Brian James Roche
Brian James Roche (born 2 October 1987) is an Irish actor and dancer from Ardnacrusha, County Clare near Limerick in Ireland. He is known for portraying the character of Little Barry in the TV3 crime drama Red Rock (2016–2019) and Donnie in Custer's Last Stand Up (2001–2002).[1]
He began his career at Spotlight Stage School in Limerick. He attended Parteen National School, St. Munchin's College, Limerick and Trinity College Dublin.
His first film work was at the age of ten, when he was cast by Ros Hubbard in the film Angela's Ashes directed by Alan Parker. Roche's first television role was in the BBC and RTÉ television series Custer's Last Stand-up, which won the BAFTA for best British Children's Drama Series in 2001.[2] He played the character Donnie Brook in the series.
He then went on to play the lead role of Matty in the 2003 Imison Award Winning BBC Radio 4 production of The SkateGrinder by Celia Bryce.
After performing in a children's show, The Rainbows End, in the 2011 Ediniburgh Fringe festival, he began touring with another theatre show.
In 2012 he wrote and choreographed his first dance show which appeared in the 10 Days in Dublin festival 2012.
In November 2012, Roche 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.
He was awarded a scholarship to the New York Conservatory of Dramatic Arts which he took up in 2014 to train in Acting and Musical Theatre.
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.
In 2015, he returned from London to his home city of Limerick and began performing in musicals and plays such as Legally Blonde, Joseph and his Amazing Technicolour Dream Coat, Sister Act, the Wiz, Annie Get Your Gun, Much Ado About Nothing & Chicago.
In 2018, he travelled to Paris and trained in Dance and Physical Movement at L'École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq.
From 2017 to 2019, he has appeared in the TV3/Virgin Media crime drama Red Rock as Limerick gangster, Little Barry, and has been cast as Jack Brennan in Babyface.
In his spare time, Roche teaches Speech and Drama in County Clare, Ireland and is a Munster Association Referee in rugby.