# Ian Hart

Ian Davies (born 8 October 1964), better known by his stage name Ian Hart, is an English actor. His most notable roles have been in One Summer (1983), Backbeat (1994), Land and Freedom and Nothing Personal (1995), Michael Collins (1996), Liam (2000), as Professor Quirrell in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001), as Ludwig van Beethoven in Eroica (2003), My Mad Fat Diary (2013–2015), as Father Beocca in The Last Kingdom (2015–2020), and as Carl in The Responder (2022).

## Early life

Hart was born Ian Davies, in the Knotty Ash district of Liverpool on 8 October 1964. He has two siblings and was brought up in an Irish Catholic family. He attended Cardinal Allen Grammar School in Liverpool's West Derby suburb, and was a member of the Everyman Youth Theatre, Liverpool, in his earlier years. He studied drama at the now-defunct Mabel Fletcher College of Music and Drama in Liverpool's Wavertree district.

## Career

In 1991, Hart played John Lennon in the low-budget independent film The Hours and Times. He played Lennon twice more: a slightly younger Lennon during The Beatles' 1960-62 Hamburg period in Backbeat (1994), and a 50-year-old Lennon (having avoided his true fate at age 40) in the Playhouse Presents television production Snodgrass (2013).
In 1995, Hart portrayed a POUM militia volunteer in Ken Loach's Spanish Civil War film Land and Freedom. The same year, he played psychotic Northern Irish Protestant gangster 'Ginger' in the Thaddeus O'Sullivan directed 1995 Irish-British drama film Nothing Personal, alongside John Lynch, James Frain and Michael Gambon, for which, Hart won the Volpi Cup for best supporting actor at the 52nd Venice International Film Festival.
In 2000, he was back in Liverpool as an unemployed shipyard worker, father of three, including the protagonist, in the film Liam. His best-known role, however, is perhaps that of Professor Quirrell in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001). He also provided the voice and motion capture for the computer-generated face of Lord Voldemort.
In 2003, Hart and fellow actor Linus Roache fasted for three months and lost 2 stones each, to achieve a malnourished look for the filming of Blind Flight, where he played Middle-Eastern hostage Brian Keenan.
In 2004, Hart played Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in the film Finding Neverland, having already played Doyle's creation Dr Watson in a BBC One television film of The Hound of the Baskervilles in 2002, and reprising the role in 2004 in Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Silk Stocking, with a different actor playing Sherlock Holmes. He also played schizophrenic paparazzo Don Konkey in the FX series Dirt in 2007 and 2008.
In 2009 he played Tom Ripley in BBC Radio Four's adaptations of all five of Patricia Highsmith's "Ripliad" series. The same year, Hart worked alongside John Simm at the Duke of York's Theatre production of Andrew Bovell's play Speaking in Tongues.
In 2011, he played Adolf Hitler in the BBC drama The Man Who Crossed Hitler.
In 2015, he landed the role of Father Beocca in The Last Kingdom and remained as a main character until the end of series 4 in 2020.
In 2018, he starred as Sailing Master Thomas Blanky in the AMC produced series The Terror.
In 2022, Hart was back in Liverpool playing drug dealer Carl Sweeney, in the BBC One British police drama series The Responder alongside Martin Freeman.

## Personal life

In order to relax Hart has participated in kung-fu.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1985 | No Surrender | Uncertain Menace | |
| 1988 | The Zip | Son | Short film |
| 1991 | The Hours and Times | John Lennon | |
| 1994 | Backbeat | John Lennon | |
| 1995 | Land and Freedom | David Carr | |
| 1995 | The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain | Johnny 'Shellshocked' | |
| 1995 | Clockwork Mice | Steve | |
| 1995 | Nothing Personal | Ginger | |
| 1996 | Hollow Reed | Tom Dixon | |
| 1996 | Michael Collins | Joe O'Reilly | |
| 1997 | Gold in the Streets | Des | |
| 1997 | Robinson Crusoe | Daniel Defoe | |
| 1997 | The Butcher Boy | Uncle Alo | |
| 1997 | Mojo | Mickey | |
| 1998 | Monument Ave. | 'Mouse' | Also known as Snitch (original title) and Noose |
| 1998 | Frogs for Snakes | Quint | |
| 1998 | B. Monkey | Steve Davis | |
| 1998 | Enemy of the State | NSA Agent John Bingham | |
| 1999 | This Year's Love | Liam | |
| 1999 | Wonderland | Dan | |
| 1999 | Spring Forward | Fran | |
| 1999 | The End of the Affair | Mr. Parkis | |
| 1999 | Bait | Dad | Short film |
| 2000 | The Closer You Get | Kieran O'Donnell | |
| 2000 | Best | Nobby Stiles | |
| 2000 | Aberdeen | Clive |
| 2000 | Liam | Dad | |
| 2000 | Born Romantic | Second Cab Driver | |
| 2000 | Bring Me Your Love | Harry Weaver | Short film |
| 2001 | Strictly Sinatra | Toni Cocozza | |
| 2001 | Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone | Professor Quirrell | Voice and motion capture for Lord Voldemort |
| 2002 | Killing Me Softly | Senior Police Officer | |
| 2002 | Unhinged | Eric | Short film |
| 2003 | Den of Lions | FBI Agent Rob Shepard | |
| 2003 | Cheeky | Alan | |
| 2003 | Blind Flight | Brian Keenan | |
| 2004 | Every Seven Years | Liam | Short film |
| 2004 | Finding Neverland | Sir Arthur Conan Doyle | |
| 2004 | Strings | Ghrak (voice) | English dub |
| 2005 | A Cock and Bull Story | Joe | |
| 2005 | Rag Tale | Morph, Photographer | |
| 2005 | Breakfast on Pluto | PC Wallis | |
| 2005 | Ripley Under Ground | Bernard Sayles | |
| 2006 | Trigger Happy | The Man | Short film |
| 2007 | Intervention | Harry III Jr. | |
| 2007 | Both | Moussa | Short film |
| 2007 | A Girl and a Gun | Johnny | Video |
| 2007 | Int. Bedsit - Day | Pete | Short film |
| 2008 | Still Waters Burn | Jack Price | |
| 2009 | Morris: A Life with Bells On | Endeavour | |
| 2009 | A Boy Called Dad | Joe | |
| 2009 | Within the Whirlwind | Beylin | Also known as Stalin: Reign of Terror |
| 2010 | Watching | Carrik | Short film |
| 2011 | Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 | Professor Quirrell | Archive footage; uncredited role |
| 2012 | Hard Boiled Sweets | Joyce | |
| 2014 | Conversation with a Cigarette | (unknown) | Short film |
| 2015 | Dough | Victor Gerrard | |
| 2015 | Urban Hymn | Ian Wilson | |
| 2016 | Native | Telepathic voice | |
| 2016 | Johnno's Dead | Narrator (voice) | Short film |
| 2016 | Dusty and Me | 'Big Eddie' | |
| 2017 | God's Own Country | Martin Saxby | |
| 2017 | uk18 | Darren | |
| 2017 | Modern Life Is Rubbish | The Curve | |
| 2018 | Mary Queen of Scots | Lord Maitland | |
| 2019 | The Sands of Venus | Daniel | Short film |
| 2020 | The 11th Green | James Forrestal | |
| 2020 | Through the Dunes | Andy | Short film |
| 2020 | Escape from Pretoria | Denis Goldberg | |
| 2022 | Florian | Gary | Short film |
| 2022 | Marlowe | Detective Joe Green | |
| 2022 | Left Over | Mick | Short film |
| 2023 | Shoshana | Robert Chambers | |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1983 | One Summer | 'Rabbit' | Miniseries. Credited as Ian Davies |
| 1984 | Travelling Man | Kyffin Rees | Series 1; Episode 3: "The Watcher" |
| 1985 | The Exercise | Cadet Pritchard | Television film |
| 1985 | The Brothers McGregor | Youth | Series 1; Episode 1: "The Getaway Car" |
| 1986 | The Practice | William Griffin | Series 2; Episodes 3, 6 & 18 |
| 1986 | The Monocled Mutineer | Medic | Episode 2: "Before the Shambles" |
| 1987 | The Marksman | Comic | Miniseries; Episode 3 |
| 1989 | The Play on One | Christie | Series 2; Episode 5: "A View of Harry Clark" |
| 1990 | Chain | Hawkins | Miniseries; Episode 2: "Vicky Elliott" |
| 1992 | Medics | John | Series 2; Episode 6 |
| 1992 | EastEnders | Mick | 3 episodes |
| 1995 | Loved Up | Tom | Television film |
| 2000 | Longitude | William Harrison | Miniseries; Episodes 1 & 2 |
| 2002 | The Hound of the Baskervilles | Dr. John Watson | Television film |
| 2002 | Dad's Dead | Narrator (voice) | Television short film |
| 2003 | Eroica | Ludwig van Beethoven | Television film |
| 2004 | Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Silk Stocking | Dr. John Watson | Television film |
| 2005–2006 | The Virgin Queen | William Cecil, Lord Burghley | Miniseries; Episodes 1–4 |
| 2007–2008 | Dirt | Don Konkey | Main cast. Series 1 & 2; 20 episodes |
| 2009 | Dr. Hoo | Dr. Hoo | Television pilot |
| 2009 | Moving On | Jake | Series 1; Episode 4: "Dress to Impress" |
| 2009 | Father & Son | Tony Conroy | Miniseries; Episodes 1–4 |
| 2010 | Five Daughters | DCS Stewart Gull | Miniseries; Episodes 1–3 |
| 2010 | When Harvey Met Bob | Harvey Goldsmith | Television film |
| 2011 | The Man Who Crossed Hitler | Adolf Hitler | Television film |
| 2011–2012 | Luck | Lonnie | Main cast. Series 1; 9 episodes |
| 2013 | Playhouse Presents | John Lennon | Series 2; Episode 2: "Snodgrass" |
| 2013 | Bates Motel | Will Decody | Series 1; Episodes 4 & 8: "Trust Me" and "A Boy and His Dog" |
| 2013 | Rogue | Buddy Wilson | Series 1; 9 episodes |
| 2013 | Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. | Dr. Franklin Hall | Series 1; Episode 3: "The Asset" |
| 2013–2015 | My Mad Fat Diary | Dr. Kester Gill | Series 1–3; 16 episodes |
| 2014 | Klondike | Soapy Smith | Miniseries; Episodes 1–6 |
| 2014 | The Bridge | Man in Car / David Tate / CIA Agent Buckley | Series 2; 7 episodes |
| 2014 | The Driver | Colin Vine / Craig Vine | Miniseries; Episodes 1–3 |
| 2014 | Boardwalk Empire | Ethan Thompson | Series 5; 4 episodes |
| 2015–2020 | The Last Kingdom | Father Beocca | Series 1–4; 28 episodes |
| 2016 | Vinyl | Peter Grant | Episode 1: "Pilot" |
| 2016 | The Secret Agent | The Professor | Miniseries; Episodes 1–3 |
| 2018 | The Terror | Thomas Blanky | Series 1; Episodes 1–10 |
| 2018 | Elementary | Professor Baynes | Series 6; Episode 16: "Uncanny Valley of the Dolls" |
| 2018 | Hang Ups | Sam Travers | 1 episode |
| 2019 | Urban Myths | Hans Christian Andersen | Series 3; Episode 1: "Bleak House Guest" |
| 2020 | Noughts + Crosses | Ryan McGregor, Callum & Jude's Father | Series 1; Episodes 1–4 |
| 2020 | Tin Star | Michael Ryan | Series 3; Episodes 1–6 |
| 2021 | Help | Steve | Television film |
| 2021–2023 | The Mosquito Coast | William 'Bill' Lee | Series 1 & 2; 11 episodes |
| 2022 | Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts | Himself | HBO Max Special |
| 2022 | The Responder | Carl Sweeney | Series 1; Episodes 1–4 |
| 2024 | Mr Bates vs The Post Office | Bob Rutherford | Miniseries; Episodes 2–4 |
| 2024 | Shetland | Euan Rossi | Series 9; Episodes 1–6 |