---
name: "Nigel Lindsay"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/nigel-lindsay"
fi1m_id: "nigel-lindsay"
imdb_id: "nm0512283"
tmdb_id: 6971
wikidata_id: "Q7032521"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "17 January 1969"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 6
average_fi1m_score: 75
average_as: "actor"
average_over: 6
updated: "2026-10-07T17:16:08.449413+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Nigel Lindsay

## Identity

Nigel Lindsay

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/nigel-lindsay
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** nigel-lindsay
- **IMDb ID:** nm0512283
- **TMDB ID:** 6971
- **Wikidata ID:** Q7032521
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigel_Lindsay, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7032521, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0512283/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/6971

Actor. Born 17 January 1969 in St. John's Wood, London, England, UK.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 17 January 1969, St. John's Wood, London, England, UK
- **Active:** 1992–present
- **Also known as:** Nigel Lyndsay, 奈杰尔·林赛
- **Average Fi1m score:** 75, as actor, over 6 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1990s 87 (2), 2010s 84 (2), 2020s 55 (2)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 68 to 57 across 3 titles
- **Score spread:** 3 at 80+, 2 at 60–79, 1 under 60
- **Lead roles:** 1 of 1 acting credits billed first or second
- **Genres:** Drama 4, Comedy 3, Crime 3, History 1, Mystery 1, Thriller 1
- **Screen time:** 3 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $6m across 2 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigel_Lindsay, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7032521, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0512283/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/6971

## Streaming the US now

- **Amazon Prime Video:** [*Four Lions*](https://film.one/film/four-lions.md) (94)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Fi1m on Nigel Lindsay

> Nigel Lindsay makes belligerence funny without making it harmless. His Barry in *Four Lions* is the clearest reason to seek him out: an unreasonable man played with enough conviction to make a joke feel uncomfortable.

In *Four Lions* (2010), Nigel Lindsay's Barry takes disagreement as a personal insult. Lindsay makes that belligerence funny by giving it complete conviction; this is a man who cannot allow the possibility that somebody else has a point. We laughed at Barry, then felt uneasy about the anger Lindsay brings to even a disagreement. It is a sharply judged performance, with no attempt to make the character agreeable. Lindsay trusts us to keep watching someone we would rather not meet.

The film was his screen breakthrough, following a stage career that began in the early 1990s. More film and television work followed, but theatre continued, including the title role in *Shrek the Musical* (2011). His work in straight plays as well as musicals makes it unhelpful to file him away simply as the belligerent supporting man. He also returned to screen comedy as Jason Tresswell in *Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa* (2013), though Barry remains the part we would send someone to first.

In Chris Morris's *Four Lions*, the contrast with Riz Ahmed matters. Ahmed's Omar can recognise stupidity without being free of it himself, while Lindsay supplies a harsher comic energy. We are not simply waiting for a sensible character to put Barry right, which keeps their exchanges from becoming too comfortable. The force of Lindsay's playing helps Morris keep reminding us that incompetence does not make these men harmless. Our reservation is with the film's middle, where jokes recur after they have made their point, rather than with Lindsay's willingness to be disagreeable.

Later television parts include Sir Robert Peel in *Victoria* (2016) and Tom Kendricks in the surveillance thriller *The Capture* (2019). Those parts broaden a screen career often associated with intense or abrasive supporting characters. We would not prescribe more versions of Barry just because Lindsay is so convincing in the part; another script would still need to give that anger a reason to be there. Start with *Four Lions*, but do not expect pleasant company.

## Biography

Nigel Lindsay is an English actor. He was born on 17 January 1969 in St John's Wood, London, and trained at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art after working as a financial analyst.

Lindsay is known for his extensive stage work, including roles in National Theatre productions such as *Dealer's Choice* (1995) and *The Pillowman* (2004), and the title role in *Shrek the Musical* (2011–2012) at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane. He won the 2011 WhatsOnStage Award for Best Supporting Actor for *Broken Glass* at the Tricycle Theatre and received an Olivier Award nomination for *Shrek the Musical*.

On screen, he played Barry in the 2010 film *Four Lions*, for which he was nominated for Best British Comedy Performance in Film at the 2011 British Comedy Awards. His other credits include Sir Robert Peel in *Victoria* (2016–2019), roles in *Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa* (2013), *Safe* (2018) and *The Capture* (2019–).

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com.*

## On Fi1m (6)

- *MobLand* (2025), Fi1m 63, as Alan Rusby — [page](https://film.one/tv/mobland.md)
- *Six Minutes to Midnight* (2020), Fi1m 47, as Mr. Wheatley — [page](https://film.one/film/six-minutes-to-midnight.md)
- *No Offence* (2015), Fi1m 73, as Terry Taylor — [page](https://film.one/tv/no-offence.md)
- *Four Lions* (2010), Fi1m 94, as Barry — [page](https://film.one/film/four-lions.md)
- *Brass Eye* (1997), Fi1m 86, as Peacecap Johnson — [page](https://film.one/tv/brass-eye.md)
- *I'm Alan Partridge* (1997), Fi1m 88, as Bob Fraser — [page](https://film.one/tv/im-alan-partridge.md)

## Complete filmography (57)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *The Hack* (2025), series, as Jules Stenson
- *MobLand* (2025), series, as Alan Rusby — Fi1m 63, [page](https://film.one/tv/mobland.md)
- *Kiss Me, Kate* (2024), as Gangster
- *Kidnapped: The Chloe Ayling Story* (2024), series, as Adrian Sington
- *The Chelsea Detective* (2022), series, as Ricky Hopkinson — Fi1m 70, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-chelsea-detective.md)
- *Pops* (2021), as Elli Jacobs
- *Six Minutes to Midnight* (2020), as Mr. Wheatley — Fi1m 47, [page](https://film.one/film/six-minutes-to-midnight.md)
- *The Salisbury Poisonings* (2020), series, as DCC Paul Mills
- *The Capture* (2019), series, as DSI / DSU Tom Kendricks, DCI Tom Kendricks
- *Magnum P.I.* (2018), series, as Ian Pryce
- *Dead in a Week (Or Your Money Back)* (2018), as Brian
- *Innocent* (2018), series, as DI William Beech
- *Safe* (2018), series, as JoJo Marshall
- *Access All Areas* (2017), as Mack
- *Oxide Ghosts: The Brass Eye Tapes* (2017), Actor
- *Tin Star* (2017), series, as Clive Bennett
- *White Gold* (2017), series, as Tony Walsh
- *Victoria* (2016), series, as Sir Robert Peel
- *The Last Kingdom* (2015), series, as Rhodri — Fi1m 72, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-last-kingdom.md)
- *You, Me and the Apocalypse* (2015), series, as Adren
- *No Offence* (2015), series, as Terry Taylor — Fi1m 73, [page](https://film.one/tv/no-offence.md)
- *National Theatre Live : A Small Family Business* (2014), as Jack McCracken
- *Captcha* (2014), as Anton
- *Breakfast With Jonny Wilkinson* (2013), as Nigel Maitland
- *RSC Live: Richard II* (2013), as Henry Bolingbroke
- *Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa* (2013), as Jason Cresswell
- *Plebs* (2013), series, as Atlas
- *The Fear* (2012), series, as Donny
- *Playhouse Presents* (2012), series, as Michael
- *Death in Paradise* (2011), series, as Andy Hammond
- *Mid Morning Matters with Alan Partridge* (2010), series, as Tommy Gaskell
- *Four Lions* (2010), as Barry — Fi1m 94, [page](https://film.one/film/four-lions.md)
- *Jam and Jerusalem* (2006), series, as Marcus
- *Scoop* (2006), as Strombel's Co-Worker
- *On a Clear Day* (2005), as Sharp Suit
- *Frances Tuesday* (2004), series, as Lambert
- *Blackball* (2003), as Targitex Chairman
- *Foyle's War* (2002), series, as Clayton Del Mar — Fi1m 81, [page](https://film.one/tv/foyles-war.md)
- *Spooks* (2002), series, as Jacob Chapman — Fi1m 77, [page](https://film.one/tv/spooks.md)
- *Mike Bassett: England Manager* (2001), as Journalist
- *Murphy's Law* (2001), series, as DC Gary Fender — Fi1m 63, [page](https://film.one/tv/murphys-law.md)
- *Waking the Dead* (2001), series, as Devlin
- *Too Much Sun* (2000), series, as Dave
- *Deja Vu* (1999), as Tim
- *Shockers* (1999), series, as Tim
- *Rogue Trader* (1999), as Ron Baker
- *I'm Alan Partridge* (1997), series, as Bob Fraser — Fi1m 88, [page](https://film.one/tv/im-alan-partridge.md)
- *A Dance to the Music of Time* (1997), series, as Odo Stevens
- *Midsomer Murders* (1997), series, as James Noland, Nigel Bellamy — Fi1m 66, [page](https://film.one/tv/midsomer-murders.md)
- *Brass Eye* (1997), series, as Peacecap Johnson — Fi1m 86, [page](https://film.one/tv/brass-eye.md)
- *Dressing for Breakfast* (1995), series, Actor
- *A Few Short Journeys of the Heart* (1994), as Drunk
- *Between the Lines* (1992), series, as Insp. Alan Grant
- *Agatha Christie's Poirot* (1989), series, as Francesco — Fi1m 83, [page](https://film.one/tv/agatha-christies-poirot.md)
- *Bosses From Hell* (1989), Actor
- *Communicators From Hell* (1989), Actor
- *Bill's Included*, series, as Martin

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/nigel-lindsay