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Robert Pugh: image, BBC, fair use claimed

Robert Pugh

Actor, from Tyntetown to Kings Landing

Robert Pugh was born on 3 November 1948 in Tyntetown, near Mountain Ash in the Cynon Valley, South Wales. He attended Ynysboeth school and was raised largely by his grandmother in Tynte, with family roots in nearby Cilfynydd, close to Pontypridd. He decided to become an actor after watching From Russia with Love at a cinema in Treforest, and after taking night courses at the Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts in London he won a place at Rose Bruford College, graduating in 1976.

Pugh built a long and varied screen career across British television and film, becoming known for bringing real historical figures to life, including Harold Wilson in Channel 4's Longford (2005) and Hermann Göring in the BBC drama-documentary Nuremberg: Nazis on Trial (2006). He has often returned to explicitly Welsh roles, playing Edgar Evans in the 1984 television film Terra Nova, appearing in Karl Francis's Welsh-language film Milwr Bychan (1987), and portraying the medieval Welsh prince Owain Glyndŵr in the BBC's 2012 adaptation of Henry IV, Part I.

He reached a new international audience as the wildling Craster in HBO's Game of Thrones (2012-2013), and went on to appear in The White Queen (2013), Doctor Foster (2015), Mr Selfridge (2016) and Vanity Fair (2018), among many other credits. His film work has included Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003) and Kingdom of Heaven (2005).

Pugh has continued working steadily into the 2020s, returning to BBC's Casualty — the series in which he first appeared as a paramedic in the 1980s — in a recurring role in 2023, and narrating the popular BBC series The Repair Shop.

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Cynon Valley-born character actor known internationally for Game of Thrones and for frequently portraying Welsh historical figures on screen.

Pugh's early career included extensive Welsh-language work, including Karl Francis's Milwr Bychan (1987), before a long run of British television roles across the 1980s and 1990s in series including Brookside, Casualty, Inspector Morse and Silent Witness. His profile rose sharply from the 2000s with high-profile historical and genre roles, including Harold Wilson, Hermann Göring and, most famously, Craster in Game of Thrones.

He trained at Rose Bruford College after first taking evening classes at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts while working, a path he has credited with shaping his versatility across theatre, film and television.

Career Highlights

  • Played Craster in HBO's Game of Thrones (2012-2013)
  • Played Owain Glyndwr in the BBC's The Hollow Crown adaptation of Henry IV, Part I (2012)
  • Portrayed Harold Wilson in Channel 4's Longford (2005) and Hermann Goring in BBC's Nuremberg: Nazis on Trial (2006)
  • Appeared in Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003)
  • Long theatrical and TV career including Casualty, Doctor Who and Vanity Fair
  • Narrator of BBC's The Repair Shop
ℹ️ Born Robert Pugh, 3 November 1948, Tyntetown, Mountain Ash, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales

Born and raised in the Cynon Valley near Pontypridd, Pugh grew up with his grandmother in Tynte, Mountain Ash, and has often returned to Welsh roles throughout his career, including Owain Glyndŵr and Edgar Evans.

From: Silverlining23
I am interested in all Robert Pugh's acting roles in TV and film. Where can I get this information please?
From: rhubarb
Robert comes from the Cynon Valley with family in Cilfynydd near Pontypridd.
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