Draft:Nigel Mercier

Nigel got his start appearing as a Prisoner in the RTÉ series “Inside”, from 1985-1986. His first big break came in 1993, when he appeared in the Irish Soap Opera Glenroe as Des Brennan, being a prominent character on the show from 1993-2000. In 2003, Nigel appeared in the David Gleeson film Cowboys & Angels as an Inspector. In 2010, he portrayed Noel Carnahan in the series Jack Taylor. ^[1]

In 2006, Nigel made his debut in the Irish Soap Opera Fair City, ^[2] as the villainous D.I Steve Yates. ^[3] the character of Yates was involved in many high profile storylines throughout the show, including being a key investigator into Karens murder ^[4] and his romance with the fiery Carol. ^[5] Nigel appeared as Yate’s in the Soap Opera up till 2021, when his character fled Carrigstown. ^[6]

It was announced in 2013 that Nigel had received a small part in the RTÉ Crime Drama Love/Hate, appearing in an episode as a Doctor. Nigel praised the series creator Stuart Carolan for his stellar storytelling and claimed that Love/Hate was on the same line as the HBO show The Wire or The Sopranos. ^[7] In 2014, he starred opposite Jon Kenny in the short film “All Washed Up”, which was screened at the Richard Harris Film Festival to the likes of Jack Reynor and Noel Pearson. ^[8] That same year, he appeared as a Priest in the horror short “Sinners”, which went on to win a €10,000 prize. ^[9]

In 2016, Nigel played a leading role in the short film “Mother’s Milk and Cookies”, about a struggling middle aged gay couple. The film one international acclaim and took Nigel and the crew to the Cannes Film Festival. ^[10] Nigel was nominated for his performance in the film at the 2016 Portsmouth International Film Festival.

In 2015, it was announced that the short film “Lost and Found” was seeking crowdfunding, with Mercier penned to play the role of Jack. ^[11] The film was successfully funded and was shot in Caherconlish, with fellow Limerick actor Liam O'Brien starring opposite him. ^[12] In 2017, Nigel appeared in the Horror film “Hexing” as Rodney, a restaurant owner. ^[13] In 2018, he appeared in a leading role in the Irish Slasher film “Night Shift” directed by Limerick’s Stephen Hall. ^[14] Additionally, Nigel served as the host of the Butterfly Ball in 2017 and 2025. ^{[15] [16]} Mercier was also the judge for the 2015 “Limerick’s Got Talent!” ^[17]

In 2022, it was announced that Nigel would portray Sally O’Malley in the Irish Mockumentary series “Groundbreaking”, which was described by Irish Central as The Office meets Indiana Jones. Filming took place in Galway. ^[18] Mercier appeared in the leading role of the 2022 short film “The Cathedral” as Fr. Noel. Nigel was awarded “Best Actor” for his performance at both the AltFF Alternative Film Festival and the London International Monthly Film Festival. He was nominated at the Independent Horror Movie Awards. In 2023, Mercier appeared as Dr. Gerrick in The Martini Shot, starring alongside Matthew Modine in what critics called “a cast to die for”. ^[19]

Upon moving back to Limerick after spending several years working in Dublin, Nigel set up the Limerick School of Acting, a school consisting of both children’s and adults acting classes. The school was set up in 1992 ^[20] and has since gone on to produce many successful actors. The school celebrated 30 years in 2022. ^[21]

Nigel Mercier on IMDB