He appeared in the title role of the RSC's production of "Richard III" in 1993, directed by Sam Mendes, who turned to Hinds as a last minute replacement for an injured Simon Russell Beale. Hinds gained his most popular recognition as a stage actor for his performance as Larry in the London and Broadway productions of Patrick Marber's Tony Award-nominated play "Closer". In 1999, Hinds was awarded both the Theatre World Award for Best Debut in New York and the Outer Critics Circle Award for Special Achievement (Best Ensemble Cast Performance) for his work in "Closer". He was on stage in 2001 in "The Yalta Game" by Brian Friel at Dublin's Gate Theatre. He appeared on Broadway in "The Seafarer" by Conor McPherson, which ran at the Booth Theatre from December 2007 through March 2008. In February 2009 he took the leading role of General Sergei Kotov in "Burnt by the Sun" by Peter Flannery at London's National Theatre. Hinds returned to the stage later in 2009 with a role in Conor McPherson's play "The Birds", which opened at Dublin's Gate Theatre in September 2009.