Richard Cant

Richard Cant (born 1964) is a British actor. He is the son of actor and children's television presenter Brian Cant,^[1] and partner of Richard Coles, the former Communards musician and Anglican priest.

Career

Cant appeared twice on the long-running murder mystery series Midsomer Murders, appearing in the 1997 pilot episode The Killings at Badger's Drift as undertaker Dennis Rainbird,^[2] and then again as Dennis Rainbird's cousin, Alistair Gooding, in the 2006 story Dead Letters. In the second story, he appeared alongside Jason Hughes, who played Detective Sergeant Ben Jones.^{[citation needed]} Cant had previously appeared with Jason Hughes in an episode of the BBC 2 TV series This Life, where he played Phil, a friend of Hughes's character, Warren.^{[citation needed]}

Other television and film appearances include ^{[citation needed]} " Stan and Ollie", "Mary, Queen of Scots", 'The Crown", "It's a Sin", The Way We Live Now, Bleak House, Gimme Gimme Gimme, and Gunpowder Treason and Plot. In 2007 he appeared in an episode of Doctor Who, "Blink".^[3]

He has worked on stage for The National Theatre, RSC, Royal Court, Cheek by Jowl, and Sheffield Crucible.^{[citation needed]}

He appeared as Friedrich in War Horse at the New London Theatre.^{[citation needed]}

In 2023, he starred as Merle Miller, the iconoclastic gay writer in the East End play, What It Means, at Wilton's Music Hall, London. The Guardian gave his performance 4 out of 5 stars, lauding him: "Richard Cant is superb as Merle Miller who takes a stand against homophobia in this clever retelling of his landmark essay."^[4] Time Out wrote, "Richard Cant gives an electric performance in this (largely) one-person play, based on real events, which makes its debut at Wilton's Music Hall."^[5]

In Spring 2024, he toured in a production of As You Like It to Romania.^[6] In Fall 2024, Cant performed as Edward Jenner in Pins and Needles at the Kiln Theatre.^[7]

Personal life

Cant was born in Dartford, Kent in 1964.^[8] In June 2023, Richard Coles, the former Communards musician and Anglican priest, said he was in a relationship with Cant.^[9]

Selected television work

• This Life (1996)
• Midsomer Murders (1997) & (2006)
• Gimme Gimme Gimme (1999)
• Lawless Heart (2001)
• The Way We Live Now (2001)
• Shackleton (2002)
• Ian Fleming: Bondmaker (2005)
• Bleak House (2005)
• Sparkle (2007)
• Doctor Who (2007)
• The Bill (2008)
• Vexed (2010)
• Mapp & Lucia (2014)
• The Crown (2020)
• It's A Sin (2021)
• Mary, Queen Of Scots (2018)
• Stan and Ollie (2019)

Selected stage work

• As You Like It / Cymbeline/ Troilus and Cressida (Cheek by Jowl)
• War Horse (2012/13, NT at New London Theatre)
• Salome (Headlong)
• The Country Wife (Sheffield Crucible)
• Orlando (West End)
• Handbagged/ Wife (Kiln)
• The Vortex (Chichester)
• Henry The Sixth / Maydays / Hamlet (RSC)
• Normal Heart/ Mr Gum And The Dancing Bear (NT)
• Medea (Almeida)
• The Trial (Young Vic)
• After Edward/ Edward The Second (Globe)
• What It Means (Wilton's)

• The Importance of Bring Earnest (National Theatre)2025