Hugh Coles is an English film and television actor. He is known for his roles in The Festival (2018), Defending the Guilty (2019) and Atlanta (2022) as well as originating the role of George McFly in Back to the Future: The Musical, for which he was nominated for the 2022 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Musical.
Hugh Coles | |
|---|---|
| Alma mater | LAMDA |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 2017–present |
Early life and education
editHugh Coles attended the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, graduating in 2017.[1]
Career
editScreen
editIn 2017 Coles made his film debut as "Rex" in The Festival.[2] He also appeared in smaller roles in Urban Myths and Doc Martin in the same year.[3]
In 2019, he appeared as Liam Mingay in the British sitcom Defending the Guilty.[4] In 2020, Coles was a regularly featured contributor on the Channel 5 TV show NFL End Zone.[5]
He has also appeared in Death in Paradise (2021)[6] and as "Socks" in Donald Glover's TV series Atlanta (2022).[7]
Stage
editSince 2019, he has been involved with the original production of Back to the Future: The Musical, including its run at the Manchester Opera House[8] and the Adelphi Theatre in London's West End in 2021.[9]
For his role as George McFly, Coles won the 2022 WhatsOnStage Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Male Identifying Role.[10] and was nominated for the 2022 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Musical.[11] In October 2022, it was announced that Coles would reprise the role on Broadway, joining co-star Roger Bart when the show opened at the Winter Garden Theatre in June 2023.[12]
Filmography
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | The Festival | Rex | Supporting |
| Urban Myths | PC Horley | 1 episode | |
| 2018–2019 | Defending the Guilty | Liam Mingay | 6 episodes |
| 2019 | Doc Martin | Gerry Hammond | 1 episode |
| 2021 | Death in Paradise | Hugo Pickford | 1 episode |
| 2022 | Atlanta | Socks | 2 episodes |
| 2023 | Dreamland | Dom | 6 episodes |
| Juice | Pat | 6 episodes | |
| 2024 | Baby Reindeer | Francis | 2 episodes |
| 2025 | My Oxford Year | Ridley | Netflix film |
| Year | Show | Role | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Back to the Future: The Musical | George McFly | Manchester Opera House |
| 2021–2022 | Adelphi Theatre, London | ||
| 2023–2025 | Winter Garden Theatre, Broadway |
Accolades
edit| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Laurence Olivier Award | Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical | Back to the Future: The Musical | Nominated | [11] |
| WhatsOnStage Award | Best Actor in a Male Identifying Role in a Musical | Won | [10] | ||
| Stage Debut Awards | Best Debut in a Musical | Nominated | [13] | ||
| Best West End Debut | Nominated | [14] | |||
| 2024 | Broadway.com Audience Awards | Favorite Breakthrough Performance (Male) | Nominated | [15] |
See also
editReferences
edit- ↑ "2017 graduates | London academy of music & dramatic art". lamda.ac.uk.
- ↑ Guide, British Comedy. "The Festival Cast and Crew Credits". British Comedy Guide.
- ↑ "Hugh Coles". London Theatre Direct. Retrieved 7 June 2025.
- ↑ Guide, British Comedy. "Defending The Guilty – BBC2 Sitcom". British Comedy Guide.
- ↑ Wiseman, Andreas (8 September 2020). "NFL Returning To Channel 5 In UK For MNF & Sunday Magazine Show". Deadline. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
- ↑ "Death in Paradise, Series 10, Episode 7". BBC One. Retrieved 7 June 2025.
- ↑ "Atlanta's main trio plays good cop/bad cop to catch a cellphone thief". The A.V. Club. 15 April 2022.
- ↑ McPhee, Ryan (16 July 2019). "Back to the Future Musical Finds Its George McFly, Mayor Goldie Wilson, and Lorraine Baines". Playbill. Retrieved 7 June 2025.
- ↑ "Back to the Future musical announces further West End casting | WhatsOnStage". whatsonstage.com. 15 March 2021.
- 1 2 "22nd Annual WhatsOnStage Awards: the winners in full | WhatsOnStage". whatsonstage.com. 27 February 2022.
- 1 2 "Olivier Awards 2022 nominations in full". 9 March 2022.
- ↑ "Roger Bart and Hugh Coles to Star in Broadway's Back to the Future Musical, Opening in 2023". 21 October 2022.
- ↑ "The Stage Debut Awards 2022: Meet the nominees".
- ↑ "The Stage Debut Awards 2022: Meet the nominees".
- ↑ "The Great Gatsby, The Notebook and Back to the Future Lead Nominations for Broadway.com Audience Choice Awards". Broadway.com. 6 May 2024. Retrieved 20 May 2024.