Entertainment

Who is Anthony Boyle? Rising star of Say Nothing who plays IRA commander Brendan Hughes

Anthony Boyle is an award-winning actor known for his roles on both screen and stage

Harry Potter star Anthony Boyle thought he was auditioning for Sirius, not Scorpius
Anthony Boyle will play the role of Brendan Hughes in the upcoming Disney Plus series.

Anthony Boyle stars as a former IRA commander in a new Disney Plus series which takes place during the Troubles.

Say Nothing, which follows several individuals suspected to have been involved in the ‘disappearing’ and murder of Belfast mother-of-ten Jean McConville, will be available to stream this month.

In the nine-part drama, the 30-year-old plays of role of Brendan Hughes, a leading member of the Provisional IRA during the Troubles and the Officer Commanding during the 1980 hunger strike.

More: Say Nothing: The true story behind Jean McConville’s disappearance featured in new Disney Plus and Hulu series

Belfast-born

Anthony Boyle grew up in west Belfast and first became interested in drama when he was in school at De La Salle College and then St Louise’s Comprehensive College.

The Lyric Theatre in Belfast (Paul Faith/PA)
Boyle was spotted during a performance at Belfast's Lyric Theatre and invited to Wales to study acting (Paul Faith/PA)

In an interview with the New York Post, Boyle said he was expelled from school at 16 because he “always wanted to push the red button” and was later fired from a job working in a nightclub for drinking at work.

He later moved to Cardiff to study acting when he was spotted during a performance at the Lyric Theatre in Belfast and offered a place at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama.

Breakthrough on the West End and Broadway

After graduating in 2016, he landed his first big role as Draco Malfoy’s son Scorpius in the original production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child on the West End.

He received widespread acclaim for his performance and won the prestigious Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role in 2017.

Boyle reprised his role in the original Broadway production of the show in New York in 2018 for which he was nominated for a Tony Award.

Boyle won a Laurence Olivier Award in 2017 for his performance as Scorpius Malfoy in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child on the West End.
Boyle won a Laurence Olivier Award in 2017 for his performance as Scorpius Malfoy in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child on the West End.

TV and Film roles

Since his breakthrough, Boyle has enjoyed success in both TV and film, with roles in shows such as Derry Girls and films including 2019′s Tolkien.

This year, he starred alongside Austin Butler, Callum Turner and Barry Keoghan in Apple TV’s American war drama Masters of the Air.

He is also set to play the lead role of Arthur Guinness in an upcoming Netflix series about the family behind the famous drink.