Olly Rix
English actor (born 1985)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Olly Rix (born 14 February 1985) is a British actor. His initial roles were in theatre productions, notably with the Royal Shakespeare Company. His stage debut saw him portray the titular role in Cardenio, going on to appear in various other productions including Marat/Sade, The City Madam and Richard II. Rix has also starred in various television series including Death Comes to Pemberley, WPC 56, Of Kings and Prophets, The Spanish Princess and Call the Midwife, as well as joining the cast of Casualty in 2025.
Olly Rix | |
|---|---|
| Born | 14 February 1985 |
| Alma mater | |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 2010–present |
| Television | |
| Partner(s) | Anna Chell (2025-present; engaged) |
Life and career
1985–2013: Early life and stage work
Rix was born in 1985 on Valentine's Day, 14 February.[1] The schools he attended as a child did not offer drama opportunities to his annoyance, so Rix did not start performing on stage until university. He felt like his fellow students had been acting since young children so tried to get as involved as possible.[2] He studied at Oxford University, eventually going on to train in acting at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. Whilst at the latter, one of his close friends was Sam Claflin.[3] His first stage performance was as Oedipus inside the cathedral at Christ Church, Oxford. He has since joked that he was "almost certainly god-awful" and said that he was terrified, but added that he had a lot of fun.[2] Olly Rix appeared as a student Union Patron in the second series of the BBC police drama Ashes to Ashes (British TV series). The episode was broadcast on May 4, 2009. Rix attained his first professional credit in the 2010 short film The Duel at Blood Creek.[4]
Rix made his stage debut in 2011 when he starred as the titular role in Cardenio. He initially believed he was auditioning for a minor role and has admitted he was unaware what Cardenio was, but was shocked to learn he was being considered for the lead role. He felt lucky to have landed a titular role as his first stage role, initially believing he would have to wait years to be considered for such.[3] He then starred in a production of Marat/Sade with the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) later that year,[5] as well as The City Madam at the Swan Theatre.[6] In 2012, Rix starred in a production of I Am a Camera as Clive at Southwark Playhouse.[7] A year later, he appeared at the Royal Court Theatre in their production of Narrative.[8] Also in 2013, he returned to the RSC for their production of Richard II. He portrayed the Duke of Aumerle. WhatsOnStage wrote that his portrayal "tugs at the heartstrings".[9]
2013–present: Breakthrough with television work
In 2013, after his final stage appearance in Richard II, Rix made his television debut. He portrayed the role of Cartwright in the BBC miniseries Death Comes to Pemberley.[10] A year later, he appeared in an episode of ITV's Midsomer Murders.[11] In 2015, he recurred in the BBC period drama series The Musketeers.[12] That same year, he starred in the third series of WPC 56, also on BBC.[13] In 2016, Rix made his international breakthrough when he starred in ABC's drama series Of Kings and Prophets as David.[14] At the time, Rix was considered an unknown stage actor and was shocked to be flown out to Los Angeles four times for screen tests. He was exhausted with the process, believing he stood no chance of securing the role. He lived in South Africa for a year whilst filming the series, which he described as one of the best times of his life.[2] However, ABC pulled Of Kings and Prophets after two episodes, citing low ratings as the reason.[15] Rix said he "went from being on top of the world to back in my parents' spare room working out what the hell happened".[2]
In 2017, Rix was cast in a main role in the television film The Machine.[16] A year later, he starred in the third series of the BBC military drama series Our Girl.[17] He portrayed Captain Bones McClyde.[18] In 2019, he appeared in an episode of the Acorn TV series Agatha Raisin, as well as joining the cast of The Spanish Princess. In the latter, he portrayed Edward Stafford until 2020.[19] Then, in 2021, he joined the cast of the BBC's period drama Call the Midwife.[2] He portrayed series regular Matthew Aylward for three years, after which his character was written out.[20] Following his exit, he was pictured near the set of fellow BBC drama series Casualty in July 2024, and it was rumoured that he was to join the series.[21][22] The reports were confirmed by the BBC in February 2025, with them announcing that Rix would portray Flynn Byron in the thirty-ninth series.[23][24]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Ashes to Ashes (British TV series) | Student Union Patron | Series 2 Episode 3 |
| 2010 | The Duel at Blood Creek | Lt. Beckett | Short film |
| 2013 | Death Comes to Pemberley | Cartwright | Recurring role |
| 2014 | Midsomer Murders | Alex Darnley | Episode: "The Flying Club" |
| 2015 | The Musketeers | Navas | Recurring role |
| 2015 | WPC 56 | DI Harry Sawyer | Main role |
| 2016 | Of Kings and Prophets | David | Main role |
| 2017 | The Machine | James | Television film |
| 2018 | Our Girl | Bones McClyde | Main role |
| 2019 | Agatha Raisin | Tristan Delon | Episode: "The Curious Curate" |
| 2019–2020 | The Spanish Princess | Edward Stafford | Main role |
| 2021–2024 | Call the Midwife | Matthew Aylward | Main role |
| 2025–present | Casualty | Flynn Byron | Main role |
Stage
| Year | Title | Role | Venue | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Cardenio | Cardenio | The Swan | [25] |
| 2011 | Marat/Sade | Royal Shakespeare Theatre | [26] | |
| 2011 | The City Madam | Ramble | The Swan | [27] |
| 2012 | I Am a Camera | Clive | Southwark Playhouse | [28] |
| 2013 | Narrative | Royal Court Theatre | [29] | |
| 2013 | Richard II | Duke of Aumerle | Royal Shakespeare Theatre | [30] |