Hugh Bonneville author page

Hugh Bonneville biography

Hugh Bonneville was born in London in 1963 and studied Theology at Cambridge before becoming a professional actor in 1985. His acting career has included radio, television, film and stage work, with theatre appearances at the National Theatre, the Royal Shakespeare Company, Chichester Festival Theatre and in the West End.

His screen roles include Robert Crawley in Downton Abbey, Ian Fletcher in W1A and appearances in the Paddington films. He received two Emmy nominations for Downton Abbey and BAFTA nominations for Iris, Twenty Twelve and W1A.

Bonneville wrote the memoir Playing Under the Piano: From Downton to Darkest Peru, an account of his career on stage and screen. The book includes stories about his school nativity role as Third Shepherd, working with Judi Dench and Julia Roberts, playing Robert De Niro’s right leg, and making the Paddington films.

The story follows Rory Sparkes as he tries to help his best friend Guy raise money for a model boat while a circus arrives in town and Rory’s plans begin to unravel; the audiobook was published on 9 October 2025.