# Jeremy Swift

Jeremy Paul Swift (born 27 June 1960) is an English actor. He studied drama at Guildford School of Acting from 1978 to 1981 and worked almost exclusively in theatre throughout the 1980s, working with companies such as Deborah Warner's Kick Theatre company and comedy performance-art group The People Show. During this period he also appeared in numerous television commercials. In the 1990s, he acted at the National Theatre alongside David Tennant and Richard Wilson in Phyllida Lloyd's production of What the Butler Saw.
Swift has acted in films such as Robert Altman's murder mystery Gosford Park (2001), Michael Apted's historical drama Amazing Grace (2006), and the family adventure film Mary Poppins Returns (2018). He also appeared in Vanity Fair (1998), Foyle's War (2013-2015), Downton Abbey (2013-2015), The Durrells (2016), and National Treasure (2016). In 2021, he was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for his performance in Ted Lasso for his portrayal of Leslie Higgins. In 2025, he appears as Mr Bosworth in the 5th series of All Creatures Great and Small.

## Life and career

Swift was born on 27 June 1960 in Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham. Both his parents were music teachers. In the 2000s, Swift appeared in Gosford Park playing the footman Arthur, and Roman Polanski's Oliver Twist as Mr. Bumble. For BBC3, he played Barry in the cult hit The Smoking Room and had a theatrical hit with Abigail's Party, the last production at the old Hampstead Theatre and their longest running West End transfer.
In 2009, he played the lead in the true story of art forger Shaun Greenhalgh in The Antiques' Rogue Show for BBC2 with Liz Smith and Peter Vaughn, The Deacon in a film adaptation of Anton Chekhov's short story The Duel and featured in Canoe Man, a 2010 TV drama based on the John Darwin disappearance case.
He starred in the independent British feature film Downhill, which is a comedy about four men attempting Alfred Wainwright's Coast to Coast Walk which was released in 2014 and co-stars Ned Dennehy, Karl Theobald and Richard Lumsden. The film was directed by James Rouse and the screenplay was written by Torben Betts.
Swift is also a composer and his work includes the score for Werewolves: The Dark Survivors (Wide-eyed Entertainment) for the Discovery channel and ITV global.
On ITV, Swift played Septimus Spratt, the butler of the Dowager Countess, in Downton Abbey for three seasons and has been seen as Dennis, manservant to Countess Mavrodaki (Leslie Caron) in Episodes 3-6 of The Durrells. He also played election agent Glenvil Harris in the last two series of Foyle's War. He played Gooding in Mary Poppins Returns, which was released in 2018.
In 2020, he played the role of Leslie Higgins in Apple TV+'s show, Ted Lasso, for which he received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series in 2021.

## Personal life

Swift is married to actress Mary Roscoe (who plays his wife, Julie Higgins, on Ted Lasso), whom he met while working on a play. They have two adopted children. He is a skilled jazz musician and, as Higgins, plays the double bass in an episode of Ted Lasso.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1985 | Mr. Love | Boy in Projection Room | |
| 2001 | Dark Blue World | Cpl. Pierce | |
| 2001 | Gosford Park | Arthur | |
| 2003 | To Kill a King | Earl of Whitby | |
| 2005 | Oliver Twist | Mr. Bumble | |
| 2006 | Amazing Grace | Richard the Butler | |
| 2006 | Are You Ready for Love? | James | |
| 2007 | Boy A | Dave | |
| 2007 | Fred Claus | Bob Elf | |
| 2010 | The Duel | Deacon | |
| 2014 | Downhill | Steve | |
| 2015 | Jupiter Ascending | Vassily Bolotnikov | |
| 2017 | Gun Shy | Charlie | |
| 2018 | Mary Poppins Returns | Gooding / Badger (voice) | |
| 2024 | 10 Lives | Happy (Voice) | |
| 2024 | Descendants: The Rise of Red | Principal Merlin | |
| 2024 | The Imaginary | Mr. Bunting (voice) | English dub |
| 2025 | Snow White | Doc (voice) | |

### Television

| Title | Year | Role | Notes |
| 1991 | Paul Merton: The Series | Shoplifting Customer | Episode: "#1.3" |
| 1991 | An Actor's Life For Me | Waldemar Krystoff | Episode: "Night of the Living Dead" |
| 1995–1996 | Next of Kin | Ant | 4 episodes |
| 1996 | Dalziel and Pascoe | Dave Fernie | Episode: "A Clubbable Woman" |
| 1997–1998 | Blind Men | Graham Holdcroft | Main role |
| 1997, 1998 | The Grand | David Jeffries | 2 episodes |
| 1998 | Roger Roger | Vicar | Episode: "There Are No Minicabs in Heaven" |
| 1998 | The Bill | Graham Thornley | Episode: "Solicitous" |
| 1998 | Vanity Fair | Jon Sedley | Miniseries 4 episodes |
| 1999 | Miami 7 | Stewart | Episode: "Take Off" |
| 1999 | Bostock's Cup | Sam Tilton | Television film |
| 1999 | A Christmas Carol | Mr. Williams | Television film |
| 2000 | The 10th Kingdom | Ball Guest | Miniseries Episode: "#1.9" |
| 2001 | Barbara | Eric | Episode: "Wedding" |
| 2002 | Bertie and Elizabeth | Royal Page | Television film |
| 2004 | The Alan Clark Diaries | Nigel Lawson | Episode: "Defence of the Realm" |
| 2004–2005 | The Smoking Room | Barry | Main role |
| 2004; 2017 | Casualty | Noah Fitch Lionel Withers | 2 episodes |
| 2005 | 55 Degrees North | Jeremy Fenwick | Episode: "#2.3" |
| 2006–2019 | Doctors | Various | Recurring role |
| 2007–2009 | M.I. High | Silas Fenton | 2 episodes |
| 2009 | Red Dwarf | Noddy | Episode: "Back to Earth (Part Two)" |
| 2009 | EastEnders | Adrian | 2 episodes |
| 2009 | Garrow's Law | William Grove | Episode: "#1.1" |
| 2010 | On Expenses | Ben Leapman | Television film |
| 2011 | Holby City | Jim Fortune | Episode: "Wise Men" |
| 2012 | The Royal Bodyguard | Hotel Manager | Episode: "A Watery Grave" |
| 2012 | One Night | Dominic | Miniseries Episode: "Carol" |
| 2013 | Being Human | Emil | Episode: "The Trinity" |
| 2013 | Count Arthur Strong | Colin | Episode: "The Radio Play" |
| 2013–2015 | Foyle's War | Glenvil Harris | Recurring role |
| 2013–2015 | Downton Abbey | Septimus Spratt | Recurring role |
| 2014 | The Crimson Field | Quartermaster Sergeant Reggie Soper | Miniseries |
| 2015 | Inspector George Gently | Stuart MacMillan | Episode: "Gently with the Women" |
| 2016 | Houdini & Doyle | Dr. Henry Whitaker | Episode: "The Curse of Korzha" |
| 2016 | The Durrells | Dennis | 4 episodes |
| 2016 | National Treasure | Simon | 2 episodes |
| 2016 | The Moonstone | Dr. Candy | Miniseries 4 episodes |
| 2017 | Strike | Owen Quine | 2 episodes |
| 2018 | Plebs | Antonius | Episode: "The Marathon" |
| 2018 | Wanderlust | Neil Bellows | Miniseries 4 episodes |
| 2019 | Doc Martin | Miles Green | Episode: "The Shock of the New" |
| 2020–2023 | Ted Lasso | Leslie Higgins | Main role |
| 2024 | Sweetpea | Norman | 6 episodes |
| 2024 | All Creatures Great and Small | Mr Bosworth | Series 5 |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
| 2017 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series | Downton Abbey | Nominated |
| 2019 | CinEuphoria Awards | Best Ensemble - International Competition | Mary Poppins Returns | Nominated |
| 2021 | Hollywood Critics Association TV Awards | Best Supporting Actor in a Streaming Series, Comedy | Ted Lasso | Nominated |
| 2021 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series | Ted Lasso | Nominated |
| 2021 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series | Ted Lasso | Nominated |
| 2022 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series | Ted Lasso | Won |
| 2024 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series | Ted Lasso | Nominated |