Colin McFarlane facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Colin McFarlane
McFarlane at the Sasnak City Convention in 2019
Born	Colin Andrew Ignatius Peter McFarlane (1961-09-15) 15 September 1961 (age 63) Upper Clapton, London, England
Education	The Perse School
Alma mater	Loughborough University
Occupation	Actor, narrator, voice actor
Years active	1984–present
Spouse(s)	Kate McFarlane ​ (m. 1991)​
Children	3

Colin McFarlane (born on 15 September 1961) is a British actor, narrator, and voice actor. He is well-known for his roles in movies and TV shows. He played Gillian B. Loeb in two films from Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Trilogy (2005–2008). He also appeared as Ulysses in the TV series Outlander (2018–2020).

Colin McFarlane has also lent his voice to many popular characters. He was JJ in Bob the Builder (2001–2003). He voiced Bulgy and Beresford in Thomas & Friends (2017–2020). He is also PC Malcolm Williams in Fireman Sam (2020–present). Many people also know him as the voice of The Cube game show (2009–2021).

Early Life and Education

Colin McFarlane was born in Upper Clapton, London, England, on 15 September 1961. His parents were from Jamaica. His father, Sidney McFarlane, worked in the RAF. His mother, Gwendolyn McFarlane, worked for the NHS.

His family moved several times before settling in Lincoln. Colin grew up there. He went to the Perse School in Cambridge. Later, he studied drama at Loughborough University. He finished his studies there in 1983.

Acting Career

Colin McFarlane has had a long and busy career in acting. He has worked in television, movies, and even video games.

Television Roles

Colin McFarlane's first TV role was in 1985. He played Detective Sergeant Watson in the police show Dempsey and Makepeace. He also appeared in a TV movie called Dutch Girls with Colin Firth.

In 1992, he was in a children's show called Tales From the Poop Deck. He played Lieutenant Parkinson. He also appeared in the comedy show Sean's Show. Later, he was in the mystery series Virtual Murder. In 1993, he guest-starred in the children's series Runaway Bay. He also appeared in the comedy Jeeves and Wooster.

He has been in many other popular British TV shows. These include Judge John Deed, Jonathan Creek, and Casualty. He also appeared in Death in Paradise and Father Brown. He was in Holby City too.

Colin McFarlane also appeared in two very popular British soap operas. He played Mr. Jordan in Coronation Street in 2010. He was DCI Irving in EastEnders in 2014.

He has also made many appearances in British TV comedies. These include The Fast Show, Randall & Hopkirk, and Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps. He was also in Harry and Paul and The Thin Blue Line. He played Inspector Norris in Black Books. He was Inspector Terrence Brown in Dirk Gently. He voiced the Judge in the 2016 revival of Porridge.

For younger audiences, he was in the CBBC shows M.I. High and Hounded. In Hounded, he played the evil Dr. Muhahahaha.

Colin McFarlane has also appeared in Doctor Who several times. He voiced the Heavenly Host in the Christmas special "Voyage of the Damned". He played Moran in two episodes of the ninth series in 2015. He also appeared as Colonel Pierce in Torchwood: Children of Earth, a Doctor Who spin-off. He will play this role again in another spin-off called The War Between the Land and the Sea.

Film Roles

Colin McFarlane's first film was a short film in 1996 called A Mulatto Song. He played Police Commissioner Gillian B. Loeb in the famous films Batman Begins (2005) and The Dark Knight (2008).

He also appeared with Matt Smith in the action horror film Patient Zero (2018). In 2019, he played the governor in the thriller film Crawl.

Voice Acting

Colin McFarlane's first voice role was in 1994. He voiced Othello in the animated series Shakespeare: The Animated Tales. This show adapted Shakespeare's plays for children. The next year, he voiced the main villain in Oscar's Orchestra. This animated series was about a future where music was banned. In 1996, he voiced God and Goliath in Testament: The Bible in Animation. From 1996 to 1998, he voiced Sergeant Slipper in Dennis and Gnasher.

His most famous voice roles include JJ and Skip in Bob the Builder. He was also the narrator for the ITV game show The Cube. He voiced Jonah in Captain Pugwash (1997). He also voiced Bulgy the Double Decker Bus and Beresford the Crane in Thomas & Friends. He voiced these characters in the 2017 movie Journey Beyond Sodor. He played Elvis the horse in Iconicles. He was Sparky the dragon in Mike the Knight. He also voiced Police Constable Malcolm Williams in Fireman Sam and its 2020 special.

Video Games

Colin McFarlane has also voiced characters in many video games. His first was Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars in 1996. He voiced characters in G-Police and Codename: Tenka in 1997. He was Greg in the Buzz! quiz game series. He voiced Avalon Centrifuge in LittleBigPlanet 2 (2011). He also provided voices for Batman: Arkham Knight. He played "The Forgotten One" in the Castlevania: Lords of Shadow games. He also voiced Thunder in the first Fable video game.

Theatre Work

In 2013, Colin McFarlane performed in a play called Fences. He acted alongside Lenny Henry at the Duchess Theatre in London.

Personal Life

Colin McFarlane married his wife, Kate, on 30 June 1991. They have three children together. He lives in both Lincoln and North London.

He is a big fan of the football team Lincoln City F.C..

Filmography

Film

Television

Theatre

Radio

Video Games