{{Short description|British TV director and writer (born 1964)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2016}} {{Use British English|date=April 2016}} {{Infobox person | image = | image_size = | alt = | caption = | birth_name = | other_names = Alrich Riley | birth_date = {{birth year and age|1964}} | birth_place = London, England | death_date = | death_place = | alma_mater = | occupation = Television director, writer, former child actor | years_active = 1975–present | spouse = | website = }}
'''Alrick Riley''' (born 1964) is a BAFTA TV award-winning English television director and writer, and former child actor.
He is known for his work on the British series ''Spooks'' (known as ''MI-5'' in some countries) and ''Hustle''; along with his more recent work on the American fairytale drama ''Once Upon a Time''.
==Life and career== Riley was born in London, England. As a shy young child, his Jamaican parents "made" him go to an acting club to force him "out of himself". He began his acting career at eleven years old as a featured extra on the BBC TV comedy ''Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em'', followed by appearances in series, such as: ''Johnny Jarvis'' and ''Me and My Girl'', and the 1979 film ''Scum''.<ref name="Blacklist1">{{cite web|url=http://www.thebritishblacklist.com/thebritishblacklist/alrick-riley/|title=Alrick Riley|access-date=9 April 2016|work=The British Blacklist|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160412143434/http://www.thebritishblacklist.com/thebritishblacklist/alrick-riley/|archive-date=12 April 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>
After leaving high school, Riley knew he no longer wanted to act, but "definitely wanted to stay in the business". He and a friend bought an 8 mm camera, and Riley discovered a passion for direction. His mother was initially against his pursuit of directing: she favoured the theatre arts and was concerned he would not be a success pioneering to be a black television director. He attended West Midlands University {{Citation needed|date=October 2023|reason=Only institution with that name is v. recent name WMCombinedU for cov/brum/wolves}}, before attending the National Film & Television School. Two short films he directed while at the school, ''Money Talk'' and ''Concrete Garden'', went on to be screened at multiple international film festivals{{Citation needed|date=October 2023|reason=Which film festivals, and how many are 'numerous'?}}. Riley credits Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola as notable inspirations, but accredits his love of film to Charles Burnett.<ref name="Trailblazer1">{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iD9b5U945-k|title=Alrick Riley Director of Spooks, Hustle, and the new Walter Tull movie|access-date=9 April 2016|work=YouTube}}</ref>
Riley has directed episodes of ''Playing the Field'', ''Stanton Blues'', ''The Inspector Lynley Mysteries'', ''Hotel Babylon'', ''Silent Witness'', ''Boy Meets Girl'', ''Ashes to Ashes'', ''Bedlam'', ''Spooks'', ''Hustle'', ''Hunted'', ''Death in Paradise'', ''Perception'', ''Castle'', ''NCIS'', ''Legends'', ''NCIS: New Orleans'', ''The Walking Dead'', ''Person of Interest'', ''Tyrant'' and ''Once Upon a Time''.<ref name="TV1">{{cite web|url=http://www.tv.com/people/alrick-riley/|title=Alrick Riley|access-date=9 April 2016|work=TV.com}}</ref>
Riley was one of the writers on the British sitcom ''Desmond's''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Guide |first=British Comedy |title=Alrick Riley |url=https://www.comedy.co.uk/people/alrick_riley/ |access-date=2024-04-17 |website=British Comedy Guide |language=en}}</ref>
Along with Eric Coulter and Harry Bradbeer, in 1999 Riley won a BAFTA TV Award for their work on the UK series ''The Cops''. His winning of the prestigious honour marked the first time in the history of the assembly that a black man was recognised {{Citation needed|date=October 2023}}.
==Select filmography== ===Direction=== {| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%;" ! Year !! Show !! Season !! Episode title !! Episode !! Credit |- |rowspan=9|1998–2001 |rowspan=9|''Stanton Blues'' |rowspan=3|1 |rowspan=13|{{TableTBA|N/A}} |4 |rowspan=87|Director |- |5 |- |6 |- |rowspan=4|2 |4 |- |5 |- |9 |- |10 |- |rowspan=2|3 |3 |- |4 |- |rowspan=4|2009 |rowspan=4|''Boy Meets Girl'' |rowspan=4|1 |1 |- |2 |- |3 |- |4 |- |rowspan=3|2011 |rowspan=3|''Bedlam'' |rowspan=3|1 |"Inmates" |3 |- |"Committed" |5 |- |"Burning Man" |6 |- |rowspan=12|2004–2011 |rowspan=12|''Spooks'' |rowspan=2|3 |rowspan=12|{{TableTBA|N/A}} |9 |- |10 |- |rowspan=2|4 |3 |- |4 |- |rowspan=2|6 |9 |- |10 |- |rowspan=4|8 |1 |- |2 |- |5 |- |8 |- |rowspan=2|10 |1 |- |2 |- |rowspan=6|2005–2012 |rowspan=6|''Hustle'' |rowspan=2|2 |"The Lesson" |3 |- |"Missions" |4 |- |4 |"Big Daddy Calling" |6 |- |rowspan=3|8 |"Gold Finger" |1 |- |"Ding Dong That's My Song" |5 |- |"The Con is Off" |6 |- |rowspan=7|2014 |rowspan=2|''Perception'' |rowspan=2|3 |"Bolero" |7 |- |"Prologue" |8 |- |rowspan=2|''Intelligence'' |rowspan=2|1 |"The Rescue" |5 |- |"Size Matters" |7 |- |''Graceland'' |2 |"The Ends" |8 |- |rowspan=2|''Castle'' |rowspan=2|7 |"Montreal" |2 |- |"Once Upon a Time in the West" |7 |- |rowspan=4|2014–2016 |rowspan=4|''Once Upon a Time'' |4 |"Breaking Glass" |5 |- |rowspan=2|5 |"The Broken Kingdom" |4 |- |"Devil's Due" |14 |- |6 |"Strange Case" |4 |- |rowspan=4|2015 |''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'' |15 |"Under My Skin" |17 |- |''Revenge'' |4 |"Retaliation" |16 |- |rowspan=2|''Legends'' |rowspan=2|2 |"The Legends of Curtis Ballard" |3 |- |"The Legend of Ilyana Zakayeva" |4 |- |rowspan=9|2015–2020 |rowspan=9|''NCIS'' |12 |"Check" |11 |- |13 |"Loose Cannons" |16 |- |rowspan=2|14 |"Home of the Brave" |7 |- |"Pandora's Box, Part 1" |14 |- |rowspan=2|15 |"Double Down" |15 |- |"Handle with Care" |16 |- |rowspan=2|16 |"A Thousand Words" |7 |- |"Mona Lisa" |18 |- |17 |"Schooled" |18 |- |rowspan=4|2015–2016 |rowspan=2|''NCIS: New Orleans'' |1 |"You'll Do" |21 |- |2 |"Means to an End" |19 |- |rowspan=2|''Person of Interest'' |4 |"Terra Incognita" |20 |- |5 |"A More Perfect Union" |6 |- |rowspan=3|2016 |''Wayward Pines'' |2 |"Sound the Alarm" | |- |''Dead of Summer'' |1 |"Home Sweet Home" |9 |- |''Tyrant'' |3 |"Ask for the Earth" |8 |- |rowspan=3|2016–2017 |rowspan=3|''The Walking Dead'' |6 |"Twice as Far" |14 |- |rowspan=2|7 |"The Cell" |3 |- |"Bury Me Here" |13 |- |rowspan="2"|2017–2018 |rowspan="2"|''Lucifer'' |rowspan="2"|2 |"A Good Day to Die" |13 |- |"Let Pinhead Sing!" |17 |- |rowspan=2|2018 |''Bull'' |2 |"A Redemption" |19 |- |''The Crossing'' |1 |"Some Dreamers of the Golden Dream" |7 |- |rowspan="4"|2019 |rowspan=2|''How to Get Away with Murder'' |5 |"Be the Martyr" |11 |- |6 |"I Want to Be Free" |8 |- |rowspan=2|''The Good Doctor'' |2 |"Believe" |16 |- |3 |"SFAD" |7 |- |rowspan=3|2019–2022 |rowspan=3|''S.W.A.T.'' |2 |"Day of Dread" |21 |- |3 |"Funny Money" |48 |- |5 |"Family" |102 |- |rowspan=2|2019 |rowspan=2|''Blood & Treasure'' |rowspan=2|1 |"The Curse of Cleopatra, Parts I & II" |1-2 |- |"Code of the Hawaladar" |3 |- |rowspan="3"|2020 |''Unsaid Stories'' |1 |"Generational" |10 |- |rowspan=2|''Bridgerton'' |rowspan=2|1 |"Oceans Apart" |7 |- |"After The Rain" |8 |- |rowspan=3|2021 |rowspan=3|''Stephen'' |rowspan=3|1 |"Episode 1" |1 |- |"Episode 2" |2 |- |"Episode 3" |3 |- |}
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *{{IMDb name|0726975}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Riley, Alrick}} Category:1964 births Category:Black British male actors Category:English film directors Category:English male child actors Category:English people of Jamaican descent Category:English television directors Category:Living people Category:Male actors from London