Robert Carlyle

"Rumplestiltskin is fun to play... it takes me back to my childhood."

- Robert Carlyle

Robert Carlyle is the Scottish actor who portrays Rumplestiltskin, Mr. Gold and Rumplestiltskin (Wish Realm) on ABC's Once Upon a Time.

Biography
Robert Carlyle was born on April 14, 1961 in Maryhill, Glasgow to bus employee Elizabeth and painter and decorator Joseph Carlyle. His mother left when he was just four years old, so Robert was brought up by his father. He left school at the age of sixteen without any qualifications and worked for his father as a painter and decorator. However, Robert continued his education by attending night classes at Cardonald College in Glasgow. At the age of twenty-one, after reading Arthur Miller's The Crucible, he enrolled in acting classes at the Glasgow Arts Centre.

In 1991, together with four other actors, including Caroline Paterson, Robert founded the Raindog Theatre Company, a company dedicated to innovative work.

His breakthrough role was in Ken Loach's 1990 building site drama Riff Raff. Unforgettable performances in popular 1994 television thriller Cracker and as psychotic thug Begbie in 1996's Trainspotting followed, along with gentler roles as the BBC's dope-smoking cop Hamish MacBeth and Sheffield stripper Gaz in The Full Monty, one of the most successful British films ever made. In 1999, he played the villain Renard in the James Bond film The World is Not Enough, after which he starred for two seasons in the television series Stargate Universe.

Robert is married to make-up artist Anastasia Shirley, who he met on the set of Cracker. They have three children, Ava, Harvey and Pearce.

Trivia

 * The role of Rumplestiltskin on ABC's Once Upon a Time was written specifically for him.
 * Robert's youngest son Pearce gave him the idea of how to do Rumplestiltskin's voice.
 * Favorite Disney character is Dopey.
 * At seventeen, he once worked as a butcher.
 * Is featured in the music video for the Oasis song "Little by Little".

Appearances
Note: "Archive" denotes archive footage.