Patrick George Considine (Hiberno-English: [ˈkɑːnsəˌdaɪn]; born 5 September 1973) is an English actor, director, screenwriter, and musician. He is particularly known for his versatile portrayals of antiheroes and emotionally vulnerable characters and is also noted for his frequent collaborations with filmmaker and director Shane Meadows. He came to prominence in the early 2000s with a string of performances in independent films that prompted "The Observer" to describe him as "the best-kept secret in British movies" and as a result brought him comparisons to Sam Rockwell. He has received many awards and nominations, including two British Academy Film Awards, three Evening Standard British Film Awards, British Independent Film Awards and a Silver Lion for Best Short Film at the 2007 Venice Film Festival.