Richard Coyle was born and raised in Sheffield, a city located in the United Kingdom, surrounded by his four brothers. During his time at York University, where he was studying languages and the history of art from 1992 to 1995, he developed an interest in student drama and even traveled to the Edinburgh festival on two occasions.
To raise funds for his studies at the prestigious Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, Richard took on an extra's job on a film adaptation of the classic novel Jane Eyre. It was during this project that he caught the attention of director Franco Zeffirelli, who gave him his first on-screen line, "Mr. Rochester, Mr. Rochester, your house sir!"
After completing his education at drama school, Richard took on a series of small roles in television and film before landing a larger part in the 1998 ITV drama Episode #1.1 and a memorable cameo appearance in Justin Kerrigan's Human Traffic, where he played the character "Andy", a partygoer engaged in a deep discussion about Star Wars and drug culture with Danny Dyer's character "Moff".
In the year 2000, Richard's career received a significant boost when he landed two notable roles: "Jeff" in the BBC2 comedy series Coupling, and "John Ridd" in the BBC's Christmas production of Lorna Doone. Prior to this, Richard had already gained experience in the West End, performing at The Royal Court Theatre in Peter Gill's "The York Realist" and alongside Gwyneth Paltrow in "Proof" at the Donmar Warehouse. His subsequent roles have included "Don Carlos" in 2005, "The Lover/The Collection" in 2008, Polar Bears at the Donmar Warehouse in 2010, Macbeth in New York in 2014, and Ink at the Almeida and West End in 2017/2018.
