Jos Vantyler is an Irish actor. He is known for his work in classical theatre.
Early life
Vantyler was born in County Mayo, Ireland, where he lived until the age of six.
Career
Vantyler won The NYC Star Best Newcomer Award for his portrayal of Rodolfo in Arthur Miller's A View From The Bridge. He was also nominated for Best Supporting Actor by The NYC Review for his portrayal of Oswald in Ghosts by Henrik Ibsen.
In 2023 he starred in the film Brunswick Street, playing Jack Campbell.
Vantyler starred in The Fir Tree at Shakespeares Globe in 2022 directed by Michelle Terry the Globes Artistic Director. The production was critically well received. It was an adaptation for stage by Hannah Khalil of Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale.
In 2021/2022 he played Philip in Peggy For You at Hampstead Theatre opposite Tamsin Greig directed by Richard Wilson. The play received strong critical acclaim, "I have to say this was one of the best nights I’ve ever spent in the theatre. In fact, it was one of the best nights of my life." wrote Lloyd Evans of The Spectator " Richard Wilson's artful, rewarding revival. Resonant and amusing" Dominic Maxwell The Times.
In 2022 he joined the regular cast of the sixth series Believe It alongside Richard Wilson, Ian McKellen and Stephen Mangan on BBC Radio 4.
He appeared with David Tennant in 2022 in BBC Radio 4's critically acclaimed Macbeth.
He played Anselmus in The Second Maiden's Tragedy at the newly refurbished Hackney Empire for which he received high critical praise. He played King Philip V1 of France in The Lion in Winter for Fairbanks Theaters with Chicago director Don Morrelli.
He appeared in the controversial play Prophecy by New York City playwright Karen Malpede. Although certain press branded the play as a disturbing piece, Vantyler's portrayal of a young soldier suffering from extreme PTSD received high acclaim and resulted in Vantyler being nominated for a Critics Choice Award – Best Actor for his performance. The press described Vantyler as "a young exciting actor with distinctive looks and a powerful presence". In preparation for the role, Vantyler researched the condition at a military hospital in Scotland. It had transferred from New York to London and later back to Broadway. Vantyler did not resume his role in the new revised Broadway production nor was it well received by the New York critics.
He played the lead opposite Academy Award Nominee Susannah York in The Tennessee Williams Season for The Hampstead New End Theatre. Owing to sell-out audiences from its opening night and rave reviews from the press, the show transferred to another sellout run at the Hackney Empire. Vantyler and York went on to become close friends.
He played Tom Sawyer in the National Tour in James Graham's play Huck, a stage adaptation of the Mark Twain classic, Huckleberry Finn. He garnered critical praise and was named "The Mercurial Jos Vantyler" by Time Out and was a finalist for Best Male Performance Award by The Offwestend Awards.
Harold Brighouse wrote The Game in 1914, and it was performed that same year; it was not performed again until 2010 by Northern Broadsides. Directed by and starring Barrie Rutter. Vantyler played Rutter's son, Leo Whitworth. Both he and the production received high critical praise.
Shakespeare
In 2018 he was the first actor ever to play the roles of both Don Armado and his page Moth at the same time in Shakespeare's Globe's production of Love's Labour's Lost at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse under the direction of Nick Bagnall. Bagnall's idea of having him play both characters resulted in Vantyler playing most of his scenes, by himself and to himself. The Independent wrote "Much less conventionally, Vantyler plays both himself and, switching from hissing Hispanic to yapping Northern, his own diminutive page ("my tender juvenile"), Moth. The resulting schizoid conversations and the solicitous care for Moth’s person are a blissfully crackpot fancy" and "Jos Vantyler is inspired as Don Armado, hilariously capturing the mangled verbal extravagance of this Spanish grandee". That same year he played Gerald in Two Noble Kinsmen also at Shakespeare's Globe, directed by Barrie Rutter. This rarely performed piece was part of Michelle Terry's first season as artistic director.
In September 2013, Sir Jonathan Miller directed the Gala Performance of William Shakespeare's King Lear at The Old Vic in London. Vantyler played Oswald opposite, Joss Ackland as King Lear, Michael York, Tony Robinson, Greta Scacchi, Honeysuckle Weeks, John Nettles, Robert Young, Tony Britton, Shaun Dooley, Barrie Rutter and Felicity Dean.