Conleth Seamus Eoin Croiston Hill (born 24 November 1964) is an Irish actor. He has performed on stage in productions in the UK, Ireland, Canada and the US. He has won two Laurence Olivier Awards and received two Tony Award nominations. He is best known for his role as Varys in the HBO series Game of Thrones (2011–2019).
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Early life
Conleth Hill was born in Ballycastle in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. He has an older brother who works as a cameraman, a sister who is a producer, and a younger brother, Ronan, who is a sound engineer who has won four Emmy Awards for his sound mixing on Game of Thrones.
Hill attended St MacNissi's College, Garron Tower and graduated from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama's (Clothworkers Company Scholar) acting programme in 1989.
Career
Hill made his Broadway debut in Marie Jones' Stones in His Pockets. For his work in the Canadian production of the play he received a Dora Mavor Moore Award. He played the German professor Max Staefel in a television adaptation of Goodbye, Mr Chips (2002). He played "Mum" to Peter Kay's character, Geraldine McQueen, in Peter Kay's Britain's Got the Pop Factor... and Possibly a New Celebrity Jesus Christ Soapstar Superstar Strictly on Ice, a spoof on the talent show genre of programmes. He also played the role of Edward Darby in the television series Suits, alongside his Game of Thrones co-star, Michelle Fairley.
From 2011 to 2019, Hill appeared as Varys in the television series Game of Thrones, based on George R. R. Martin's novel series A Song of Ice and Fire. Martin hinted, in a February 2013 post on his website, that he thought Hill would be a good choice to play the title character in a TV show based on Martin's science fiction novel Tuf Voyaging. He also appeared as Carlos Santini in Season 3, Episode 4 of Derry Girls.
Filmography
Theatre
Awards and nominations
2000 Irish Times award, for Stones in His Pockets
2001 Olivier Awards, Best Actor, for Stones in His Pockets
2001 Tony Award nomination, Best Actor in a Play, for Stones in His Pockets
2001 Drama Desk Award, Special Award, for Stones in His Pockets
2001 Outer Critics Circle Award, for Stones in His Pockets
2001 Whatsonstage award, Best Actor for Stones in His Pockets
2001 Dora Awards, for Stones in His Pockets
2005 The Critics Circle Theatre Awards, winner of Best Musical for "The Producers"
2005 Olivier Awards, Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical, for The Producers
2008 Tony Award nomination, Best Featured Actor in a Play, for The Seafarer
2008 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play, for The Seafarer
2011–2016 nominated for Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series for Game of Thrones
