Irish Equity members are saddened to hear of the untimely passing of actor, Karl Shiels.

Born in Dublin, Karl was well known in theatre and TV circles having made many appearances at the Abbey, the Gate and many other venues.

As a founding member and Artistic Director of Theatre Upstairs, Karl was keenly aware of the need to create an independent theatre where self-producing artists could realise their full, creative ambition. As a freelance actor and director, he has worked extensively on stage and screen both nationally and internationally for almost two decades. He was given a Best Actor Award at the Dublin Theatre Festival for his role in Comedians in 1999 and received a nomination for a Best Actor Award at the Irish Times Theatre Awards in 2011 and in the 2010 Stage Awards.

Karl has stared in many TV productions over the years, including the Tudors, Peaky Blinders and he has, of course, been a regular feature in Carrickstown in RTE’s Fair City.

Karl is survived by his partner Laura Honan, his twin daughters and their mother Dearbhla, his father Harry, stepmother Irene, brother Jason, sisters Lisa and Lianne, stepbrother Justin, aunt Nan, uncles John and Jimmy, nephews and nieces. Karl will be sadly missed by all his relatives and a very large circle of friends, within the acting community and beyond.

Another great loss to Irish Theatre and to Equity, is the passing of the talented, veteran actor, Tom Jordan. Born in Marino, Dublin in 1937, Tom first made his mark in 1968, as a member of the RTE Players, honing his skills in hundreds of broadcasts.

On leaving RTÉ in 1972 he became a founding member of the Project Arts Centre in Kings Street and, appeared on RTE Television in Ulick O’Connor’s The Rock. That same year he became Actor- Manager for Godfrey Quigley’s World Theatre Productions, initiating the very innovative “Dinner Theatre” performances in the Gresham Hotel, and in Wexford, for many seasons.

During this time Tom was now making his mark in Film and Television and, of the thirty or more productions, in which he appeared, he achieved fame as Farrell in Strumpet City. In 1981 he played Seamus Doherty with Pierce Brosnan in, The Manions of America, teaming up with him again in 1984 in Remmington Steele. Five years later, he was one of the original cast members of Fair City, starring as Charlie Kelly in almost 150 Episodes.

Tom’s heart, however, had always been in theatre, having performed in Dublin Theatre Festival Seasons and, in popular productions of, Is the Priest at Home? Da, and The Whip Hand. In 1987 he became Director of the Lyric Theatre, Belfast for two years.

Despite the high profile that Tom attained through talent, and diligence, he was always a very private person, meticulous in his preparation and always dependable, but his performances had a quiet power and a great stage and screen ‘presence’.

I had the honour of appearing with him in The Manions of America and on Radio. He was a generous actor, great company, a team player and a fine mentor of young talent. A strong supporter of Irish Equity, Tom was one of the few remaining actors to have successfully plied his trade in every avenue of his beloved profession, now sadly bereft of such talent and experience.

Laurence Foster June 30th 2019.