Andrew Nyman (born 13 April 1966) is an English actor, director, writer, singer and magician. He is best known for his work with illusionist Derren Brown and for co-creating and starring in the horror play Ghost Stories and its film adaptation with Jeremy Dyson. He has been nominated for the Laurence Olivier Award for his performances in the West End revivals of Fiddler on the Roof, Hello, Dolly! and The Producers.
Early life and career Nyman's first noteworthy performance was in 2000 as Keith Whitehead in Dead Babies, an adaptation of the Martin Amis novel of the same name. Soon after he appeared alongside Jon Voight, David Schwimmer and Leelee Sobieski in Jon Avnet's 2001 Emmy award-winning film Uprising as a Polish-Jewish freedom fighter.
His next film role was in the 2003 film Coney Island Baby as a gay French gun dealer. In 2006 he appeared in horror-comedy Severance, Herman Brood biopic Wild Romance and British romcom Are You Ready for Love?. That same year Nyman won the award for best actor at the 2006 Cherbourg-Octeville Festival of Irish & British Film for his role as Colin Frampton in Shut Up and Shoot Me. In 2007, Nyman appeared as one of the leads in the Frank Oz film Death at a Funeral, starring opposite Matthew Macfadyen, Ewen Bremner and Keely Hawes. In 2008, he starred as Patrick, a sleazy reality show producer, in Charlie Brooker's E4 horror satire Dead Set, and appeared in BBC Four's supernatural drama series Crooked House.
Nyman portrayed the recurring character Jonty de Wolf in Channel 4's semi-improvised show Campus. In 2013, he appeared in Kick-Ass 2, as "The Tumor". He did voice over work as the character Bag for the series Sarah & Duck and Chuggington, and portrayed a young Winston Churchill in the BBC drama Peaky Blinders. In 2014 Nyman played the role of Charles Guiteau in the Stephen Sondheim musical Assassins at the Menier Chocolate Factory, and appeared in the film Automata with Antonio Banderas and Dylan McDermott.
In 2014, Nyman was one of 200 public figures who were signatories to a letter to The Guardian opposing Scottish independence in the run-up to September's referendum on that issue.
Work with Derren Brown As an accomplished magician and mentalist, Nyman has frequently collaborated with psychological illusionist Derren Brown. He is the co-creator and co-writer of the television shows Derren Brown – Mind Control and Trick of the Mind. He and Brown wrote Russian Roulette, Séance and Messiah, as well as three series of Trick of the Mind. He also co-wrote and co-directed four of Brown's stage shows, all of which have toured and played the West End. For Something Wicked This Way Comes they were awarded the 2006 Olivier Award for Best Entertainment.
Their fourth show Enigma was also nominated for Olivier Award 2010, and he was nominated for the Lew Grade Award at the 2007 BAFTA Awards for his work on Derren Brown: The Heist (alongside collaborators Derren Brown, Simon Mills and Ben Caron). Nyman shares some of his magic "know-how" in the DVD, Insane. Their latest collaboration is entitled Sacrifice, which opened in March 2015 in the UK, and was premiered on Netflix in 2018.
Work with Jeremy Dyson
Ghost Stories Nyman is co-creator of the long-running horror stage-play Ghost Stories. The show opened at the Liverpool Playhouse on 4 February 2010; from there it moved to the Lyric Theatre Hammersmith, before transferring to the Duke of York's Theatre in the West End, opening on 25 June 2010.
Since then it has played in Moscow and Toronto, and was nominated for two Olivier Awards in 2011, Best Sound and Best Entertainment. Nyman and Jeremy Dyson co-wrote the show and co-directed it along with Sean Holmes. The stage play Ghost Stories finished after 1,000 shows in the Duke of York's, on 15 March 2015.
A film adaptation premiered in 2017, starring Nyman, Paul Whitehouse and Martin Freeman.
The Warlock Effect Nyman and Dyson are co-authors of the 2023 novel The Warlock Effect, a thriller about a magician who becomes involved with espionage in the 1950s. It was published by Hodder & Stoughton, and Nyman also narrated an audio version.
The Psychic Nyman and Dyson have co-created a new stage play called The Psychic which is had its world premiere at the York Theatre Royal from 29 April to 23 May 2026.
Personal life Nyman is Jewish and attended Jewish summer camp."Andy Nyman – SomethingJewish.co.uk" Accessed 26 January 2019."'We owe it all to Jewish summer camp.'" White, Francine.The Jewish Chronicle. Published 30 August 2018. Accessed 26 January 2019.
Filmography Film Year Title Role(s) Note 1999 The Criminal Forensic Scientist 1 2000 Dead Babies Keith 2000 Being Considered Shoe Salesman/Chauffeur 2003 Coney Island Baby Franko 2005 Zemanovaload Bruce Robenitz 2005 Shut Up and Shoot Me Colin 2006 Played Danny 2006 Severance Gordon 2006 Wild Romance Leo Leitner 2006 Are You Ready for Love? Barry Schneider 2007 Death at a Funeral Howard 2007 This Is What It Is Chris 2008 The Brothers Bloom Charleston 2009 The Tournament Tech Eddie 2010 Black Death Dalywag 2011 The Glass Man Martin Pritte 2013 Kick-Ass 2 The Tumor 2014 ABCs of Death 2 Coke Dealer Segment "A" (A is for Amateur) 2014 Autómata Tom Ellis 2015 Shaun the Sheep Movie Nuts (voice) 2015 Bone in the Throat Ronnie the Rug 2015 Minions Additional voices 2017 Despicable Me 3 Clive the Robot (voice) 2017 Ghost Stories Professor Phillip Goodman Also a co-writer and a co-director 2017 Star Wars: The Last Jedi Jail Guard 2018 The Commuter Tony 2019 Judy Dan 2019 A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon Nuts (voice) 2021 Jungle Cruise Sir James Hobbs-Cunningham 2024 That Christmas Mr. Beccles (voice) 2024 Wicked Governor Frexspar Thropp 2026 Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom Nuts (voice)
Television Year Title Role Notes1989 Birds of a Feather John Episode: "Substitute" The Woman in Black Jackie Television film 1989-1995 The Bill Various characters 3 episodes 1991 Five Children and It Baker's Boy Episode: "Episode Four" 1992 Archer's Goon Museum Attendant Episode #1.41995 Health and Efficiency The Photographer Episode: "You Bet Your Life" New Voices Jim Episode: "Spendaware Family" 1997 EastEnders Neil Kaplan 1 episode 2000–2001 Peak Practice Rob Hallet 2 episodes2001 Baddiel's Syndrome Ian the Valet Parker Episode: "In the Valley of the Blind" Uprising Calel Wasser Television film 2002 The League of Gentlemen Carl Episode: "Turn Again Geoff Tipps" 2004 Coming Up Leon Episode: "Tame"2008 Dead Set Patrick Goad 5 episodes Crooked House Nicholas Duncalfe 2 episodes 2008–2013 Chuggington Chatsworth and Dunbar and Felix (voices) 62 episodes 2009 Comedy Showcase Jonty de Wolfe Episode: "Campus" 2009–2011 Campus 7 episodes 2010 Captain Biceps Civilians (voice) Episode: "Taupeman" 2010–2011 The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That! Barry and Tango and Zapata (voices) UK version only 2011 Timmy Time Voice Episode: "Timmy's Cookie"2012 Chuggington: Badge Quest Dunbar (voice) Episode: "Safeguarder Wilson" Shaun the Sheep Nuts (voice) Episode: "Shaun the Fugitive" Olly the Little White Van Various voices Episode: "Train Trouble" 2012, 2014 Psychobitches Various characters 2 episodes2013 Holliston Axl the Cat (voice) Episode: "Blobby" Peaky Blinders Winston Churchill 3 episodes 2013–2017 Sarah & Duck Various voices 36 episodes2015 The Eichmann Show David Landor Television film Ballot Monkeys Gerry Stagg 5 episodes Shaun the Sheep: The Farmer's Llamas Nuts Television film 2016 Power Monkeys Gerry 6 episodes 2017 Election Spy James 9 episodes 2018 Wanderlust James Marcham 4 episodes 2019 Hanna Jacobs 3 episodes 2020 Shaun the Sheep: Adventures from Mossy Bottom Voice TV series2021 Unforgotten Dean Barton 6 episodes Grantchester Roy Reeves Episode #6.1 Shaun the Sheep: The Flight Before Christmas Additional voices Television film 2022 Dodger Sir Thomas Pettigrew Episode: "Mummy" 2022, 2026 The Capture Home Secretary Rowan Gill 8 episodes 2023 A Small Light Hermann van Pels 7 episodes 2025 The Bombing of Pan Am 103 Edwin Bollier Episode: 1.3
Theatre +YearTitleRoleVenue2010Ghost StoriesProfessor Phillip Goodman (also co-director and co-writer)Liverpool PlayhouseLyric Theatre HammersmithDuke of York's Theatre2012Abigail's PartyLaurence MossMenier Chocolate FactoryWyndham's Theatre2014-15AssassinsCharles J. GuiteauMenier Chocolate Factory2015Hangmen SydWyndham's Theatre2018-19Fiddler on the RoofTevyeMenier Chocolate Factory2019Playhouse Theatre2022Leopoldstadt HermannPrincess of Wales TheatreHangmen SydJohn Golden Theatre 2024Hello, Dolly!Horace VandergelderLondon Palladium 2024-25The ProducersMax BialystockMenier Chocolate FactoryAndy Nyman and Marc Antolin Will Lead Mel Brooks' The Producers at Menier Chocolate Factory 2025-26 Garrick Theatre2026The PsychicCo-director and co-writerYork Theatre Royal
Awards and nominations
Theatre YearAwardCategoryWorkResultRef.2006Laurence Olivier AwardBest EntertainmentSomething Wicked This Way Comes2010Laurence Olivier AwardBest EntertainmentEnigma2011Laurence Olivier AwardBest EntertainmentGhost Stories2018Drama Desk AwardUnique Theatrical ExperienceDerren Brown: Secret2019Evening Standard Theatre AwardBest Musical PerformanceFiddler on the Roof2020Laurence Olivier AwardBest Actor in a Musical2025Laurence Olivier AwardBest Actor in a Supporting Role in a MusicalHello, Dolly!2026Evening Standard Theatre AwardBest Musical PerformanceThe Producers2026Laurence Olivier AwardBest Actor in a Musical
Other 2006 – Cherbourg-Octeville Festival of Irish and British Film – Best Actor – Shut Up and Shoot Me 2008 – Member of the Inner Magic Circle
References
External links