Rowan David Oakes Bio
Rowan David Oakes (born 14 October 1983) is an English actor, ecologist and conservationist whose career spans stage and screen. He is best known for prominent television roles including William Hamleigh in The Pillars of the Earth and for work in The Borgias, The White Queen, Victoria and Vikings: Valhalla, and for his theatre performances in productions such as Shakespeare in Love and Venus in Fur.
Early Life and Background
Rowan David Oakes was born in Salisbury, Wiltshire, and grew up in Fordingbridge, Hampshire. He is the son of a Church of England canon and developed an early connection to the performing arts through local theatre; his first job was backstage at the Salisbury Playhouse.
Oakes read English literature at the University of Manchester, graduating with a first class degree, and went on to complete an MSc in Evolutionary and Behavioural Ecology at the University of Exeter. He completed formal acting training with a postgraduate diploma from the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, graduating in 2007 before beginning professional work the following year.
Path to Celebrity
Oakes established his stage credentials with early work at Shakespeare’s Globe and later performances at the Almeida Theatre and the Old Vic. He has been closely involved with Shakespeare’s Globe initiatives such as Read Not Dead, contributing to numerous staged readings and archival performances of early modern drama.
Alongside acting, Oakes has directed theatre pieces and set up the company Dog Ate Cake with longtime collaborator Henry Bell. His combination of classical stage work, theatre direction and a foundation in literature and ecology shaped a profile that moved comfortably between repertory, West End productions and television casting.
Rowan David Oakes Career
Early Career (2008–2013)
Oakes began his professional career on stage and in ensemble work before crossing to television in high-profile period dramas. He came to wide attention playing the villain William Hamleigh in the television miniseries The Pillars of the Earth in 2010, a role that established him as a compelling on-screen antagonist and led to further period work.
Between 2010 and 2013 Oakes frequently appeared in television period dramas, including Juan Borgia in The Borgias and George, Duke of Clarence, in The White Queen. During this period he continued to appear on stage and in staged readings, maintaining a regular presence in both classical and contemporary theatre circles.
Breakthrough (2010–2016)
The early 2010s were formative for Oakes as his performances on television and stage broadened his visibility. His work in The Pillars of the Earth and The Borgias secured recurring interest from casting directors in historical dramas, and he made a cameo in the sequel World Without End while continuing to build a varied stage résumé.
In 2013 Oakes took on roles that shifted his on-stage persona, playing Mr. Darcy in an outdoor adaptation of Pride and Prejudice and moving into major West End work. He appeared in the original West End production of Shakespeare in Love at the Noël Coward Theatre as Christopher Marlowe in 2014, a production that further established his capacity for leading stage roles.
Mid-Career and Screen Expansion (2016–2022)
Oakes expanded his screen work with guest roles in contemporary and period television, including appearances in Endeavour and The Living and the Dead in 2015. He portrayed Prince Ernest, brother of Prince Albert, in the ITV series Victoria in 2016, reuniting with former co-stars from other period projects.
Film work and major stage roles followed: he appeared in the film Cold Skin in 2017 and starred as Thomas Novachek in the West End production of Venus in Fur that same year, performing opposite Natalie Dormer. He took on the title role in Hamlet at Shakespeare’s Rose Theatre in York in 2019 and later joined the cast of Vikings: Valhalla for Netflix, playing the historical figure Earl Godwin.
Notable Works and Milestones
Oakes is widely recognized for a string of period dramas that shaped his profile on international television, with The Pillars of the Earth serving as a career-defining early screen role. His consistent return to Shakespearean and classical repertoire on stage, together with West End leading roles, marks him as a performer who moves between demanding theatrical texts and large-scale screen productions.
Recent Work and Theatre Projects (2020–2025)
Across the early 2020s Oakes continued to balance screen projects with live theatre. He maintained a presence in classical repertory and new productions, taking leading roles in major regional and West End seasons and appearing in television productions including the Netflix historical drama Vikings: Valhalla.
Oakes has also continued to collaborate with theatre companies and festivals, directing and developing staged readings and archival performances through the Read Not Dead program and with Dog Ate Cake, sustaining long-term contributions to the British theatre ecosystem.
Rowan David Oakes Family
Oakes has been in a long-term relationship with actress Natalie Dormer since 2018; the pair met while performing together in the West End production of Venus in Fur. Their partnership is a visible part of his personal profile and public engagements.
Personal Life
Outside of acting, Rowan David Oakes maintains a parallel public life in ecology and conservation. He hosts the natural history podcast Trees A Crowd, draws on academic training in evolutionary and behavioural ecology and serves in ambassadorial roles for conservation organisations, reflecting a long-standing public commitment to environmental issues.
Oakes is musically active: he plays the clarinet and bass clarinet and sings as a bass. He supports arts charities and community campaigns, has worked with organisations such as Anno’s Africa and the Shakespeare Schools Festival, and has been involved with British Lung Foundation fundraising following a family health connection.