Antony Byrne (born 19 June 1969) is an English actor, best known for his extensive stage work with the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC). On television, he is known for his roles in the Disney+ series Rivals (2024), the Netflix series The Witcher (2019), the Starz series Outlander (2014). Since 2009, Byrne has provided the voice and motion capture for numerous video game characters, including Victor Gideon in Resident Evil: Requiem (2026).

Early life and education Antony Byrne was born on June 19, 1969, in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. There was no theatrical background to his family, but Byrne always wanted to perform on stage. After graduating from Whitley Bay High School, he successfully auditioned and did three years’ training at the Central School of Speech and Drama.

Career

Theatre When Byrne left Central, he landed the role of Orlando in As You Like It at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield in 1991. After a season at the Crucible, Byrne performed with the Royal National Theatre and Bolton Octagon. In 1995, Byrne joined Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) and did two plays in that season: he worked with Peter Hall on Julius Caesar, and he worked with Katie Mitchell on The Phoenician Women.

Byrne has played a wide range of Shakespearean roles, including Cinna and Lucilius in Julius Caesar, Aria and Oedipus in The Phoenician Women, Agrippa and Antony in Antony and Cleopatra, Sebastian in The Tempest, Duke of Montfort and King David in Edward III, Malvolio in Twelfth Night, King Henry VIII in Henry VIII, Macduff and Macbeth in Macbeth, Mowbray in Richard II, Worcester and Pistol in Henry IV, Pistol in Henry V, Earl of Kent in King Lear, Duke Senior and Duke Frederick in As You Like It, Duke of Vienna in Measure for Measure.

In 2017, Byrne starred as Antony in Antony and Cleopatra, staged by the Royal Shakespeare Company. Kate Kellaway of The Guardian praised his performance, stating: "Byrne’s Antony is an ordinary, erring, henpecked bloke, but when he leaves Cleopatra, promising to be a “man of steel”, he sounds, movingly, like a man of flesh, and I have seldom witnessed a more horribly realistic death on stage."

Byrne's major theatre credits also include Bassanio in The Merchant Of Venice, Edward Kelly in The Alchemical Wedding, Parthenius in The Roman Actor, Piniero in The Island Princess, Dad in Skellig, Jerry in Betrayal, Martin in Rutherford and Son, Dr. Treves in The Elephant Man, Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights, Charley Malloy in On the Waterfront, Agamemnon in After Troy, John Bailey and Dr Gibbons in Bracken Moor.

Television In 1992, Byrne made his debut on television as Duncan in the ITV series Heartbeat. In 1994, he played Ginger Slater in the miniseries The Cinder Path, based on the novel of the same name by Catherine Cookson.

Byrne has appeared in numerous British television series, including The Inspector Alleyn Mysteries, Spender, Prime Suspect, Touching Evil, The Bill, Casualty, Playing the Field, 55 Degrees North, Doctors, The Royal, Timewatch, Midsomer Murders, Single-Handed, Emmerdale Farm, Silent Witness,The Suspicions of Mr Whicher, Coronation Street, Vera, Law & Order: UK, Jericho, Grace, Trigger Point.

In 2021, Byrne appeared as the Nilfgaardian general Hake in the second season of The Witcher on Netflix. Back in 2011, Byrne voiced King Foltest in The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings.

In 2022, Byrne took the role of Hiram Crombie in the Starz series Outlander. In the Outlander novel, A Breath of Snow and Ashes, Hiram acts as an unofficial spokesperson for the families from Thurso. Also in 2022, Byrne portrayed an English football manager, Neil Warnock, in the television film Floodlights broadcast on BBC Two.

In 2023, Byrne was cast as an unscrupulous enforcer Ginger Baines in the Disney+ series Rivals (2024), based on the 1988 novel Rivals by Jilly Cooper, alongside a cast that included David Tennant, Alex Hassell and Nafessa Williams. In June 2026, Rivals was renewed for a third season.

Film In film, Byrne's roles have tended to be smaller supporting parts. In 2006, he played the chilling role of a British interrogator in The Wind That Shakes the Barley. In 2012, he portrayed Colonel Demin in Anna Karenina. In 2014, Byrne played an English football administrator, Frederick Wall, in the French drama film United Passions.

Video Games Byrne has provided the voice and motion capture performances for Victor Gideon in Resident Evil: Requiem and King Oswald in Ryse: Son of Rome. His other notable voice acting roles include King Foltest in The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings, Vaudin in A Plague Tale: Requiem, Officer Bradley in Call of Cthulhu, Calhoun in Vampyr, Biggs in Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward and Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers.

Filmography

Film

2006: The Wind That Shakes the Barley – The Interrogator 2007: Straightheads – Misha 2008: Bathory – Pastor Ponicky 2009: Thick as Thieves – Yaniushkin 2011: Mercenaries – Olodan Gragovic 2012: Anna Karenina – Colonel Demin 2014: United Passions – Frederick Wall

Television +YearTitleRoleNotes1992HeartbeatDuncanEpisode: “Face Value”1993SpenderSteve the Car ThiefEpisode: “Best Friends”The Inspector Alleyn MysteriesPC DixonEpisode: “The Nursing Home Murder”1994The Cinder PathGinger Slater Miniseries; 3 episodes1995Prime SuspectDC Jason HeadleyEpisode: "The Scent of Darkness"1997-1998Touching EvilBarry7 episodes1997-2003The BillGavin Rayner / P.C. Traven Keith / Haley3 episodes2000CasualtyDonald MortimerEpisode: "Phoenix"2002Playing the FieldGordon6 episodes200455 Degrees NorthAlan HoltEpisode "Officer Down"2004-2012 DoctorsSteve / Stewart Hardy / Bill Kitt / Keith Marsh4 episodes2005The RoyalMr. HowarthEpisode: "It's What's on the Inside That Counts"TimewatchMagnusEpisode: "Murder in Rome"The Government InspectorMark DamazerTelevision film2006Midsomer MurdersGary TalbotEpisode: "Country Matters"2009Single-HandedEddie McCann2 episodesHigh Plains InvadersGus McGreeveyTelevision filmEmmerdale FarmVincent Spode12 episodes2010Bloody ForeignersRonald KelletEpisode: "The Untold Battle of Britain"2011Silent WitnessStephen Fisher2 episodesThe Suspicions of Mr WhicherReverend WagnerTelevision film2012Coronation StreetD.S. Nash8 episodesVeraCraigEpisode: "Silent Voices"2014Law & Order: UKDS Pete LanghamEpisode: "I Predict a Riot"2016JerichoRed KilleenEpisode #1.12021The WitcherGeneral Hake3 episodes2022FloodlightsNeil WarnockTelevision filmGraceJim TelbyEpisode: "Dead Tomorrow"2022-2026OutlanderHiram Crombie13 episodes2024Trigger PointShaun HodgeEpisode #2.12024–presentRivalsGinger Baines13 episodes

Video games +Year TitleRoleNotes2009RisenFelipe, Inquisition Guards, Marcelo, Santiago, Sergio2010Fable IIIAdditional Voices2011The Last StoryKentis, ZephaThe Witcher 2: Assassins of KingsKing Foltest, Additional VoicesThe Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the UnicornAdditional Voices2013Soul SacrificeLibromRemember MeCharles Cartier-WellsRyse: Son of RomeKing OswaldAlso motion capture2014Assassin's Creed: UnityAdditional VoicesAlso Dead Kings DLC2015Final Fantasy XIV: HeavenswardBiggs, Ilberd2018VampyrCalhoun, Enforcer Graham, Harvey, JoeCall of CthulhuOfficer Bradley, Additional Voices2019Final Fantasy XIV: ShadowbringersBiggs, Cassard, HyllfyrGreedfallAdditional Voices2022Dying Light 2: Stay HumanAdditional VoicesA Plague Tale: RequiemVaudin2025Blades of FireThalmudak, Titan, Queen's Hounds, Thaumaturgists2026Resident Evil: RequiemVictor Gideon and supplementary characters (Zombie, Worker, Civilian, BSAA Radio)Also motion capture

Theatre

Selected works