Alrick Riley (born 1964) is a BAFTA TV award-winning English television director and writer, and former child actor.
He is known for his work on the British series Spooks (known as MI-5 in some countries) and Hustle; along with his more recent work on the American fairytale drama Once Upon a Time.
Life and career Riley was born in London, England. As a shy young child, his Jamaican parents "made" him go to an acting club to force him "out of himself". He began his acting career at eleven years old as a featured extra on the BBC TV comedy Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em, followed by appearances in series, such as: Johnny Jarvis and Me and My Girl, and the 1979 film Scum.
After leaving high school, Riley knew he no longer wanted to act, but "definitely wanted to stay in the business". He and a friend bought an 8 mm camera, and Riley discovered a passion for direction. His mother was initially against his pursuit of directing: she favoured the theatre arts and was concerned he would not be a success pioneering to be a black television director. He attended West Midlands University , before attending the National Film & Television School. Two short films he directed while at the school, Money Talk and Concrete Garden, went on to be screened at multiple international film festivals. Riley credits Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola as notable inspirations, but accredits his love of film to Charles Burnett.
Riley has directed episodes of Playing the Field, Stanton Blues, The Inspector Lynley Mysteries, Hotel Babylon, Silent Witness, Boy Meets Girl, Ashes to Ashes, Bedlam, Spooks, Hustle, Hunted, Death in Paradise, Perception, Castle, NCIS, Legends, NCIS: New Orleans, The Walking Dead, Person of Interest, Tyrant and Once Upon a Time.
Riley was one of the writers on the British sitcom Desmond's.
Along with Eric Coulter and Harry Bradbeer, in 1999 Riley won a BAFTA TV Award for their work on the UK series The Cops. His winning of the prestigious honour marked the first time in the history of the assembly that a black man was recognised .
Select filmography Direction Year Show Season Episode title Episode Credit1998–2001Stanton Blues14Director562459103342009Boy Meets Girl112342011Bedlam1"Inmates"3"Committed"5"Burning Man"62004–2011Spooks391043469108125810122005–2012Hustle2"The Lesson"3"Missions"44"Big Daddy Calling"68"Gold Finger"1"Ding Dong That's My Song"5"The Con is Off"62014Perception3"Bolero"7"Prologue"8Intelligence1"The Rescue"5"Size Matters"7Graceland2"The Ends"8Castle7"Montreal"2"Once Upon a Time in the West"72014–2016Once Upon a Time4"Breaking Glass"55"The Broken Kingdom"4"Devil's Due"146"Strange Case"42015CSI: Crime Scene Investigation15"Under My Skin"17Revenge4"Retaliation"16Legends2"The Legends of Curtis Ballard"3"The Legend of Ilyana Zakayeva"42015–2020NCIS12"Check"1113"Loose Cannons"1614"Home of the Brave"7"Pandora's Box, Part 1"1415"Double Down"15"Handle with Care"1616"A Thousand Words"7"Mona Lisa"1817"Schooled"182015–2016NCIS: New Orleans1"You'll Do"212"Means to an End"19Person of Interest4"Terra Incognita"205"A More Perfect Union"62016Wayward Pines2"Sound the Alarm"Dead of Summer1"Home Sweet Home"9Tyrant3"Ask for the Earth"82016–2017The Walking Dead6"Twice as Far"147"The Cell"3"Bury Me Here"132017–2018Lucifer2"A Good Day to Die"13"Let Pinhead Sing!"172018Bull2"A Redemption"19The Crossing1"Some Dreamers of the Golden Dream"72019How to Get Away with Murder5"Be the Martyr"116"I Want to Be Free"8The Good Doctor2"Believe"163"SFAD"72019–2022S.W.A.T.2"Day of Dread"213"Funny Money"485"Family"1022019Blood & Treasure1"The Curse of Cleopatra, Parts I & II"1-2"Code of the Hawaladar"32020Unsaid Stories1"Generational"10Bridgerton1"Oceans Apart"7"After The Rain"82021Stephen1"Episode 1"1"Episode 2"2"Episode 3"3
References
External links