Bertie Carvel

Robert Hugh Carvel was born on September 6, 1977 in Marylebone, London, England. He is a Tony- and two-time Olivier Award-winning actor, best known for originating the role of Miss Trunchbull in both the West End and Broadway premieres of Matilda The Musical, as well as leading roles in British TV series such as Doctor Foster and Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell and the role of Bamatabois in the 2012 film adaptation of Les Misérables.

Carvel attended University College School in London and went on to study English at the University of Sussex. He trained as an actor at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, graduating in 2003, and has worked extensively on the UK stage ever since. His early West End and Off-West End credits include Revelations at the Hampstead Theatre (2003), Victory? A Musical Drama For Peace at the Donmar Warehouse (2004), the title roles in Macbeth at the Union Theatre (2004) and Faustus at the Etcetera (2005), Rose Bernd and Professor Bernhardi at the Arcola Theatre (2005), The Pride at the Royal Court Theatre (2008), Parade at the Donmar Warehouse (2008), and Rope at the Almeida Theatre (2009). For his acclaimed performance as Leo Frank in Parade he received an Olivier Award nomination for Best Actor in a Musical in 2008. He also appeared in the National Theatre productions of Coram Boy (2005-7), The Life of Galileo (2006), and The Man of Mode (2007).

His breakthrough role came in 2010 after being cast as Miss Trunchbull in the world premiere of Roald Dahl's Matilda The Musical. The Royal Shakespeare Company production debuted at the RSC's home in Stratford-upon-Avon in November 2010 before transferring to the West End in October 2011. Carvel's hilarious and terrifying performance as the iconic Dahl character earned him his first Olivier Award in 2012, and he would reprise the role for the Broadway transfer (making his Broadway debut) from March to September 2013. In New York City, he received a Theatre World Award, won a Drama Desk Award, and earned his first Tony Award nomination in the category of Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical.

His recent London stage credits include the 2011 National Theatre production of Damned By Despair, the 2015 Almeida Theatre production of Bakkhai, and the Old Vic's 2015 revival of The Hairy Ape. In the summer of 2017, Carvel originated the role of Rupert Murdoch in Ink at the Almeida Theatre, which transferred to the West End's Duke of York's Theatre from September 2017 to January 2018. He picked up his second Olivier Award in 2018, in the category of Best Supporting Actor, for his performance. He reprised the role in the Broadway transfer of Ink, mounted by Manhattan Theatre Club, from April 2 through July 7, 2019 at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, ultimately winning his first Tony Award for Best Performance By An Actor In A Featured Role In A Play.

On screen, Carvel is perhaps best known for his role as Bamatabois in the Hugh Jackman-led 2012 movie version of Les Misérables. He is well-known to UK audiences for his leading roles in such popular BBC series as Doctor Foster (as Simon Foster, 2015-17) and Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell (as Jonathan Strange, 2015). Other notable screen credits include Netflix's The Crown, Channel 4's Babylon, and Sherlock, Doctor Who, and The Crimson Petal and the White for the BBC.