Robert Carlyle was born on the 14th April 1961, in Maryhill, Glasgow, in Scotland, and is an award-winning film, television, and voice actor, and director, perhaps best-known for his portrayal of the drunken psychopath Francis Begbie in the British black comedy drama film “Trainspotting” (1996), based on Irving Welsh’s novel of the same name. His other notable roles include Dr. Rush in the sci-fi television series “Stargate Universe” (2009-2011), and Mr. Gold in the fantasy series “Once Upon a Time” (2011-present).
Have you ever wondered how rich Robert Carlyle is, as of early 2017? According to authoritative sources, it has been estimated that Carlyle’s net worth is as high as $10 million, earned largely through his successful career in acting which began in the early 1990s.
Robert Carlyle Net Worth $10 Million
Robert Carlyle is the only child of Joseph, who was a painter and decorator, and Elizabeth Carlyle (nee MacDonald), who was a bus company employee. He was raised by his father from the age of four, as his mother abandoned them. He dropped out of school at sixteen, and spent the following five years working for his father, though he also had a short stint as a butcher. However, he simultaneously attended evening school at Cardonald College in Glasgow, after which he enrolled in drama classes at the Glasgow Arts Centre. When he was 21, he founded a theatre company with his friends named Raindog, after Carlyle’s favorite Tom Waits album. That same year marked the beginning of Carlyle’s acting career, with a guest appearance in the police procedural drama “The Bill” (1991), followed by his first starring role as Patrick ‘Stevie’ Logan in the movie “Riff-Raff” (1991), alongside Ricky Tomlinson. His net worth was established.
Never shying away from controversial roles, Carlyle next joined the cast of “Priest” (1994), where he played the main character’s gay lover, opposite Linus Roache. The same year he portrayed Albert ‘Albie’ Kinsella, a murderer on a rampage, in three episodes of “Cracker” (1994), with Robbie Coltrane and Christopher Eccleston. During the next couple of years, he gradually gained recognition as the lead detective, Hamish Macbeth, in the series of the same name (lasting from 1995 to 1997). However, it wasn’t the role of the laid-back detective which gained him international fame, but rather that of the maniacal Francis ‘Franco’ Begbie, in the commercial and critical hit “Trainspotting” (1996). His co-stars included Ewan McGregor and Jonny Lee Miller, who also gained recognition and achieved stardom thanks to that film, and added to their net worth.
In order to avoid typecasting in antagonistic roles, Carlyle next chose to portray a character diametrically opposite to Begbie – that of Gary ‘Gaz’ Schofield, a down-on-his-luck steel-factory worker who founds a male striptease group in the comedy “The Full Monty” (1997). For this role, he won several awards including a BAFTA. His next few of roles were either critically acclaimed, or commercially successful, but not both; he starred in the British crime drama “Face” in 1997, followed by the portrayal of the Bond villain, Renard, in “The World Is Not Enough” (1999) and the alcoholic father in “Angela’s Ashes” (1999). At the turn of the millennium, he was awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE) or for his contribution to drama.
Though he continued to act throughout the 2000s, he didn’t land any notable role until he joined the cast of the Canadian science fiction series “Stargate Universe” in 2009. He would remain in the show during its entire run, after which he was cast as a fairy tale character Mr. Gold (Rumplestiltskin) in the fantasy series “Once Upon a Time” (2011-present). Along with his television and film roles, he also borrowed the voice to the character of Gabriel Belmont/Dracula, in three installments of the action-adventure video game “Castlevania” (2010-2014).
In his latest known project, Carlyle returned to the role which made him famous, as he will again portray Francis Begbie in the “Trainspotting” sequel – “T2: Trainspotting”, which is set for release in 2017.
In his personal life, Robert Carlyle has been married to make-up artist Anastasia Shirley since 1997, and together they have two sons and a daughter. He is a fan of the soccer club Glasgow Rangers.
