Owen Teale (born 20 May 1961) is a Welsh character actor having appeared in many films, including Robin Hood (1991), The Hawk (1993), King Arthur (2004), The Last Legion (2007), Tolkien (2019), and Dream Horse (2020). On television, he has appeared in Doctor Who (1985), David Copperfield (1986), The Thin Blue Line (1995), Ballykissangel (1999), Line of Duty (2012), Stella (2012–2013), A Discovery of Witches (2018–2022), The Rig (2023), and Sandokan (2025).
Teale is best known for his role as Ser Alliser Thorne in the HBO fantasy TV series Game of Thrones (2011–2016). In 1997, Teale won a Tony Award for his performance in a Broadway production of Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House.
Early life Owen Teale was born on 20 May 1961, in North Cornelly, south Wales, son of Roy and Louise Teale. He attended Cynffig Comprehensive School in Kenfig Hill; he was suspended from the school for disciplinary offences, and credits one of the teachers Mr Davis, with awakening his interest in acting. He trained at the Guildford School of Acting. In 1997, Teale won a Tony Award for his performance in a Broadway production of Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House.
Career
In 1984, Teale made his television debut in The Mimosa Boys a film about the Falklands War. In 1985, he appeared in the Doctor Who serial Vengeance on Varos as the dis-loyal guard Maldak who helps Peri escape. His film debut was in War Requiem in 1989. He later appeared in Knights of God (1989), Great Expectations (1989), The Fifteen Streets (1989) and Boon (1990) before being cast as Will Scarlet in the 1991 film Robin Hood.
He went on to appear in such series as Dangerfield, Ballykissangel, The Thin Blue Line and the long-running Belonging, and later Spooks and Murphy's Law.
He later appeared as Lophakin in the 1999 adaptation of The Cherry Orchard, opposite Charlotte Rampling as Ranevskaya and Alan Bates as Gayev. He played the infamous Nazi judge Roland Freisler in Conspiracy. He also had parts In Midsomer Murders and Lewis.
In 2005, he played a lead role in Marian, Again, in which he was the abusive husband of Kelly Harrison's eponymous character. He also did voice over narration for "Tales from the Green Valley", one of several farm series he has done for the BBC.
In 2006, he appeared in the Torchwood episode "Countrycide". Also in 2006 he had a role in the HBO UK TV movie Tsunami: The Aftermath. In 2007, he guest-starred in the Doctor Who audio drama The Mind's Eye. In the same year, he starred in The Last Legion alongside Ben Kingsley and Colin Firth, and was shot on location in Morocco, Tunisia and Slovakia.
In 2011, Teale appeared as Ser Alliser Thorne in Game of Thrones, the HBO TV adaptation of George R. R. Martin's novel series A Song of Ice and Fire, replacing at short notice Derek Halligan.Profile, winteriscoming.net; accessed 18 March 2015. He reprised this role in Season 4, Season 5, and Season 6.
In 2012, he played Dai in the comedy-drama series Stella, and Robert Holland, the fictional UK Foreign Secretary, in the drama series Kidnap and Ransom. He also played Chief Constable Osborne in the BBC police drama Line of Duty. Between 2018 and 2022 he played Peter Knox in A Discovery of Witches, a series based on the book of the same name by Deborah Harkness.
In 2020, he starred opposite Toni Collette and Damian Lewis in the Wales based sports comedy-drama film Dream Horse.
In 2023, Teale starred as Lars Hutton, causing problems on the Kinloch Bravo oil rig in The Rig, in a cast that included Iain Glen, Emily Hampshire, Mark Addy, and Martin Compston.
He has also worked as a voiceover artist for television advertisements.
Personal life In 1986, Teale married actress Dilys Watling, with whom he has a son, Ion. They divorced in the mid-1990s. In 2001, he married actress Sylvestra Le Touzel; they have two daughters, Eliza and Grace. He likes to play golf, and was made an honorary member of the Pyle and Kenfig Golf Club.
Awards Teale won the 1997 Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play for his performance as Torvald opposite Janet McTeer in Ibsen's A Doll's House.
Filmography Films Year Title Role Director 1989 War Requiem The Unknown Soldier Derek Jarman 1991 Robin Hood Will Scarlet John Irvin 1993 The Hawk Ken Marsh David Hayman 1996 Marco Polo: The Missing Chapter Adolph Rafi Bukai 1999 The Cherry Orchard Lopahin Michael Cacoyannis 2001 The Search for John Gissing Giles Hanagan Mike Binder 2004 Jack Brown and the Curse of the Crown Jack Brown Andrew Gillman King Arthur Pelagius Antoine Fuqua 2007 The Last Legion Vatrenus Doug Lefler 2008 Inconceivable Richard Newman Mary McGuckian Love Me Forever Peter Schwarz Åsa Faringer & Ulf Hultberg 2009 It's Alive Sgt. Perkins Josef Rusnak 2011 Hunky Dory Davy's Dad Marc Evans 2013 The Fold Edward Ashton John Jencks 2016 Nocturne Murray Konstantinos Frangopoulos 2019 Tolkien Headmaster Gilson Dome Karukoski 2020 Dream Horse Brian Vokes Euros Lyn 2022 Save the Cinema Darek Sara Sugarman 2023 Caligula: The Ultimate Cut Charea (voice) Tinto Brass 2025 The Physician II Godwin Philipp Stölzl
Television Year Title Role Production Notes 1985 Doctor Who Maldak BBC Episodes: "Vengeance on Varos: Parts One and Two" The Mimosa Boys Albie BBC Television film 1986 David Copperfield Ham Peggotty BBC 5 episodes 1987 One by One PC Williams BBC Episode: "The Monkey in Between" Knights of God Dai ITV 5 episodes 1989 Great Expectations Bentley Drummie ITV Mini-series; 2 episodes The Fifteen Streets John O'Brien ITV Television film. Part of a collection of small-screen epics based on the best-selling books of Catherine Cookson 1990 Waterfront Beat Det. Sgt. Mike McCarthy BBC 8 episodes Boon Philip Braithwaite ITV Episode: "Daddy's Girl" 1995 The Vacillations of Poppy Crew Edmund Platt ITV Television film Dangerous Lady Terry Patterson ITV Mini-series; 4 episodes The Thin Blue Line Gary BBC Episode: "Fire and Terror" 1996 The Ruth Rendell Mysteries Bob North ITV Episodes: "The Secret House of Death: Parts 1 and 2" Dangerfield PC Dave Chapman BBC Episode: "Scars" Wilderness Dan Somers ITV Mini-series; 3 episodes L'histoire du samedi Alan France 3 Episode: "La guerre des moutons" Death of a Salesman Happy BBC Television film 1999 Cleopatra Grattius ABC Mini-series; 2 episodes Ballykissangel Connor Devlin BBC Series 5; 9 episodes 2000 The Real... Inquisitor ITV Episode: "Joan of Arc" 2001 Beast Mr. Head BBC One Episode: "Lamb" Conspiracy Roland Freisler HBO Television film 2002 Ted and Alice Barry Branch BBC Mini-series; 3 episodes Posh Plots Himself - Narrator BBC Documentary series 2004 Judas Flavius ABC Television film Island at War PC Wilf Jonas ITV Mini-series; 6 episodes Spooks Robert Morgan BBC Episode: "Frequently Asked Questions" (uncredited role) 2005 Midsomer Murders Little Mal Kirby ITV Episode: "Second Sight" Timewatch Erucius BBC Episode: "Murder in Rome" Tales from the Green Valley Himself - Narrator BBC Two Documentary series; 12 episodes Murphy's Law Paul Allison BBC One Series 3; 6 episodes DoNovAn Ronnie Paxton ITV Series also known as DNA. Episode: #2.1 Marian, Again Bernie Sullivan ITV Television film 2006 Torchwood Ewan Sherman BBC Episode: "Countrycide" Tsunami: The Aftermath James Peabody HBO Mini-series; 2 episodes 2007 Lewis Nicky Turnbull ITV Episode: "Old School Ties" The Last Detective Tom Cornell ITV Episode: "The Dead Peasants Society" 2008 The Children Peter ITV Mini-series; 3 episodes It's My Shout Terry ITV1 Wales Episode: "Pleasure Park" (based on an original idea by Teale) 2011 Silk Brian Frogett BBC One Episodes: "The Bitter End" and "Three Sheets to the Wind" 2011–2016 Game of Thrones Alliser Thorne HBO Recurring role, 19 episodes 2012 Kidnap and Ransom Robert Holland ITV1 Series 2; 3 episodes The Hollow Crown Captain Fluellen BBC Episode: "Henry V, Part 1" 2012, 2021 Line of Duty Ch. Insp./Ch. Cons. Phillip Osborne BBC Series 1; 3 episodes / Series 6; 5 episodes 2012–2013 Stella Dai Kosh Sky 1 Series 1 and 2; 20 episodes 2015 River Ch. Supt. Marcus McDonald BBC One Mini-series; 6 episodes 2016 Ripper Street Felix Hackman BBC Two Episode: "Men of Iron, Men of Smoke" Houdini & Doyle Professor Havensling ITV Mini-series; episode: "Strigoi" 2017 Pulse Chad Berger ABC TV Mini-series; 8 episodes 2018–2022 A Discovery of Witches Peter Knox Sky 1 Series 1–3; 18 episodes 2019 Traitors St. John Symonds Channel 4 Episodes: "Feef" and "Hugh" Deep State Hal Weaver Fox Series 2; 4 episodes 2021 The Pembrokeshire Murders Gerard Elias QC ITV1 Mini-series; 1 episode 2023 Wolf Oliver Anchor-Ferrers BBC One 6 episodes 2023–2025 The Rig Lars Hutton Amazon Prime Video Series 1 and 2; 12 episodes 2025 The Revenge Club Jim Eggleston Paramount+ Mini-series; 3 episodes Sandokan Anthony, Lord Guillonk Rai 1 8 episodes 2026 Death Valley Michael Mallowan BBC One Series 2; 3 episodes
Theatre Year Production Role 1996 A Doll's House Torvald Helmer 2003 The Dance of Death Kurt 2008 Macbeth Macbeth 2013 Passion Play James 2014 Under Milk Wood Narrator 2015 The Broken Heart Bassanes 2016 No Man's Land Briggs Gaslight Jack Manningham 2022 A Christmas Carol Ebenezer Scrooge 2023
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