Brian James Roche

Brian James Roche (born 2 October 1987) is an Irish actor and ballet dancer from Ardnacrusha, Co.Clare near Limerick, Ireland. He is best known for portraying the character of Little Barry in the TV3 crime drama Red Rock (2017/2018) and Donnie in Custer's Last Stand Up.

He began his career at Spotlight stage School in Limerick. He attended Parteen National School, St. Munchin's College, Limerick and Tutorial College Limerick.

His first major film work was in Angela’s Ashes which was cast by Ros and Jon Hubbard and directed by Alan Parker and his first television role was in the acclaimed BBC/RTÉ television series Custer's Last Stand-up which won the BAFTA for best British Children's Drama Series in 2001. He played a lead character Donnie Brook.

He went on to play the lead part of Matty in the 2003 Imison Award Winning BBC Radio 4 production of The SkateGrinder by Celia Bryce. As well as many theatre performances and title roles, he has an LL.B Legal Honours 2.1 degree from Trinity College Dublin.

After performing in a Children’s show The Rainbows End in the 2011 Fringe festival, he began touring in the role of Manuel in Fawlty Towers the Dining Experience.

In 2012 he wrote and choreographed his first dance show which appeared in the 10 Days in Dublin festival 2012.

In November 2012, Brian made his West End debut in Charing Cross, London. He continued to perform there, as well as touring internationally, until late 2015.

His debut in professional ballet was in LA in July 2013.

He has represented Ireland twice, at the Peace Palace in The Hague with the Telders moot court team for Trinity College Dublin and secondly in 2013 at the World Championships of Performing Arts in Los Angeles under the categories of Acting, Dance and Original Vocals and Music winning best overall world vocals.

There he was awarded a scholarship in the New York Conservatory of Dramatic Arts which he took up in 2014 to train in Dance and Acting and completed a Musical Theatre course taught by Jay Binder.

After finishing his training, he began touring again throughout Australia, Wales, Spain and Ireland in late 2013/2014, he returned to the West End in May 2014 and performed there until late 2015.

He then appeared in Ray Hyland's film, Riffed which premiered in Dublin.

In 2015, he returned from London to his home city of Limerick and began performing in musicals such as Legally Blonde, Joseph and his Amazing Technicolour Dream Coat, Sister Act, the Wiz and Annie Get Your Gun.

Now he is also currently appearing in the TV3 crime drama Red Rock as Limerick gangster, Little Barry and is in rehearsals for Much Ado About Nothing playing the part of Claudio.

Little Barry returns to screens in the UK and Ireland in April 2018.

References

https://www.limerickpost.ie/2017/12/01/joseph-jacobs-favourite-son/

https://m.independent.ie/regionals/braypeople/entertainment/braybased-tv-series-wins-top-bafta-award-26981540.html