Personal details
Born:
- Birthday: 1965-05-03
- Born Place: Swansea, Wales, UK
Also Known As:
Robert Brydon Jones, راب برایدن
Rob Brydon
Robert Brydon Jones, MBE, is a premier Welsh actor, comedian, and presenter whose career has evolved from radio broadcasting into a defining presence in British comedy. Born on May 3, 1965, in Swansea and raised in Baglan, he was surrounded by a unique cluster of future stars during his youth, attending school with Catherine Zeta-Jones and Ruth Jones. He initially studied at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama but left early to join BBC Radio Wales as a disc jockey. Throughout the 1990s, he built a reputation as a versatile voice-over artist, lending his vocal talents to countless commercials and the Discworld video game series while slowly working his way into minor film roles, such as the "unlucky traffic warden" in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. His mainstream breakthrough occurred in 2000 with the dark comedy Human Remains and the poignant mockumentary Marion and Geoff, where his portrayal of the eternally optimistic taxi driver Keith Barret won him a British Comedy Award. Brydon became a national treasure through his role as the lovable and overprotective Uncle Bryn in the hit sitcom Gavin & Stacey (2007–2024), a performance that earned him a BAFTA nomination. He further cemented his status as a household name as the long-running host of the BBC panel show Would I Lie to You? and through his celebrated collaboration with Steve Coogan in The Trip series, where the duo played fictionalized versions of themselves traveling across Europe and engaging in competitive impersonations. As of late 2025, Brydon has entered a prolific new chapter of his career, diversifying his work into travelogues and high-concept reality television. In October 2025, he received critical acclaim for the BBC series Rob Brydon's Honky Tonk Road Trip, a three-part musical travelogue where he explored the roots of country music across the southern United States. He also took on the role of host for the mystery adventure series Destination X, further showcasing his adaptability as a presenter. On stage, he spent the end of 2025 touring the United Kingdom with his show A Night of Festive Songs and Laughter, backed by an eight-piece band. He remains a prominent voice actor, notably joining the massive 2025 Audible Harry Potter full-cast production alongside longtime colleagues. In his personal life, Brydon resides in the Strawberry Hill area of Twickenham with his wife, television producer Clare Holland, whom he married in 2006. He is a father of five children—three from his first marriage to Martina Fitchie and two with Holland—with ages ranging from 14 to 30. A devoted fan of Swansea City Football Club, he was awarded an MBE in 2013 for his services to comedy and broadcasting. Despite his international success and a cameo in the 2023 Barbie movie, Brydon is known for maintaining a grounded lifestyle, often stating that his family remains his primary priority over Hollywood ambitions.
