Steven Robertson


Steven Robertson is a Scottish actor who is best known for his role as Detective Sandy Wilson in the drama series Shetland. He portrayed Michael Connelly, a young man with cerebral palsy, in Inside I'm Dancing, and played Dominic Rook in the popular BBC Three comedy-drama series Being Human. He has had roles in numerous television programmes including Luther and The Bletchley Circle.

Personal life

Robertson grew up in the small village of Vidlin in the Shetland Islands of Scotland, with his two sisters. In his childhood, Robertson battled and overcame severe dyslexia. Before pursuing an acting career, he worked as an odd-job man in his village. Growing up, he was close to the Shetland poet Rhoda Bulter. He stated that she was the trigger for him pursuing a career in performing by telling him old Shetland tales. Robertson attended the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. While there he met his wife, actress Charlotte Allam. He is also a member of Aya Theatre and has starred in their adaptation of George Orwell's Burmese Days as Flory. He currently lives in Hertfordshire with his wife and daughter.

Career

Robertson's first major film role came in 2004 when he starred alongside fellow Scottish actor James McAvoy in Inside I'm Dancing.
He then went on to play a small part in the 2005 film Kingdom of Heaven as an Angelic Priest. Following this, he had a big role in the 2005 French war film Joyeux Noël in which he played Jonathan, a young man whose brother was shot dead during WW1. Robertson then went on to play characters in numerous TV dramas, including Luther, where he played both of the Millberry twins, a murderous duo who decided their victim's fate on the roll of a dice.
Robertson then played Dominic Rook, a government leader whose department protects the world from supernaturals in series 5 of the British supernatural drama Being Human.
He later worked on series 2 of Utopia, a British conspiracy thriller for Channel 4 where he played the role of Terrence.

''Shetland''

Robertson returned to Shetland to film the TV series of the same name, where he starred as Constable Sandy Wilson in the BBC One adaptation of the popular Ann Cleeves book series. The show was criticised for its lack of Shetland accents, with Robertson being the only main cast member born and brought up on the islands. However, the series attracted over 6 million viewers and a second series was commissioned featuring, alongside Douglas Henshall and Robertson, actors Brian Cox, Julie Graham and Alex Norton, with Robertson's character now a detective. Robertson stated to Digital Spy that his portrayal of Wilson was a "nice break from playing killers and creeps". A third series, telling a single story, aired in 2016.
Robertson returned as DC Wilson for the fourth series, which was broadcast in early 2018, the fifth series, broadcast in early 2019, the sixth in 2021 and the seventh in 2022.

Filmography

Film

  • Inside I'm Dancing as Michael Connolly
  • Kingdom of Heaven as the Angelic Priest
  • Joyeux Noël as Jonathan
  • True North as The Cook
  • Elizabeth: The Golden Age as Francis Throckmorton
  • Neds as Mr Bonetti
  • The Tourist as Junior Technician Pinnock
  • 5 Days of War as Davit Kezerashvili
  • The Somnambulists as Man 12
  • T2 Trainspotting as Francis Begbie's lawyer
  • Tell It to the Bees as Jim

    TV

  • E=mc² as Michael Faraday
  • He Kills Coppers as Tony Meehan
  • Tess of the d'Urbervilles as Cuthbert Clare
  • Shameless as Padraig Maguire, deceased father of Paddy Maguire seen in a nightmare
  • Red Riding as Sergeant Bob Fraser
  • Hustle
  • Ashes to Ashes as Paul Thordy
  • Luther as Robert/Nicholas Millberry
  • Parade's End as Colonel Bill Williams, CO
  • Being Human as Dominic Rook
  • The Bletchley Circle as Malcolm Crowley
  • Shetland as Detective Constable Sandy Wilson
  • New Tricks as Tim Belgrade
  • Utopia as Terrence
  • In the Flesh as John Weston
  • Doctor Who as Richard Pritchard
  • Harlots as Robert Oswald
  • Vera as Tom Naresby
  • The Bay as Mark Bradwell

    Stage

  • King Lear as Kent
  • The Seagull as Konstantin Gavrilovich Treplyov
  • Antony and Cleopatra as Octavian
  • The Tempest as Ariel
  • Ghosts as Oswald Alving