Nico Mirallegro facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Nico Mirallegro
Mirallegro in June 2013
Born	(1991-01-26) 26 January 1991 (age 34) Heywood, Greater Manchester, England
Occupation	Actor
Years active	2007–present

Nico Cristian Mirallegro (born 26 January 1991) is an English actor. He is well known for his roles in popular TV shows. These include playing Barry "Newt" Newton in the soap opera Hollyoaks (2007–2010). He also played Finn Nelson in My Mad Fat Diary (2013–2015). Other key roles were Joe Middleton in The Village (2013) and Johnjo O'Shea in Common (2014).

Nico has also starred in several movies. Some of his film roles include Spike Island (2012) and The Pass (2016). He was recognized in 2012 as one of the UK's "most promising young actors." He has been nominated for awards like Best Actor at the BBC Audio Drama Awards and Best Supporting Actor at the BAFTA Awards.

Early life and acting start

Nico Cristian Mirallegro was born on 26 January 1991. His hometown is Heywood, Greater Manchester, England. His dad is from Sicily, Italy, and his mom is from Malin Head, Ireland.

When he was younger, Nico went to a boarding school outside the UK. He felt lonely and out of place there. He also attended Siddal Moor Sports College and the Manchester School of Acting. His parents are separated. His dad lives in Spain, and Nico lived with him for a while as a teenager. Nico can speak Italian and Spanish.

Nico says he "fell into" acting when he was a teenager. He followed his sister, Claudia, to improv classes. At one of his first acting classes, he was so nervous he had to ask another student to say his lines for him!

Career highlights

Television roles

Nico's first professional acting job was in 2007. He was cast as an emo teenager named Newt in the British soap opera Hollyoaks. He left Hollyoaks after two years when he was 18. He wanted to try other acting projects. He was thankful for the show, saying it taught him a lot about acting for TV.

In 2010, he appeared in the BBC series Doctors. He played an Italian exchange student in seven episodes. Later that year, Nico joined the BBC One show Upstairs Downstairs. He played Johnny Proude, a young footman. Johnny took the job to escape poverty. Nico also appeared in the second series of the show. For this role, he took boxing lessons.

In 2013, Nico started playing Finn Nelson in My Mad Fat Diary. This was a popular teen comedy-drama on E4. Finn was the main character's love interest. That same year, he also played Joe Middleton in the BBC drama The Village. In 2014, Nico starred in Common. He played a teenager accused of murder. Critics praised his acting in this powerful drama.

In 2015, Nico was in the TV film The Ark. This film told the story of Noah. Nico played Kenan, Noah's youngest son. He also starred in HBO's Virtuoso. In this show, Nico played a talented violin player in the 18th century.

In 2017, Nico acted in the BBC drama Murdered for Being Different. This show was based on a real-life event. In 2019, he was cast as a soldier in the BBC One drama Our Girl. More recently, in 2023, it was announced that Nico will star in a new drama series called Stags. It is set to be released in 2024.

Film roles

Nico's first film was a short film called Six Minutes of Freedom in 2009. He played a troubled teenager who was training to be a boxer. The film won an award at a film festival.

In 2012, Nico starred in the film Spike Island. This movie was about the Manchester rock band The Stone Roses. Nico played a teenage lead guitarist. He said making the film was "six weeks of pure bliss."

In 2014, he was in Shooting for Socrates. This was a football drama. Nico played David Campbell, a young player making his debut for Northern Ireland.

Stage performances

In 2014, Nico performed in the play The Pass at London's Royal Court Theatre. He played a hotel bellboy. He later played the same role in the 2016 film version of the play.

Radio dramas

Since 2014, Nico has acted in several BBC Radio 4 dramas. He played the main character in Orpheus and Eurydice. For this role, he was nominated for Best Actor at the BBC Audio Drama Awards in 2016.

Charity work

Nico plays in celebrity football matches to help charities. Some of these charities include Help For Heroes and Once Upon a Smile.

Personal life

Nico Mirallegro was born and grew up in Heywood, Greater Manchester. He went to Siddal Moor Sports College. He is a big fan of Manchester United FC.

Filmography

Film

Television

Stage

Radio

Awards and nominations

See also

In Spanish: Nico Mirallegro para niños