Ciarán Hinds

Born: February 9 1953
Where: Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK

Hinds made his big screen debut as Lot in the mystic action movie Excalibur.

The youngest of five children, he decided against following his father to become a doctor and opted to become an actor (like his mother).

Though he did begin Law school at Queen's University, he left that in order train in acting at RADA.

He began his stage career at the Glasgow Citizens' Theatre as the rear end of a horse in the production of Cinderella.

Staying with the company for several years, he starred in a number of productions, including playing the lead roles in Arsenic and Old Lace and Faust.

Early movie roles included The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover, December Bride, Circle of Friends and Oscar & Lucinda.

Televion work includes The Man Who Cried, Prime Suspect 3, Persuasion, Jane Eyre and the Mayor of Casterbridge.

Recent film work has included The Sum of All Fears, Sam Mendes' Road to Perdition and Veronica Guerin, in which he played a Dublin gangster opposite Cate Blanchett.

Hinds then played an evil bio-chemist and main bad guy in Lara Croft: The Cradle of Life.

He is in a long-term relationship with French-Vietnamese actress Hélène Patarot and they have a daughter together and live in London.