Aidan Turner

Aidan Turner (born 19 June 1983) is an Irish actor. He began his career in the RTÉ medical drama The Clinic (2008–2009) and the BBC series Desperate Romantics (2009). He later gained attention for co-starring as one of the main leads in the popular BBC Three series Being Human (2009–2011), and for playing the dwarf Kíli in Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit trilogy (2012–2014), before starring as Ross Poldark in Poldark (2015–2019).

Early life and education

Aidan Turner was born at home in Clondalkin, a suburban town of Dublin, on 19 June 1983. The family later moved to Walkinstown.

Turner attended secondary school at St Mac Dara's Community College in Templeogue before leaving to join his older brother at Firhouse Community College, where, he said, he "probably wasn't a great student".

Before becoming an actor, Turner was a successful ballroom dancer, once obtaining third place in the adult section of the Irish National Championships. After finishing secondary school, he briefly worked as an apprentice electrician, alongside his father. After he saw a notice up in Dublin's Gaiety School of Acting, and having become interested in acting while working in a cinema, he applied. He graduated from the Gaiety School of Acting in 2004.

Career

After graduating from drama school, Turner appeared in several theatre productions, including The Plough and the Stars, Romeo and Juliet, and A Cry from Heaven.

Turner's television acting career began in 2007 with an uncredited appearance on the first episode of The Tudors. In the same year he produced and starred in the film Porcelain, directed by Gavin Cleland, which was shot in a convent in Dublin. However, only a trailer of the movie was released.

Between 2008 and 2009, Turner had a recurring role as Ruairí McGowan in eighteen episodes of The Clinic. He followed The Clinic with the BBC production Desperate Romantics. He portrayed Dante Gabriel Rossetti in all six episodes of the show, which aired in 2009.

Turner's film career began with two short films, The Sound of People and Matterhorn, both in 2007. He later played Mal in the thriller feature film Alarm (2008).

Turner played the vampire John Mitchell for the first three series of the supernatural drama programme Being Human (2009 to 2011), for which he received widespread praise. His role on Being Human brought Turner to the attention of Sir Peter Jackson, who cast him as the dwarf Kíli in The Hobbit Trilogy (2012–2014). In 2014, he won the Empire Award for Best Male Newcomer for the second film in the series, The Desolation of Smaug.

In 2013, Turner portrayed shadowhunter-turned-werewolf Luke Garroway in the film adaptation of Cassandra Clare's The Mortal Instruments fantasy series. He acted opposite Lily Collins, Jamie Campbell Bower, Lena Headey, Robert Sheehan, and Jonathan Rhys.

In the 2015 BBC TV miniseries And Then There Were None, based on the Agatha Christie novel, Turner played the cynical mercenary Philip Lombard. Joining him in the ensemble cast were Maeve Dermody, Miranda Richardson, Toby Stephens, Charles Dance, Anna Maxwell Martin, Noah Taylor, Douglas Booth, Burn Gorman, and Sam Neill. The miniseries was critically-acclaimed, with Maureen Ryan (Variety) and (New York Times) among those applauding Turner's "standout" work.

Turner performed the title role of Ross Poldark in the 2015 revival of the BBC series Poldark. At the National Television Awards in 2016, Turner received the NTA's inaugural Impact Award for his performance.

In 2021, Turner led the Italian series Leonardo, portraying the titular artist. The following year saw him in the ITV police procedural The Suspect, in which he played Dr Joseph O'Loughlin, a psychologist adjusting to his recent diagnosis of early-onset Parkinson's disease.

Turner next played Glenn Lapthorne, a professional tennis coach accused of sexually abusing his former underage protégé (portrayed by Ella Lily Hyland), in the 2023 British television drama Fifteen-Love.

In 2024, Turner played TV journalist Declan O'Hara in the Disney+ series Rivals, an adaptation of Jilly Cooper's Rutshire Chronicles. He starred alongside David Tennant, Victoria Smurfit, Alex Hassell, Bella Maclean, Nafessa Williams, Katherine Parkinson, and Danny Dyer. In December 2025, Disney+ confirmed the return of Rivals with a second series to premiere in May 2026.

Personal life

In 2017, Turner met actress Caitlin FitzGerald. He also bought an 18th-century house in East London that year. The couple married in August 2020; they have a child together, born in January 2022. Turner is a longtime snooker enthusiast.

Filmography

Audio

Film

Television

Theatre

Awards and nominations

External links

• at IMDb