Rob James-Collier

For someone who did not originally aspire to become an actor, Rob James-Collier displayed a natural talent and charisma that endeared him to audiences in his native Britain and even across the pond. He launched his career with featured roles on television, including the TV movie "Perfect Day" (Channel 5 Television, 2005) and the hit series "Down to Earth" (BBC, 2000-05), as a philandering bar owner. Jamies-Collier continued to make inroads with a string of guest appearances on popular shows, before landing a regular part of womanizing charmer on the long-running soap opera "Coronation Street" (ITV, 1960-2012). Yet, it was James-Collier's pitch-perfect portrayal of a manipulative servant on Julian Fellowes' award-winning period drama "Downton Abbey" (ITV, 2010- ; PBS, 2011-16), that fully explored the actor's ability to play a character that was both scheming and vulnerable, and helped to launched his career to the next level after connecting with an international audience.