Robert Carlyle was born on April 14th 1961 in Glasgow, Scotland, Unlike many of his peers, he was a late starter to the world of acting. It was only at the age of 21, after reading Arthur Miller's The Crucible, that he decided to become an actor.

After enrolling in acting classes at the Glasgow Arts Centre, he quickly found work in the theatre and soon established himself as one of Scotland's most exciting young actors.

He made his screen debut in the film Silent Scream (1990) but it was his leading role in the Ken Loach directed movie Riff-Raff (1990) that propelled him up the acting ladder.

After a series of impressive roles in movies such as Being Human (1993) and Priest (1994), Robert gave one of the greatest television performances in Cracker (1994). His memorable portrayal of Albie Kinsella in the episode To Be a Somebody, highlighted the Scottish star's phenomenal acting talent.

In 1995. he was given his own BBC television series Hamish Macbeth, and a year later he stole the show as Begbie in the iconic British film Trainspotting.

Since then, Robert Carlyle has worked steadily with highlights including The Full Monty (1997), Ravenous (1999) and The World Is Not Enough (1999). He was most recently seen on the small screen in the shirt drama series Class of '76 (2005).

He is married to Anastasia Shirley (December 28th 1997 - present) and the couple have three children.