Richard Coyle is an English actor. He began his acting career when, studying politics at the University of York (1991-1994), he became interested in amateur dramatics.

Coyle was accepted into the prestigious Old Vic Theatre school and graduated in 1998, the same year as Dean Lennox Kelly. He began appearing in such television programmes as Hetty Wainthropp Investigates as Dr. Miles Millar, and Lorna Doone, as John Ridd (a role that Laurence Olivier was famous for playing).

In 2000, Coyle's big break arrived in the form of the socially inept Jeff Murdock in the hit comedy Coupling. Coyle's portrayal of the madcap Jeff won the hearts of many viewers, but in 2003 he decided to leave Coupling in favour of pursuing other projects in theatre (such as the lead in the 2002 premiere of The York Realist) and film. He starred in the short-lived 2002-2003 BBC show Strange.

He was then cast in the Donmar Warehouse production of the play Proof, in London, alongside Gwyneth Paltrow, and on the success of this he was cast in Patrick Marber's reworking of August Strindberg's play After Miss Julie with Kelly Reilly and Helen Baxendale.

From September to November 2004, Coyle played the title role in Michael Grandage's production of Friedrich Schiller's Don Carlos which then transferred to the West End from January to April 2005. The cast also included Derek Jacobi, Peter Eyre and Una Stubbs. He played the role of Alcock in The Libertine starring Johnny Depp. Coyle also played minor roles in the films Human Traffic and A Good Year.

He was in Peter Gill's production of John Osborne's Look Back in Anger at the Theatre Royal, Bath from August to September 2006 and appeared in the new special episode of Cracker: Nine Eleven in October 2006 (TV). He co-starred in "The Whistleblowers" on ITV 1.