Robert Pugh

Robert Pugh is a veteran Welsh actor whose career spans over four decades, marked by a remarkable versatility that has seen him inhabit everything from historical figures to gritty contemporary roles. Born on 3 November 1948 in the mining village of Tyntetown, Glamorgan he grew up in nearby Tynte near Pontypridd and attended Ynysboeth school before being inspired to pursue acting after watching From Russia with Love at a local cinema. He later took night courses at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts and earned his formal training at Rose Bruford College, graduating in 1976, which launched a prolific stage and screen career. His early work included Welsh‑language productions such as the TV film Terra Nova (1984) and the film Milwr Bychan (1987), establishing him as a dependable character actor in his home country. He broke into broader British television with a memorable turn as Sapper Powell in the 1979 series Danger UXB, and later portrayed historic personalities like Harold Wilson in the Channel 4 drama Longford (2005) and Hermann Göring in the BBC documentary Nuremberg: Nazis on Trial (2006). In 2010 he appeared as Tony in the Doctor Who two‑part story “The Hungry Earth”/“Cold Blood”, and a year later joined the HBO epic Game of Thrones as the grim wildling leader Craster, a role that brought him international recognition. Subsequent credits include Judge Patrick Coburn in the legal drama Justice (2011), Baron Rivers in The White Queen (2013), Jack Reynolds in Doctor Foster, and Lord Wynstay in Mr Selfridge (2016). Throughout his long career Pugh has remained a dedicated practitioner of his craft, consistently delivering performances that blend authentic regional nuance with universal emotional truth, making him a respected figure in both Welsh and global entertainment circles.