<Tr> <Th> Occupation </Th> <Td> Actor </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Years active </Th> <Td> 1992--present </Td> </Tr> <P> Brendan Coyle (born David Coyle; 2 December 1962) is a British actor . He won the Olivier Award for Best Performance in a Supporting Role for The Weir in 1999 . He also played Nicholas Higgins in the miniseries North & South, Robert Timmins in the first three series of Lark Rise to Candleford, and more recently Mr Bates, the valet, in Downton Abbey, which earned him a nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series and a BAFTA nomination for Best Supporting Actor </P> <P> Coyle was born in Corby, Northamptonshire, to an Irish father and Scottish mother . Due to his British birth and Irish parentage, he holds dual British and Irish citizenship . He is a great - nephew of football manager Sir Matt Busby . </P>

Actor who plays john bates in downton abbey