Brendan Coyle

Brendan Coyle (born 2 December 1962) is a British-Irish actor. He won the Olivier Award for Best Performance in a Supporting Role for ''The Weir'' in 1999. He also played Nicholas Higgins in the miniseries ''North & South'', Robert Timmins in the first three series of ''Lark Rise to Candleford'', and more recently Mr Bates, the valet, in ''Downton Abbey'', which earned him a nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series and a BAFTA nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Provided by Wikipedia