Michael Smiley facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Michael Smiley
Smiley in 2016
Born	1963 (age 61–62) Belfast, Northern Ireland
Occupation	Comedian, actor
Spouse(s)	Miranda Sawyer
Children	4

Michael Smiley is a well-known actor and comedian from Northern Ireland. He was born in 1963. You might know him from movies like Kill List (2011) and The Lobster (2015). He has also been in many popular British TV shows. These include Spaced, Luther, Utopia, Black Mirror, and Doctor Who.

Early Life and Beginnings

Michael Smiley was born in 1963 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. He grew up in a town called Holywood. He lived there with his older brother and sister.

In 1983, he moved to London with his first wife. He started doing stand-up comedy in 1993. This happened after he accepted a dare at an open-mic night. Before becoming famous, he worked as a bike courier. He was also a DJ playing acid house music.

Acting and Comedy Career

Michael Smiley became famous for playing Tyres O'Flaherty in the TV show Spaced. Tyres was a fun character who loved riding his bike and raving. Michael also performed at big comedy events. These included the Edinburgh Fringe and the Melbourne Comedy Festival.

Early Roles in Film and TV

In 2003, Michael lent his voice to a Doctor Who audio story. It was called Creatures of Beauty. The next year, in 2004, he appeared in an episode of Hustle. He played a character named Max, who was a forger. He also had a small part in the show 15 Storeys High.

He played a former soldier named Mac in the 2008 horror film Outpost. He also appeared as a zombie in the movie Shaun of the Dead.

Notable TV Appearances

Michael has been in a radio show called The Maltby Collection. He played Des Wainwright, a funny security guard. Des often repeated himself and mentioned being in the SAS.

He played Benny "Deadhead" Silver in the BBC drama series Luther. This was a big role for him. In 2010, he was in the film Burke & Hare. He worked with his Spaced co-stars, Simon Pegg and Jessica Hynes, in this movie.

In 2013, he appeared in several popular TV shows. He was in Ripper Street as George Lusk. He also played Detective Reynolds in Utopia. In Black Mirror, he was Baxter in the episode "White Bear". He also played Roddy in Father Figure. Later in 2013, he was Mr Jackson in the BBC Two comedy Ambassadors. In 2014, he played Micky Murray in The Life of Rock with Brian Pern.

In 2014, Michael Smiley played Colonel Morgan Blue in the Doctor Who episode "Into the Dalek".

Acclaimed Film Roles

In 2011, Michael starred in the British horror film Kill List. Critics really liked the movie. Michael won the "Best Supporting Actor" Award for his role. He received this award at the 2011 British Independent Film Awards.

He also played the main bad guy, O'Neill, in the film A Field in England.

In 2019, Michael co-starred with Elijah Wood in the film Come to Daddy. In 2020, he was the lead in Dead Still. This was an Irish-Canadian TV drama series. In 2021, he had the main role in The Toll, a Welsh comedy film.

Michael Smiley at DIFF 2015

Cycling and Travel Shows

In May 2014, a TV show called Michael Smiley: Something to Ride Home About was released. It was for BBC Northern Ireland. The show followed Michael as he cycled around Northern Ireland. He met local people along the way. A second series of the show was made in 2015.

Personal Life

Michael Smiley has been married twice. He has four children. Two children are with his first wife, Merilees. The other two are with his second wife, Miranda Sawyer, who is a journalist. He lives in Herne Hill, London.

In the 1990s, he shared a flat with actors Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. Michael is also a very keen cyclist.

Filmography

Television Roles

Film Roles

Radio Roles