Robert James Collier is a British actor. And yes, he goes by 'Rob' professionally.
A Manchester native, he originally had no plans to be an actor, and earned a business degree before entering the corporate world. While there, and not wanting to spend exorbitant fees on going back to drama school, he took night classes and worked on various short films and student productions. An audition for the series Down To Earth proved fruitful, where he won the part of a womanising barman. He also made an appearance in Season 3 of Shameless (UK). Audiences then really became acquainted with him in the soap Coronation Street, where he portrayed Liam Connor, the joint-owner of the Underworld factory, and playing the brother of pop star Kym Marsh's character Michelle. He stayed on the soap for two years before getting a spectacular death and subsequent murder mystery storyline surrounding it.
Looking for creative fulfillment rather than celebrity clout, he turned down many opportunities before landing the role for which he is currently best known - Thomas Barrow, the closeted gay footman in Downton Abbey. He was a regular for all six seasons, and reprised the role in both feature films. Other series he might be recognisable for are the Channel 4 dramedy Ackley Bridge or the Netflix fantasy Fate: The Winx Saga.
Selected Filmography:
- Down To Earth (2006)
- Shameless (UK) - one episode (2006)
- Coronation Street (2006-2008)
- Downton Abbey (2010-2016)
- Downton Abbey (2019)
- Downton Abbey: A New Era (2022)
- Ackley Bridge (2019-2022)
- Fate: The Winx Saga (2021-2022)
Tropes associated with his work:
- Actor-Inspired Element:
- Thomas's sexuality came about because of an ad-lib he did during a table read, and Julian Fellowes was inspired to emphasise it in the story more.
- When auditioning for Fate: The Winx Saga, he noted that every other actor read Silva's speech in the first episode more like "Gandalf" with heightened RP. He opted to read it like a soldier preparing men for battle.
- Actor-Shared Background: The Connors' parents are Irish. He has Irish ancestry on his mother's side.
- Dyeing for Your Art: He shaved his head to play a drug dealer for the film Wayland's Song. As a result, he wore a wig for Season 4 of Downton.
- I Am Not Spock: At the moment, he's best known as Thomas Barrow, due to all six seasons and two films of Downton, but he doesn't seem to mind.
- Its Pronounced Tro PAY: Many a Looper or Watch Mojo voiceover (American) has mispronounced his name as 'coe-lee-eh' when it's actually 'col-ee-er'.
- Killed by Request: He requested Liam be killed off so he could avoid being typecast.
- Mr. Fanservice: Definitely in Coronation Street, in which he played Troubled, but Cute, and in-universe had several of his Underworld employees Eating the Eye Candy. He won Sexiest Male at the British Soap Awards two years in a row.
- Oop North: A Salford native and he sounds like it, never disguising it via RP for a role.
- Playing Against Type: Often as villains or morally shady characters, he has sought to change type in the late 2010s.
- Ackley Bridge has him as a Cool Teacher.
- Fate: The Winx Saga is a Supernatural Soap Opera in which he plays The Mentor to the Specialists.
- Real Life Writes the Hairstyle: As he had shaved his head for Wayland's Song, he was wearing a wig in Season 4 of Downton Abbey, and his hair is still pretty short for the horror film The Ritual.
- Stage Names: As Equity already had an actor called Robert Collier, he went by Rob and hyphenated his middle name James.
- What Could Have Been: After leaving Coronation Street, he recalls turning down many offers to do game shows or reality television that would have paid very well, but he had no interest in. As a result, he didn't get another role until Downton Abbey.
