Robert Lewis Glenister (born 11 March 1960) is an English actor. He is best known for his television roles as Ash "Three Socks" Morgan in the crime drama series Hustle (2004–2012) and Nicholas Blake in the spy drama series Spooks (2006–2010).
Early life Glenister was born in Watford on 11 March 1960. He is the son of Joan Fry Lewis and television director John Glenister, and the older brother of actor Philip Glenister. Until the age of eight he had a slight speech impediment. After starting school, he began to show a talent for acting. He decided to pursue a professional acting career after being encouraged by his father and leaving Harrow Weald Grammar School. He started his career by taking several theatre roles.
Career Glenister made his television debut in the BBC sitcom Sink or Swim, which ran from 1980 until 1982. He has also appeared in shows such as Soldier Soldier, Only Fools and Horses (as Myles the millionaire garden centre owner and chairman of the SWANS committee), A Touch of Frost and Inspector George Gently as well as several films.
He had a starring role in the BBC drama Hustle as Ash Morgan, a high-level con-man who has to convincingly play various roles or characters to pull off a con and lure a 'mark'. He is the only actor who has appeared in every episode of the series. He has also had regular starring roles in the BBC drama Spooks and appeared in Spartacus. He appeared as an Irish-American mob boss in Ben Affleck's crime drama Live by Night, which was released in December 2016. He has been cast twice in Doctor Who, playing Salateen in The Caves of Androzani (1984) (opposite his Sink or Swim co-star Peter Davison) and Thomas Edison in "Nikola Tesla's Night of Terror" (2020).
In June 2022 he appeared as Detective Inspector Salisbury in Sherwood, a BBC serial written by James Graham. In 2024, he played Tony, a cab driver in the Channel 5 thriller series The Night Caller.
Personal life Glenister married actor Amanda Redman in 1984. The couple had a daughter before they divorced in 1992. He later married BBC Radio producer and director Celia de Wolff, with whom he has a son, actor Tom Glenister
In April 2019, it was reported that lawyers acting for a company owned by Glenister – Big Bad Wolff – had lost an appeal in a long-running battle with HM Revenue and Customs regarding liability for National Insurance contributions. Glenister subsequently said that he would have to sell or remortgage his house as a result of the ruling, since he now faced a bill of £147,000 plus interest.
Filmography Film Year Title Role NotesRef. 1979 Birth of the Beatles Replacement Drummer 1987 Hyper Combat Unit Dangaioh Gil Berg Direct-to-video; Voice role; English version 1991 Arslân Senki Gardeep / Zante 1992 Arslân Senki II 1993 The Secret Rapture Jeremy2000 Persuasion Captain Harville You can't dance; Short film2001 Just Visiting Earl of Warwick Lover's Prayer Count Malevsky 2002 Safe Conduct Captain Townsend2003 Victoria Station The Controller Short film 2007 Get Off My Land Farmer 2009 Creation Sir Henry Holland 2011 Of Mary Peter Short film2012 Worm Dad / Worm 2014 Cryptic Robert 2016 Live by Night Albert White 2017 Journey's End The Colonel 2019 The Aeronauts Ned Chambers2020 Villain Roy Garrett Spanish Pigeon Harry Gold Short film 2022 National Theatre Live: The Seagull Pyotr Nikolayevich Sorin
Television Year Title Role NotesRef. 1979 Crown Court Kevin Laurence Episode: "Forever"1980 Escape Lorenzo Episode: "The Cartland Murders" Strangers Student Episode: "Clowns Don't Cry" 1980–82 Sink or Swim Steve Webber Series regular; 19 episodes1981Strike: The Birth of SolidarityJurek BorowczakTV film ITV Playhouse Billy Episode: "Little Girls Don't" 1982 Panorama Kowalczyk Episode: "Two Weeks in Winter: How the Army Took Over Poland"1983The CampaignJon LansmanTV film1984, 2020 Doctor Who Salateen/Thomas Edison Stories: "The Caves of Androzani"/ "Nikola Tesla's Night of Terror"1984 The Lonelyhearts Kid Ken Series regular; 6 episodes1985 Cover Her Face Derek Pullen Miniseries; 4 episodes Summer Season Peter Episode: "Long Term Memory" Juliet Bravo Inspector Roger Beavers Episode: "Inspection"Me and the GirlsHarryTV film1986WatchingTom Anderson 1988 The Bill Sam Rice Episode: "Blue for a Boy" 1989 Megazone 23 Bishop / Jacker Miniseries; Voice role; English versionEnding UpKeithTV film1990 Chancer Colin Morris Series regular; 11 episodes Blood Rights Pete Miniseries; 3 episodes Casualty Duncan Episode: "Salvation"1991 Kinsey Mike Hoskyns Recurring role; 4 episodes Soldier Soldier Colour Sergeant Ian Anderson Recurring role; 7 episodes1992 The Bill D.I. Baker Episode: "Lost Boy" Boon Mr. Richards Episode: "Whispering Grass" Only Fools and Horses Myles Episode: "Mother Nature's Son" 1993 Medics Steven Nelson Episode: "Series 3, Episode 5" 1993–95 Arslân Senki II Gardeep / Zante Miniseries; Voice role; English version1994 Screen Two Brian Jessel Episode: "A Landing on the Sun" Casualty Chris Wilson Episode: "Grand Rational" Pie in the Sky D.C.I. Fields Episode: "An Innocent Man"1995 Kavanagh QC Clive Pendle Episode: "Heartland" Screen Two Captain Harville Episode: "Persuasion" Prime Suspect Chris Hughes Episode: "The Lost Child" The Bill Paramedic Episode: "Good Intentions"Aristophanes: The Gods Are LaughingAristophanesTV film 1996 Bramwell Charles Sheldon Episode: "Series 2, Episode 7" 1997 Drovers' Gold Markby Miniseries; 1 episode2000 Dirty Work Tubes Series regular; 6 episodes My Fragile Heart Stephen 'Squeal' Blake Miniseries; 2 episodes 2001 Midsomer Murders John Field Episode: "Dark Autumn" 2001–03 A Touch of Frost D.S. Terrence Reid Recurring role; 4 episodes2002 Heartbeat Oliver Langley Episode: "The Shoot" Murder Robert Weldon Miniseries; 4 episodes Sirens D.I. Clive Wilson Miniseries; 2 episodes2003 Hitler: The Rise of Evil Anton Drexler Miniseries; 2 episodes Roger Roger Dr. Geoff Episode: "Freedom's Just Another Word for Nothing Left to Lose" Between the Sheets Clive Stevenson Miniseries; 6 episodesEroicaGerhardtTV film2004The Badness of King George IVWho Killed Thomas Becket?Narrator 2004–12 Hustle Ash Morgan Series regular; 48 episodes 2005 Class of '76 Frank Thompson Miniseries; 2 episodesLeglessSimon CarterTV film 2006 Jane Hall Dave Searle Series regular; 6 episodesThe Sally Lockhart Mysteries: The Ruby in the SmokeSamuel SelbyTV film 2006–10 Spooks Nicholas Blake Recurring role; 15 episodes2008 Heroes and Villains Marcus Licinius Crassus Episode: "Spartacus" Inspector George Gently Empton Episode: "The Burning Man" 2009 Law & Order: UK D.S. Jimmy Valentine Episode: "Honour Bound" 2009–14 Law & Order: UK Narrator Series regular; Voice role; Uncredited 2010 Moving On Frankie Episode: "Skin Deep" 2011 Appropriate Adult Detective Superintendent John Bennett Miniseries; 2 episodes2012We'll Take ManhattanTed ShrimptonTV film2013 Agatha Christie's Marple Father Brophy Episode: "Greenshaw's Folly" The Café Phil Porter Series regular; 7 episodes The Great Train Robbery DI Frank Williams Miniseries; 2 episodes2014 Vera Owen Preece Episode: "Death of a Family Man" Masterpiece Mystery! Father Raphy Episode: "Agatha Christie's Miss Marple VII: Greenshaw's Folly" 2015 Code of a Killer DCC Chapman Miniseries; 2 episodes2016 The Musketeers Duke of Lorraine Recurring role; 2 episodes Paranoid Bobby Day Miniseries; 8 episodes 2016 Close to the Enemy Brigadier Wainwright Miniseries; 7 episodes 2017 Cold Feet George Kirkbright Recurring role; 5 episodes 2019 Curfew Jared Grieves Series regular; 6 episodes2020 Isolation Stories Ron Episode: "Ron & Russell" Strike Jasper Chiswell Story: "Lethal White"2022 Suspicion Martin Copeland Series regular; 6 episodes2022, 2026 Sherwood DI Kevin Salisbury Series regular; 6 episodes 2023 The Night Caller Tony Miniseries; 4 episodes 2024 Kidnapped: The Chloe Ayling Story Piers Morgan Miniseries; 1 episode2025 A Thousand Blows Indigo Jeremy Here We Go Michael Series 3, episode 6: "Dad's Red Hat"The Light in the HallRobertSeason 2 Selected theatre Edward Voysey in The Voysey Inheritance by Harley Granville Barker. Directed by Greg Hersov at the Royal Exchange, Manchester. (1989) Prince Muishkin in The Idiot by Gerard McLarnon. World premiere directed by Greg Hersov at the Royal Exchange, Manchester. (1991) Lord Gorin in An Ideal Husband by Oscar Wilde. Directed by James Maxwell at the Royal Exchange, Manchester. (1992) Astrov in Uncle Vanya by Anton Chekhov. Directed by Greg Hersov at the Royal Exchange, Manchester. (2001) Wilson Tikkel in Great Britain by Richard Bean at the National Theatre/Theatre Royal Haymarket, 2014–15. Dave Moss in Glengarry Glen Ross by David Mamet at The Playhouse Theatre 2017–2018 Sorin in The Seagull by Anton Chekhov at the Harold Pinter Theatre, London (2022)
Radio The Party Party 1987 Paradise Lost – Christ (1992, 41 episodes, BBC Radio 4) Paradise Regained – Christ (1992, 9 episodes, BBC Radio 4) The Wench is Dead – Sgt. Lewis (1992, BBC Radio 4) opposite John Shrapnel as Inspector Morse Last Seen Wearing – Sgt. Lewis (1994, BBC Radio 4) opposite John Shrapnel as Inspector Morse The Sound of Fury (Mike Warner) – Stuart Colman (1994, BBC Radio 4) opposite Anton Lesser as Billy Fury The Three Musketeers (Alexandre Dumas) – Athos (1994, 6 episodes, BBC Radio 4) Battle for the Dome – Lorenzo Ghiberti (1995, BBC Radio 4) Barrymore Plus Four (1995) The Silent World of Nicholas Quinn – Sgt. Lewis (1996, BBC Radio 4) opposite John Shrapnel as Inspector Morse Mansfield Park – Edmund Bertram (1997, Classic Serial, BBC Radio 4) Ghost on the Moor – Graham (2001, Afternoon Play, BBC Radio 4) A Game of Marbles – Lord Elgin (2004, Afternoon Play, BBC Radio 4) opposite Paul Scofield The Woman in Black – Arthur Kipps (2004, 4 episodes, BBC Radio 5) Henry's Girls – Henry Purcell (2007, Afternoon Play, BBC Radio 4) The Fiery World – William Blake (2007, Drama on 3, BBC Radio 3) The Gibson – Saul Judd (2008, 6-part Drama, BBC Radio 4) The Time Machine – Time traveller (2009, Drama on 3, BBC Radio 3) The Journey – Stephen (2010, Afternoon Play, BBC Radio 4) The Exorcist – Father Damien Karras (2014, 2 episodes, BBC Radio 4) opposite Ian McDiarmid as Father Merrin
Audio drama Doctor Who: Absolution (2007) – Aboresh
Audiobook
Cormoran Strike
The Cuckoo's Calling (2013) The Silkworm (2014) Career of Evil (2015) Lethal White (2018) Troubled Blood (2020) The Ink Black Heart (2022) The Running Grave (2023) The Hallmarked Man (2025)
Others The Death of Kings (2008) The Gates of Rome (2010)
References
External links