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Olly Rix
Born
Oliver Rix

(1985-02-14) 14 February 1985 (age 39)
Alma mater
OccupationActor
Years active2010–present
Television

Oliver 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.

Life and career

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1985–2013: Early life and stage work

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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 a cathedral at Christchurch College, 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] 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

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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 was portray Flynn Byron from the thirty-ninth series.[23][24]

Filmography

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Year Title Role Notes
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 Casualty Flynn Byron Main role

Stage

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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]

References

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  1. ^ "Inside Call the Midwife's Olly Rix's life including age, romantic split and rumoured exit". OK!. Archived from the original on 8 July 2024. Retrieved 10 February 2025.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Olly Rix". TresA. Archived from the original on 4 December 2023. Retrieved 10 February 2025.
  3. ^ a b "A star is born at the Royal Shakespeare Company". Coventry Telegraph. Archived from the original on 23 May 2022. Retrieved 10 February 2025.
  4. ^ "Olly RIx". ARG Talent. Retrieved 10 February 2025.
  5. ^ "Jasper Britton to Play Marquis de Sade in Marat/Sade for RSC at Stratford-upon-Avon". Playbill. Retrieved 10 February 2025.
  6. ^ "Oliver Rix". Royal Court Theatre. Retrieved 10 February 2025.
  7. ^ "Theatre review: I Am a Camera". Partially Obstructed View. Archived from the original on 10 August 2024. Retrieved 10 February 2025.
  8. ^ "Cast Announced for Narrative by Anthony Neilson". Royal Court Theatre. Retrieved 10 February 2025.
  9. ^ "Tennant takes the crown in RSC's Richard II". WhatsOnStage. Retrieved 10 February 2025.
  10. ^ "Call the Midwife star Olly Rix splits from girlfriend after 7 years". MyLondon. Archived from the original on 25 July 2023. Retrieved 10 February 2025.
  11. ^ "Who is new Our Girl character Bones?". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 23 July 2024. Retrieved 10 February 2025.
  12. ^ "Call The Midwife star 'written-out' from show leaving cast 'stunned and upset'". Heart. Archived from the original on 18 May 2024. Retrieved 10 February 2025.
  13. ^ "WPC 56: Series 3 of Daytime Drama Premieres in the US on Public TV Stations". The British TV Place. Retrieved 10 February 2025.
  14. ^ "Ray Winstone and Olly Rix talk about starring in ABC's 'Of Kings and Prophets'". American Broadcasting Company. Retrieved 10 February 2025.
  15. ^ "Long Before 'House of David,' This Network Tried (and Failed) To Make Their Own Biblical Epic". Collider. Retrieved 10 February 2025.
  16. ^ "'The Machine': Bridger Zadina, Olly Rix, Malachi Kirby & Indira Varma Cast In Syfy AI Pilot". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 8 June 2023. Retrieved 10 February 2025.
  17. ^ "Olly Rix (Bones - Captain McClyde)". BBC. Retrieved 10 February 2025.
  18. ^ "'Our Girl's Bones Might Not Be Dead After All As Olly Rix Hints At Huge Twist - Exclusive". Bustle. Retrieved 10 February 2025.
  19. ^ "Call the Midwife's Olly Rix spotted near Casualty studios amid rumours he's joining BBC series". Daily Mirror. Archived from the original on 30 August 2024. Retrieved 10 February 2025.
  20. ^ "Call the Midwife favourite axed from show as cast in 'shock and upset' over sudden exit". Virgin Radio UK. Archived from the original on 4 August 2024. Retrieved 10 February 2025.
  21. ^ "Olly Rix is unrecognisable as he lands new role amid Helen George drama". Hello. Retrieved 10 February 2025.
  22. ^ "Call the Midwife star Olly Rix tipped for Casualty role". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 30 January 2025. Retrieved 10 February 2025.
  23. ^ "Call the Midwife favourite Olly Rix lands role as new Casualty regular". Radio Times. Retrieved 10 February 2025.
  24. ^ "Casualty shares first look at Call the Midwife star in new series". Digital Spy. Retrieved 10 February 2025.
  25. ^ "Cardenio - review". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 February 2025.
  26. ^ "Marat/Sade (RSC)". WhatsOnStage. Retrieved 10 February 2025.
  27. ^ "The City Madam". Peter Viney. Archived from the original on 28 February 2024. Retrieved 10 February 2025.
  28. ^ "I Am a Camera, Southwark Playhouse". The Arts Desk. Archived from the original on 7 November 2024. Retrieved 10 February 2025.
  29. ^ "Theatre review: Narrative". Partially Obstructed View. Retrieved 10 February 2025.
  30. ^ "Full cast announced for RSC's Richard II starring David Tennant". WhatsOnStage. Retrieved 10 February 2025.
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