Robert Walsh is an award-winning Irish actor, writer, director and producer.
He served in the military for several years, studying acting at the same time at the Abbey School of Drama. He was part of the inaugural season of Love/Hate, playing Jimmy Byrne, Darren's Arch-Enemy. He's also notable for playing the ferocious debt collector Dermot Hogan in the acclaimed film Michael Inside, as well as the TV series Assassins and naturally appearances on the Soap Opera Fair City.
He's also released several films of his own, such as Eden, SPLIT (not that one) and most recently The Letters
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In addition to film, he also had a career as an MMA fighter, winning the first ever Irish MMA belt. He's also won championships in boxing and wrestling.
Not on The Other Wiki yet (though time will tell), but does have Twitter.
Tropes associated with his work:
- The Cameo: He has one in Cardboard Gangsters.
- Cast the Expert: As a trained soldier, boxer, wrestler and MMA fighter - he's often suited to playing characters who get into fights - particularly Robbie's extended fight in Between The Canals.
- Celebrity Resemblance: He has been compared multiple times to Daniel Craig, and acknowledges the comparisons by joking that he's ready to be the next James Bond (assuring people he can do the Fake Brit accent too).
- The Danza: He plays Robbie in Between the Canals.
- Directed by Cast Member: He'll often have roles in his own films.
- Dublin Skanger: Most noticeably as Jimmy in Love/Hate, where he lays on a heavier accent than normal. His character Keogh in Fair City was likewise a tracksuit wearing tough guy who spent most of his screen time threatening people.
- Hairstyle Inertia: He's known for usually having the same mousy brown crewcut hairstyle, except for Assassins, where it's dyed black.
- Mr. Fanservice: As a Hunk with a Heroic Build, he's sometimes called on to do a Shirtless Scene. A scene in Assassins has his character getting ambushed by the police in his boxers, seemingly just to show off his physique.
- One-Take Wonder: For a scene in the Stolen City video for "Faces" where he knocks the protagonist to the ground, he and actress Jamie O'Herlihy pulled the stunt off perfectly on the first take. You can briefly see Thomas Sharkey and Bobby Calloway come out of character in shock.
- Playing Against Type:
- Eden introduces him as a seemingly intimidating taxi driver, but he takes pity on the homeless protagonist and is one of the few people to be decent to him.
- In the short My Angel, he plays a man grieving for The Lost Lenore.
- Playing with Character Type: His own film Split parodies his usual typecasting as thugs and brutes.
- Sir Not-Appearing-in-This-Trailer: Due to the Michael Inside trailer ignoring the subplot of Francis and Dermot to focus on Michael in prison, Robbie isn't in there.
- Sweet and Sour Grapes: He talks about how he was ready to quit acting when his agent got him one last audition that she pushed for him to do. He did the audition solely out of obligation...and it ended up being for Michael Inside.
- Typecasting: He's often cast as the intimidating villain or The Brute.
- What Could Have Been: He pushed for his character not to be killed off so quickly in Love/Hate, feeling much more could be done with him. The creators didn't expect to get a second season, due to the stigma surrounding the series at the time (Robbie even recalls casting directors being disgusted at first when they saw it on his resume at auditions).
