Neil Maskell
Maskell in 2022
Born	1976 (age 48–49) London, England
Alma mater	North West Kent College
Occupations	Actor writer director
Years active	1991–present

Neil Maskell (born 1976)^[1] is an English actor, writer and director who is known for his appearances in British crime and horror films, and for his role asArby in the British TV showUtopia. His credits includeNil by Mouth (1997),The Football Factory (2004),Rise of the Footsoldier (2007),Doghouse (2009),Bonded by Blood (2010),Kill List (2011),Wild Bill (2011),St George's Day andPiggy (both 2012),The Great Train Robbery (2013),Raised by Wolves (2015),The Mummy (2017),King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (2017),Peaky Blinders (2019),Bull (2021),Litvinenko (2022), andHijack (2023).

Maskell was born in London. As a youth, he played football for Long Lane JFC as afull back. He first trained in acting at theAnna Scher Theatre inIslington, London, where he attended classes from the age of 11,^[2] and studied at the Miskin Theatre, Dartford atNorth West Kent College from 1992. He later worked as a director at the Miskin Theatre.^[3]

Maskell's film career began in 1997 with an appearance as Schmuddie inGary Oldman's directorial debutNil by Mouth which was Nominated for aPalme d'Or (Golden Palm) for best film at the1998 Cannes Film Festival.^[4] In 2004, he appeared as Rod, best friend and sidekick of Tommy, (played byDanny Dyer), in the British hooligan filmThe Football Factory, which also starredTamer Hassan,Frank Harper, andRoland Manookian.^[5]

In 2007, he was in the British gangster movieRise of the Footsoldier, also starringCraig Fairbrass andTerry Stone.^[6] In 2009, he appeared as Banksy in the comedy zombie filmDoghouse, alongsideStephen Graham andDanny Dyer.^[7]

His leading role in the 2011 thrillerKill List (2011),^[8] attracted positive reviews from critics earning many nominations for the Best Actor, including at theBritish Independent Film Awards.^[9] In 2011, he also starred inWild Bill, in a cast which includedCharlie Creed-Miles,Will Poulter,Leo Gregory,Liz White,Iwan Rheon,Olivia Williams,Jaime Winstone,Andy Serkis, andSean Pertwee. The film received positive reviews.^[10]

In 2021, Maskell played the titular and lead character in British gangster revenge filmBull, withTamzin Outhwaite.^[11]

Maskell's first television appearance was in 1991 in theITV police dramaThe Bill.^[6] Between 1992 and 2002, he made a further five appearances on the show, portraying a different character each time. He has had one-off roles in a number of other popular British serial dramas such asCasualty,London's Burning,Soldier Soldier.^[6] His most regular television roles have been in the 2005 comedy seriesMike Bassett: Manager, in the comedy sketch showThe Wrong Door, and in the 2013–2014 thriller drama action seriesUtopia. Since 2015, he has been a series regular in sci-fi thrillerHumans. In 2019 Maskell played prime minister Winston Churchill in the series finale ofPeaky Blinders.^[6]

Between 2018 and 2020 he played the recurring character Winkle in theBBC One sitcomKing Gary, friend and employee of the titular character played byTom Davis. Maskell has previously worked with Davis inMurder in Successville (where he playedFrankie Boyle in one episode),^[12]The Warm-Up Guy^[13] andThe Morgana Show.^[14]

In 2022, Maskell played Detective Inspector Brent Hyatt in theITV drama,Litvinenko, detailing the final days and subsequent murder investigation into the death of Russian defectorAlexander Litvinenko.^[6]

In 2023, Maskell played a terrorist in theApple TV+ aircraft thriller seriesHijack, alongsideIdris Elba andEve Myles.^[15]

Maskell is a supporter ofArsenal.^[16]

• Neil Maskell atIMDb

• English male film actors
• English male television actors
• Living people
• Male actors from London
• Alumni of North West Kent College
• 1976 births
• 21st-century English male actors
• 20th-century English male actors

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