hugh bonneville played sir richard carlisle in downton abbey.
hugh bonneville played sir richard carlisle in downton abbey.
who plays sir richard carlisle in downton abbey?
hugh bonneville
richard carlisle (played by iain glen) is the fiancé of lady mary crawley in series 2. the brusque, domineering and "nouveau riche" carlisle is a self-made, extremely wealthy newspaper magnate from edinburgh whose paper, with the help of lavinia swire, was instrumental in breaking the marconi scandal story. it is to carlisle, as a man of influence, that lady mary turns to when she concludes that marrying matthew is not an option. however, violet and the family remain suspicious of him as he is "new money" and is described by lord grantham as "a hawker of newspaper scandal". although he says his feelings for her are sincere, and he offers to buy a stately home near downton where they can live together and start a family, he demands near-total control and threatens that if she leaves him he will expose her liaison with ottoman attaché kemal pamuk, which he has covered up from exposure. he also helps cover up the scandal that the murder trial of downton valet bates would cause. in the second series christmas episode, it is apparent that carlisle's pragmatism does not sit well with the crawleys and he and mary begin to argue more frequently, much to the consternation of matthew and her grandmother. eventually mary breaks off the engagement to him after the pair argue with increased frequency, and after lord grantham discovers the truth from lady grantham and advises mary not to be unhappy with someone she does not love. carlisle leaves the morning before the servants' ball, but not before revealing that he did genuinely love her. it is not known whether he went ahead and published the story. ultimately, his actions do not matter, as she confesses to matthew about pamuk and matthew proposes to her despite this.
list of downton abbey characters
charles 'charlie' carson (played by jim carter) is the butler at downton abbey. mr carson is in charge of the pantry, wine cellar, and dining room, as well as the male staff, who report to him. he has worked at downton since he was a young man, when his grandfather was its head groom, beginning as a junior footman. he tends towards nostalgia and fears change (such as the installation of telephones in the house and electricity in the kitchen). he has a fatherly disposition over the servants. he also has a special place in his heart for lady mary, given she was the first child born at downton during his tenure as butler. he is one of the few people who is prepared to speak frankly to her, and is prepared to leave downton abbey to join her at haxby when she is engaged to sir richard carlisle. he only changes his mind when he learns more of sir richard's questionable moral character, and is clearly distressed by lady mary's reaction to his decision. it is he who eventually talks lady mary out of her listless grief over matthew's death. she reacts callously at first, reminding him of his place, but soon comes to apologise, and finally breaks down and cries. carson quickly steps forward to comfort her, and assures her she will always find a source of support in him.
list of downton abbey characters