Daniel Rigby (born 6 December 1982) is an English actor and comedian. He received a BAFTA TV Award for his leading role as Eric Morecambe in the 2011 BBC television film Eric and Ernie.
Early life and education Daniel Rigby was born in 1982. He is the cousin of Blossoms frontman Tom Ogden.
He attended Cheadle Hulme School, then went on to study performing arts at Stockport College before training at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.
Career Rigby has worked as a stand-up comedian, having appeared at the Latitude Festival, won the 2007 Laughing Horse New Act of the Year, and been a nominee for winner of the 2007 So You Think You're Funny competition.
In 2007, he moved to television roles with the BBC period drama Lilies.
In 2011, Rigby won the British Academy Television Award for Best Actor for his performance as the late comedian Eric Morecambe in Eric and Ernie, beating both Matt Smith and Benedict Cumberbatch for their roles as the Doctor and Sherlock Holmes, respectively. From 2011 until 2014, Rigby voiced Copenhagen in three series of the BBC Radio 4 comedy Warhorses of Letters alongside Stephen Fry. He performed in Tom Basden's Holes at the Arcola Theatre in London from July to August 2014 alongside Mathew Baynton.
In 2015, he narrated the reboot of the BBC children's television series Teletubbies.
In March 2017, he won the best actor award at the 2016 Manchester Theatre Awards for his performance as Alan Turing in Breaking the Code at the Royal Exchange, Manchester.
In 2019, he voiced the title role in the BBC Radio 4 sitcom ReincarNathan, alongside Diane Morgan and Josh Widdicombe.
In 2021, Rigby wrote and performed the highly rated audiobook novel Isaac Steele and the Forever Man.
In 2022 and 2023, Rigby starred as The Maniac in Tom Basden's adaptation of Dario Fo's Accidental Death of an Anarchist, with runs in Sheffield and London.
In 2024, he appeared as Jack Trotter in the Disney+ show Renegade Nell.
Rigby will be portraying Vernon Dursley in the forthcoming HBO Harry Potter series.
Filmography +Key Denotes projects that have not yet been released
Film + Year Title Role Notes 2006 Flyboys Ives 2021 The Electrical Life of Louis Wain Bendigo 2026 Cold Storage Anthony
Television + Year Title RoleNotes 2007 Lilies Billy Moss 7 episodes 2008 Spooks: Code 9 David Episode: "Hackers" 2009 The Street James Episode: "Past Life"2011 Ideal Hugh Episode: "The Love" Eric and Ernie Eric Morecambe BAFTA TV Award for Best Actor2012 Cardinal Burns Various Episode #1.6 Comedy Showcase Yannick Montagu Episode: "The Function Room"2013 Agatha Christie's Marple Canon Prescott Episode: "A Caribbean Mystery" Black Mirror Jamie Salter / Waldo Episode: "The Waldo Moment" 2013–2014 Big School Mr. Luke Martin 9 episodes2014 From There to Here Charlie 3 episodes That Day We Sang Mr. Kirkby Television film 2015 Undercover Chris 6 episodes 2015–2018 Teletubbies Narrator Children's television series 2016 Jericho Charles Blackwood 8 episodes 2016–2018 Flowers Donald 12 episodes 2017 Gap Year Jotty Episode: "Kuala Lumpur: The Expats" 2017–2018 Sick Note Officer Hayward 10 episodes2018 Watership Down Dandelion 4 episodes Plebs Nero Episode: "The Bathhouse"2019 Timewasters Martin Episode: "19:58" GameFace David Chaplin Episode: "Gritty" Defending the Guilty Phillip Episode #1.5 2020 Jack and the Beanstalk: After Ever After Baker Television film2021 Landscapers Tony Collier 4 episodes Hansel & Gretel: After Ever After Jester Television film 2022 The Witchfinder Hebble 6 episodes 2023 Tom Jones Partridge 3 episodes 2024 Renegade Nell Jack Trotter 2 episodes 2025 I, Jack Wright John Wright 6 episodes 2026 Post-production 2026–present Vernon Dursley TV Series
Stage Year Title RoleNotes 2004 Hamlet King Thelma Holt Productions2005 A Midsummer Night's Dream Demetrius/Moonshine Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment The Burial at Thebes Haemon Nottingham Playhouse 2006 The White Album Miles2009 The Mothwokfantastic Himself Performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival Beyond The Front Line Welsh soldier (Private Vespa) The Lowry, Salford The Music Show Performed at Just for Laughs festival in Montreal, Quebec, Canada2010 Afterbirth Himself Performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival The Count of Monte Cristo Edmond Dantès West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds 2011 One Man, Two Guvnors Alan Dangle Royal National Theatre (Lyttelton Theatre); UK tour; Adelphi Theatre; Music Box Theatre, Broadway 2013 Daniel Rigby: Berk in Progress Himself Performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2014 Holes Ian Arcola Theatre, Dalston, London 2016 Breaking the Code Alan Turing Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester 2017 Twelfth Night Sir Andrew Aguecheek Royal National Theatre (Olivier Theatre)2018 Frost/Nixon David Frost Crucible Theatre, Sheffield A Midsummer Night's Dream Bottom 2022–2023 Accidental Death of an Anarchist The Maniac Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, transferred to Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith and subsequently to Theatre Royal, Haymarket 2023–2024 The Witches Mr Stringer Royal National Theatre (Olivier Theatre)
References
External links
Daniel Rigby - full credits at pbjmanagement , from BAFTAguru