Known For
Acting
Born
Jun 23, 1977
Place of Birth
Birmingham, England, UK
Credits
45 titles
Paul Ready
Biography
Paul John Ready (born 23 June 1977) is a British actor known for portraying Kevin Brady in Motherland (2016-2022), Lee in Utopia (2013–2014), Rob MacDonald in Bodyguard (2018), and Henry Goodsir in The Terror (2018). His film credits include The Death of Stalin (2017), The Dig (2021), Heart of Stone (2023), and Bring Them Down (2025). He is recognised for his ability to take on diverse roles and bring depth to his characters in different genres. Paul was born in Birmingham and, growing up in the town of Harborne, he attended King Edward VI Five Ways school. He went on to train at London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art and, at the age of 17, he played Romeo in the National Youth Theatre production of Romeo and Juliet at London's Bloomsbury Theatre, playing opposite Rosamund Pike's Juliet. He is a regular at the National and Royal Court theatres. Past appearances have included leading parts in Major Barbara and Saint Joan (both plays by George Bernard Shaw) and Time and the Conways by J.B. Priestley. His West End credits include One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, which starred Christian Slater. Ready is married to actress and writer Michelle Terry, whom he met in Shakespeare's Globe 2009 production of Love's Labour's Lost — they have one daughter. In 2018 he starred as the titular character in Macbeth at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, opposite Terry as Lady Macbeth. In 2020, he and Terry returned to the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse as Petruchio and Biondello respectively in The Taming of the Shrew. In 2025, he starred in Chekhov's Three Sisters as Aleksandr Vershinin, once again alongside Terry. Paul received a commendation at the Ian Charleson Awards in 2003.
Known For
Filmography
Ann Droid
Michael
National Theatre at Home: Summerfolk
Sergei Vassilich Bassov
All That Glitters
Shakespeare
Bring Them Down
Gary
Heart of Stone
Bailey
Capture
Dad
Motherland: Last Christmas
Kevin
The Bastard Son & the Devil Himself
Soul
The Dig
James Reid Moir
Mandy
Cooper
Muse
Aderman
MotherFatherSon
Nick Caplan
Flack
Damien Paulson
Rob & Romesh Vs
Bodyguard
Rob MacDonald
The Terror
Doctor Henry Goodsir
Motherland
Kevin
The Death of Stalin
NKVD Officer Delov
The Witness for the Prosecution
Tripp
The Circuit
Danny
Beside Himself
Devlin
Cuffs
DI Felix Kane
One Wrong Word
Tony
Utopia
Lee
Utopia
Lee
Ripper Street
Dr. Frederick Treves
Private Peaceful
Captain Wilkins
Silk
Tony Paddick
Love's Labour's Lost - Live at Shakespeare's Globe
Don Armado
National Theatre Live: London Assurance
Charles Courtly
Pulling
Mike
Pierrepoint: The Last Hangman
Anthony David Farrow
Twisted Tales
Phil
Blackpool
Life Begins
Mark
Tipping the Velvet
Renter Alice
Jeffrey Archer: The Truth
Paul McCartney
Plain Jane
Clerk
Born and Bred
Abel Marl
Princess of Thieves
Sheriff's servant
Maybe Baby
Student Doctor
Angels and Insects
Tom
Heartbeat
Henry Harrison
Agatha Christie's Poirot
William
American Playhouse
Tom