Robert Bathurst

Biography

Robert Guy Bathurst, born on 22 February 1957 in the Gold Coast, is an accomplished English actor. His father, a management consultant, relocated the family to Dublin, Ireland, in 1959, where Bathurst attended an Anglican boarding school. In 1966, they moved to England, and it was here that he became involved in amateur dramatics during his time at a new boarding school. At 18, Bathurst pursued a law degree at the University of Cambridge, where he joined the prestigious Cambridge Footlights theatre group, igniting his passion for acting.

Bathurst made his professional stage debut in 1983, portraying Tim Allgood in Michael Frayn’s acclaimed play Noises Off at the Savoy Theatre, which enjoyed a successful run for a year. Throughout the 1980s, he balanced theatre and television, making appearances in notable comedies such as the early pilot of Blackadder, The Lenny Henry Show, and the first episode of Red Dwarf. His breakout television role came in 1991 as Mark Taylor in Steven Moffat’s sitcom Joking Apart, a part he cherishes despite its limited thirteen-episode run. From 1998 to 2003, he gained further acclaim as the pompous David Marsden in ITV's Cold Feet.

Beyond television, Bathurst has taken on diverse roles in theatre, including performances in The Three Sisters, Members Only, and Whipping it Up. He has also appeared in popular series like Downton Abbey and The Pillars of the Earth. A devoted family man, Bathurst is married and has four children.