Oh my, Mr. Bates! Before Brendan Coyle was stalwart John Bates, the valet falsely accused of murdering his nefarious first wife, he was a rising star of the stage in London. A veteran of theater, television, and film, Coyle was already well-known to BBC-philes before his Emmy-nominated turn on Downton Abbey. After all, he was brave laborer Nicholas Higgins in 2004’s North & South.