Richard Dillane was born and raised near London in the UK to an Australian GP father and English mother, the last of four children. He went to Langley Park Boys School in Beckenham and gained a first class degree in philosophy at Manchester University, and then went to Australia where he has citizenship through his father. His professional debut was at the Western Australian Theatre Company in Perth and in 1987 he played Hamlet directed by Ray Omodei. He directed plays and also assisted on opera and on musical productions before returning to the UK in 1994 where his screen career began. He and his actress wife Jayne McKenna have three children, all boys.