Billy Harris is a main regular actor featured in the Apple TV+ series, Ted Lasso and played the character Colin Hughes; a footballer from Wales who is in the English football club AFC Richmond.
History[]
Not much known about his personal life, but he was born in April 12, 1994 and from Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England. He has a sister and a fan of Manchester United F.C.. He first interested in acting when he was 15 years old and fell in love with English literature. He loved words and poetry and rap music, and that led him into drama. He knew he had to go to drama school to take it seriously, so he tried to get in but the first year he just failed miserably. He came back the next year and was able to get in.
Stage Actor[]
He was a student of theatre at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School from 2014 and 2017. After graduation he appeared in a wide number of stage roles. He started out in commercials, notably one for Nike starring Kevin Durant. He then had a few small parts in short films and web series. Harris' first lead role was as Callum McGregor in a stage adaptation of the Noughts & Crosses novel series by author Malorie Blackman, OBE.
Ted Lasso and LBTGQ+ Role[]
He appears in the Apple TV+ series Ted Lasso as Welsh winger Colin Hughes. He was part of the recurring cast in the first and second seasons, and was upped to series regular for season 3. He received praise for his portrayal of Hughes when it was revealed that the character was gay and closeted, especially from LGBTQ+ fans. Co-creator of Ted Lasso, Brendan Hunt said “Billy's been really amazing in this part" as the series discusses issues such as male vulnerability and homosexuality which are still taboo in the world of association football.
He had a small role in the BBC One series The Outlaws in 2022. His upcoming projects include voice acting in an animated show by writer and previous collaborator, Elliot Blake.
White House Visit[]
The creative team and stars of the series made a brief appearance during the daily event before heading off to meet with President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden. Actor and comedian Jason Sudeikis, paid a visit to the White House — accompanied by the cast of the hit show — to encourage people to make it a point to check in on the mental health of their friends, family and co-workers, and to "ask how they're doing, and listen, sincerely."
Billy Harris mentioned that he met with President Joe Biden and said “Hello Mr. President.” He claimed that it was amazing to get to be a part of that and just feel so lucky that the show appeals to so many people, including the president of the United States. According to him, the cast also played some bowling in the White House.
Fans Interaction[]
The actor tells a story recently in January that he was in Miami on holiday with Kola Bokkini, who plays Isaac McAdoo. They were at the airport at passport control, and a lady came running towards them, running through the ropes. He thought something had happened, and he was worried there was an issue. Apparently the woman just wanted to take some photographs while yelling “It’s Colin and Isaac!”.
His role as a gay footballer receives many positive response from the fans, and he acknowledges it:
"I’ve spoken to some amazing people. People basically saying that they wish their younger self could have watched this. I’ve had so many people telling me: “I loved football, but I was also gay in school and I knew well the prejudices that go hand-in-hand with being gay and being a footballer. To have watched this would have really helped me.” That’s been amazing. It’s been so lovely to see the responses to the story. I think we come into acting to tell amazing and important stories, and I knew when I got that script how important this was. A show like this is tackling some really important issues, and as a lover of football, I always knew a storyline like this needed to be tackled. And it’s amazing that they chose Colin to portray it. He says he doesn’t necessarily want to be a spokesperson — his love is football, but he also loves men. And that can go hand-in-hand. If he can merge the two lives, that’s Colin’s happiness. And I don’t see why anyone else can’t live that way."
External link[]
- Billy Harris at IMDb