# Kieran Bew
**Kieran Bew** (full name Kieron John Bew) is an English actor and producer from [Hartlepool](https://www.edgepedia.org/hartlepool), in the north-east of England, known for playing the title role in *Beowulf: Return to the Shieldlands* (2016), "Big Bill" O'Hara in *[Warrior](https://www.edgepedia.org/warrior-tv-series)* (2019–2023), and Hugh Hammer in *House of the Dragon* (from 2024)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1240908/) • [2](https://gameofthrones.fandom.com/wiki/Kieran_Bew). Before acting he competed as an épée fencer for Great Britain, and his fencing background has shaped both his casting in physical roles and his work as a stage fight choreographer[3](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/kieran-bew/).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1980, Hartlepool, England, UK; height 6′ 1″ (1.85 m)[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1240908/bio/) |
| Training | London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA), graduating in 2001[5](https://www.sifumimichan.com/kieran-bew/) |
| Fencing | Under-16 and under-17 British épée champion; 21st at the 1996 Cadet World Championships; represented Haverstock fencing club[3](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/kieran-bew/) |
| Signature TV roles | Bill O'Hara in *Warrior* (30 episodes, 2019–2023); Hugh in *House of the Dragon* (2024– ); Beowulf (2016, 13 episodes)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1240908/) |
| Other notable TV | Alfonso, Duke of Calabria in *Da Vinci's Demons* (Starz, 2013–15); DI Mike Sutherland in *Rellik*; Ian Davis in *Liar* (2017–2020); Gareth Jenkins in *Rules of the Game* (BBC, 2022)[3](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/kieran-bew/) • [6](https://anthearepresents.com/artist/kieran-bew) |
| Film | Klaus in *AVP: Alien vs. Predator* (2004); Ike in *Green Street* (2005); Gabe Patier in *Typist Artist Pirate King* (2023)[3](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/kieran-bew/) • [6](https://anthearepresents.com/artist/kieran-bew) |
| Voice work | Video games including *Anthem*, *Total War: Warhammer II*, *Mass Effect: Andromeda*, and *Dragon Age: Inquisition*[6](https://anthearepresents.com/artist/kieran-bew) |
## Early life and fencing
Bew was born in 1980 in Hartlepool[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1240908/). His childhood was built around competitive sport: he swam, played basketball, and fenced épée at a national level, winning the under-16 and under-17 British épée titles and finishing 21st at the 1996 Cadet World Championships[3](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/kieran-bew/) • [5](https://www.sifumimichan.com/kieran-bew/). In a later interview he named winning the British cadet épée championship as his proudest moment[7](https://youngviclondon.wordpress.com/2012/03/14/11-questions-with-the-cast-of-after-miss-julie-kieran-bew/). He continued to represent Haverstock fencing club during his acting career[3](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/kieran-bew/).
## Training and stage work
He studied acting at LAMDA, graduating in 2001[5](https://www.sifumimichan.com/kieran-bew/). His competitive fencing translated directly into stage combat: he worked as a fight choreographer on productions at drama school and at [Shakespeare's Globe](https://www.edgepedia.org/shakespeares-globe), and [TV Guide](https://www.edgepedia.org/tv-guide) also credits him as a fight captain and choreographer for stage productions at Shakespeare's Globe, LAMDA, and the [Royal Shakespeare Company](https://www.edgepedia.org/royal-shakespeare-company)[5](https://www.sifumimichan.com/kieran-bew/) • [8](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/kieran-bew/bio/3000065656/).
His stage credits include [Trevor Nunn](https://www.edgepedia.org/trevor-nunn)'s production of *Richard II* at the Old Vic, where he played Sir Piers Exton in 2005; [Michael Attenborough](https://www.edgepedia.org/michael-attenborough)'s *King Lear* at the Almeida, in which he played Edmund; *After Miss Julie* at the Young Vic (2012), as John, the ambitious valet; and *Thérèse Raquin* at the Theatre Royal Bath[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1240908/bio/) • [6](https://anthearepresents.com/artist/kieran-bew) • [7](https://youngviclondon.wordpress.com/2012/03/14/11-questions-with-the-cast-of-after-miss-julie-kieran-bew/). In David Eldridge's *The Knot of the Heart*, also at the Almeida, he played all the male roles[9](https://boycottingtrends.blogspot.com/2012/11/the-wheel-is-come-full-circle-interview.html).
## Screen career
**Early roles.** Sources differ slightly on his first screen appearance: TV Guide dates his television debut to the series *Bedtime* in 2002, while TV Insider records a debut in the short film *Shotgun Wedding* (2001)[8](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/kieran-bew/bio/3000065656/) • [3](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/kieran-bew/). His first acting job took him to Berlin to play Hans Christian Andersen for Hallmark Entertainment[5](https://www.sifumimichan.com/kieran-bew/). He then appeared as Klaus in *AVP: Alien vs. Predator* (2004) and as the football hooligan Ike in *Green Street* (2005)[3](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/kieran-bew/). British television followed: a six-episode run as Benjamin Meadows, Jack Meadows's drug-addicted son, in *The Bill*; a role in [Jimmy McGovern](https://www.edgepedia.org/jimmy-mcgovern)'s BAFTA-winning *The Street*; recurring parts as [Nathan West](https://www.edgepedia.org/nathan-west) in *Crusoe* (NBC, 2008–09) and Avi Gellman in *Personal Affairs* ([BBC Three](https://www.edgepedia.org/bbc-three), 2009); guest parts in *Silent Witness*, *Waking the Dead*, and *Whitechapel*; and a regular role as DI Jack Burns in *WPC 56* (BBC One, 2013–15)[3](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/kieran-bew/).
**Historical drama and leading roles.** Bew became a fixture of historical fantasy television, first as Alfonso, Duke of Calabria in *Da Vinci's Demons* (Starz, 2013–15), then as the title warrior in *Beowulf: Return to the Shieldlands* (ITV, 2016)[3](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/kieran-bew/). He played DI Mike Sutherland in the BBC crime drama *Rellik* (2017) and Ian Davis in two series of ITV's *Liar* (2017–2020)[6](https://anthearepresents.com/artist/kieran-bew).
His most substantial television role to that point was Bill O'Hara, known as "Big Bill", in the [Bruce Lee](https://www.edgepedia.org/bruce-lee)-inspired series *Warrior*, which he played across all three seasons from 2019 to 2023, 30 episodes in total[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1240908/). He used a Northern Irish accent for the part[6](https://anthearepresents.com/artist/kieran-bew). In 2022 he played Gareth Jenkins in the BBC workplace thriller *Rules of the Game*, using a Mancunian accent, and appeared as Gabe Patier in Carol Morley's film *Typist Artist Pirate King*, about the artist Audrey Amiss[6](https://anthearepresents.com/artist/kieran-bew).
**House of the Dragon and later work.** In *House of the Dragon*, HBO's *Game of Thrones* prequel, Bew joined the cast in season 2 (2024) as Hugh Hammer, one of the "dragonseeds", illegitimate descendants of Targaryen stock with the potential to bond with dragons[10](https://time.com/6986467/house-of-the-dragon-season-2-new-characters/) • [6](https://anthearepresents.com/artist/kieran-bew). He makes a brief first appearance in the season's opening episode before becoming a major character as the season unfolds[6](https://anthearepresents.com/artist/kieran-bew). He was also cast as Captain Charles Cunningham, a retired British soldier, in the eighth and final season of *Outlander*[6](https://anthearepresents.com/artist/kieran-bew), and joined the second season of the drama *Bloodaxe*[3](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/kieran-bew/).
## Voice and producing work
Bew has an extensive video game voice portfolio, including *[Anthem](https://www.edgepedia.org/anthem-video-game)*, *[Total War: Warhammer II](https://www.edgepedia.org/total-war-warhammer-ii)*, *Mass Effect: Andromeda*, and *Dragon Age: Inquisition*, and has voiced documentaries and narrated series such as *Dales for Sale* and *Cash in the Spare Room*[6](https://anthearepresents.com/artist/kieran-bew) • [3](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/kieran-bew/). As a producer he has worked on short films, including *Helena*, *Sydney*, and *Isabella* (2018) and *Stand Still* (2019)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1240908/).
## References
1. [Kieran Bew, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1240908/)
2. [Kieran Bew, Wiki of Westeros (Fandom)](https://gameofthrones.fandom.com/wiki/Kieran_Bew)
3. [Kieran Bew, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/kieran-bew/)
4. [Kieran Bew – Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1240908/bio/)
5. [254. Kieran Bew on fencing, Shakespeare and acting, The Sifu Mimi Chan Show](https://www.sifumimichan.com/kieran-bew/)
6. [Kieran Bew, Anthea Represents](https://anthearepresents.com/artist/kieran-bew)
7. [11 questions with the cast of After Miss Julie: Kieran Bew, Young Vic Theatre blog](https://youngviclondon.wordpress.com/2012/03/14/11-questions-with-the-cast-of-after-miss-julie-kieran-bew/)
8. [Kieran Bew Biography, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/kieran-bew/bio/3000065656/)
9. [The Wheel Is Come Full Circle: Interview with Kieran Bew at One Stop Arts](https://boycottingtrends.blogspot.com/2012/11/the-wheel-is-come-full-circle-interview.html)
10. [What to Know About the New Characters in House of the Dragon Season 2, TIME](https://time.com/6986467/house-of-the-dragon-season-2-new-characters/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › English actors: 2000s onward › Surnames Be to B*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license