Winstone, Andy Serkis, and Sean Pertwee. The film received positive reviews.[10]
In 2021, Maskell played the titular and lead character in British gangster revenge film Bull, with Tamzin Outhwaite.[11]
Television edit
Maskell's first television appearance was in 1991 in the ITV police drama The Bill.[6] Between 1992 and 2002, he made a further five appearances on the show, portraying a different character each time. He has had one-off roles in a number of other popular British serial dramas such as Casualty, London's Burning, Soldier Soldier.[6] His most regular television roles have been in the 2005 comedy series Mike Bassett: Manager, in the comedy sketch show The Wrong Door, and in the 2013–2014 thriller drama action series Utopia. Since 2015, he has been a series regular in sci-fi thriller Humans. In 2019 Maskell played prime minister Winston Churchill in the series finale of Peaky Blinders.[6]
Between 2018 and 2020 he played the recurring character Winkle in the BBC One sitcom King Gary, friend and employee of the titular character played by Tom Davis. Maskell has previously worked with Davis in Murder in Successville (where he played Frankie Boyle in one episode),[12]The Warm-Up Guy[13] and The Morgana Show.[14]
In 2022, Maskell played Detective Inspector Brent Hyatt in the ITV drama, Litvinenko, detailing the final days and subsequent murder investigation into the death of Russian defector Alexander Litvinenko.[6]
In 2023, Maskell played a terrorist in the Apple TV+ aircraft thriller series Hijack, alongside Idris Elba and Eve Myles.[15]
Personal life edit
Filmography edit
Film edit
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Nil by Mouth | Schmuddie | |
| Crocodile Snap | Ray | ||
| 1998 | Titanic Town | Soldier | |
| 2000 | Sorted | Record Shop Geezer | |
| 2001 | Redemption Road | Leading Mugger | |
| 2002 | AKA | Marcus | |
| 2003 | The Sequel | Lenny | |
| 2004 | The Football Factory | Rod | |
| It's All Gone Pete Tong | Jack Stoddart | ||
| Fat Slags | Policeman | ||
| 2006 | Basic Instinct 2 | Detective Ferguson | |
| 2007 | The Englishman | John | |
| Rise of the Footsoldier | Darren Nicholls | ||
| Atonement | Soldier in Bray Bar | ||
| True Colours | Neil | ||
| 2009 | Paintball | Frank | |
| Tony | Mike Hemmings | ||
| Doghouse | Banksy | ||
| 2010 | The Shouting Men | Terry | |
| Bonded by Blood | Craig Rolfe | ||
| 2011 | Ghosted | Nathan | |
| Kill List | Jay | Nominated – British Independent Film Award for Best Actor[9] | |
| Jack Falls: Sid's Story | Sid | ||
| Turnout | Scott | ||
| Wild Bill | Dicky | ||
| How to Stop Being a Loser | Hands Henry | ||
| Level Up | Dmitri | ||
| 2012 | Pusher | Marlon | |
| The Rise | Steven Roper | ||
| St George's Day | Jimmy McCudden | ||
| Piggy |
John |
||
| 2013 | Open Windows | Chord | |
| 2014 | Hyena | Martin | |
| 2015 | Bone in the Throat | Lewis | |
| High-Rise | PC White | ||
| 2017 | The Mummy | Dr. Whemple | |
| 2017 | King Arthur: Legend of the Sword | Back Lack | |
| 2018 | Happy New Year, Colin Burstead | Colin | |
| 2018 | In Darkness | DI Oscar Mills | |
| 2021 | Bull | Bull | |
| 2022 | Klokkenluider | - | Directorial debut |
Television edit
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | The Bill | Billy Potter | Episode: "Joey" |
| 1992 | Perfect Scoundrels | Dean | Episode: "Let No Man Put Asunder" |
| The Bill | Gary | Episode: "Fireworks" | |
| 1995 | The Bill | Damien Burns | Episode: "Over the Top" |
| 1996 | Soldier Soldier | Para 1 | Episode: "Money for Nothing" |
| London's Burning | Gary | Episode: "Episode No.9.8" | |
| The Thin Blue Line | Football Official | Episode: "Come on You Blues" | |
| 1997 | Casualty | Luke Lowther | Episode: "United... By Blood" |
| Chalk | Arse Face | Episode: "The Inspection" | |
| The Bill | Warren Heskey | Episode: "Neighbours" | |
| Wycliffe | Tully | Episode: "Old Crimes, New Times" | |
| 1998 | Bramwell | Manky Matkin | Episode: "Our Brave Boys" |
| 1998 | Ultraviolet | Neil | Episode: "In Nomine Patris" |
| 1999 | The Murder of Stephen Lawrence | ||
| 1999 | Murder Most Horrid | Martin Greaves | Episode: "Whoopi Stone" |
| 1999 | The Bill | Frank Wilson | Episode: "Screwdriver" |
| 2000 | Killers | ||
| 2000 | Silent Witness | Gary Lomax | Episode: "The World Cruise" |
| 2002 | The Jury | Chris Maher | |
| 2002 | The Bill | Gary Roach | Episode: "013" |
| 2003 | Strange | Youth | Episode: "Dubik" |
| 2004 | Shameless | Corporal | Episode: "Episode No.2.0" |
| 2005 | The Inspector Lynley Mysteries | Martin Moran | Episode: "Word of God" |
| 2005 | Mike Bassett: Manager | Wirral Web Presenter | |
| 2007 | Casualty | Tom Faulkner | Episode: "It Never Rains" |
| 2008 | The Wrong Door | ||
| 2009 | Casualty | Lenny | |
| 2012 | Silent Witness | Stuart Thompson | Episode: "Domestic" |
| 2013–2014 | Utopia | Arby / Piètre | |
| 2013 | The Mimic | Neil | |
| 2013 | Dates | Nick | |
| 2013 | By Any Means | Joe Tyrus | Episode 2 |
| 2013 | The Great Train Robbery | Buster Edwards | |
| 2015 | Raised by Wolves | Michael | |
| 2015–2016 | Humans | DS Peter Drummond | |
| 2016 | Murder in Successville | Frankie Boyle | Episode: "Miranda" |
| 2018 | No Offence | Dennis Caddy | Series 3 |
| 2018–2020 | King Gary | Winkle | |
| 2019 | Cleaning Up | Warren | |
| 2019 | Peaky Blinders | Winston Churchill | 3 Episodes of Series 5 |
| 2020 | Sex Education | Police Officer 'Neil' | Season 2: Episode 3 |
| 2020 | Baghdad Central | Douglas Evans | Episodes 2 to 6 |
| 2022 | Stuck[17] | Dr. Pete Cosmos | BBC original comedy |
| 2022 | Litvinenko | Brent Hyatt | 4 Episodes |
| 2023 | Hijack [15] | Stuart Atterton | Main Role [15] |
Awards and nominations edit
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Dublin Film Critics' Circle Awards | Best Actor | Kill List | Nominated | [18] |
| 2011 | British Independent Film Awards | BIFA Award for Best Actor | Nominated | [18][9] | |
| 2012 | Fright Meter Awards | Best Actor | Nominated | [18] | |
| 2013 | Fangoria Chainsaw Awards | Nominated | [18] | ||
| 2013 | Southampton International Film Festival | Best Supporting Actor in a Short Film | Driftwood | Nominated | [18] |
| 2014 | BloodGuts UK Horror Awards | Best Supporting Actor/Actress | Open Windows | Nominated | [18] |
| 2022 | National Film Awards UK | Best Actor | Bull | Nominated | [19] |
References edit
- ^ "bondedbyblood.co.uk". Archived from the original on 8 September 2010. Retrieved 16 December 2011.
- ^ "ghostedthefilm.com". Archived from the original on 24 October 2018. Retrieved 16 December 2011.
- ^ "Miskin Theatre Company". December 2011. Archived from the original on 26 April 2012.
- ^ "Festival de Cannes: Nil by Mouth". Festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 23 September 2009.
- ^ "The Football Factory (2004)". filmaffinity.com. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
- ^ a b c d e "Neil Maskell". tvguide.com. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
- ^ "Doghouse (2009)". justwatch.com. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
- ^ "heyuguys.co.uk". heyuguys.co.uk. 2 September 2011. Retrieved 16 December 2011.
- ^ a b c "2011 British Independent Film Awards - Best Actor". BIFA. 2011.
- ^ "Wild Bill - 2011, Drama, 1h 38m". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
- ^ Peter Bradshaw (16 October 2021). "Bull review – a gangland revenge shocker with Neil Maskell on vicious form". theguardian.com.
- ^ "Murder In Successville Series 2, Episode 2 – Miranda". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
- ^ "The Warm Up Guy – E4 Sitcom". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
- ^ "The Morgana Show Series 1, Episode 1". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
- ^ a b c Andy Meek (28 June 2023). "Everything to know about Hijack, the new Apple TV+ thriller starring Idris Elba". bgr.com.
- ^ "TOTT: Neil Maskell on playing unlikable characters". YouTube.
- ^ "Stuck – BBC Two". Retrieved 5 September 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f "Neil Maskell Awards". IMDB (Index source only). Retrieved 11 April 2023.
- ^ "Nominees for the 8th annual National Film Awards 2022 announced". National Film Awards. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
External links edit
- Neil Maskell at IMDb