Central School of Drama & Speech
List activity
8.6K views
• 1 this weekCreate a new list
List your movie, TV & celebrity picks.
169 people
- Actress
- Producer
- Director
On January 30, 1937, renowned theatre actor Michael Redgrave was performing in a production of Hamlet in London. During the curtain call, the show's lead, Laurence Olivier, announced to the audience: "tonight a great actress was born". This was in reference to his co-star's newborn daughter, Vanessa Redgrave.
Vanessa was born in Greenwich, London, to Michael Redgrave and Rachel Kempson, both thespians. Three quarters of a century after her birth (despite numerous ups and down) this rather forward expectation has definitely been lived up to with an acclaimed actress that has won (among many others) an Academy Award, two Emmys, two Golden Globes, two Cannes Best Actress awards, a Tony, a Screen Actors Guild award, a Laurence Olivier theatre award and a BAFTA fellowship.
Growing up with such celebrated theatrical parents, great expectations were put on both herself, her brother Corin Redgrave and sister Lynn Redgrave at an early age. Shooting up early and finally reaching a height just short of 6 foot, Redgrave initially had plans to dance and perform ballet as a profession. However she settled on acting and entered the Central School of Speech and Drama in 1954 and four years later made her West End debut. In the decade of the 1960s she developed and progressed to become one of the most noted young stars of the English stage and then film. Performances on the London stage included the classics: 'A Touch of Sun', 'Coriolanus', 'A Midsummer's Night Dream', 'All's Well that Ends Well', 'As You Like It', 'The Lady from the Sea', 'The Seagull' and many others. By the mid 1960s, she had booked various film roles and matured into a striking beauty with a slim, tall frame and attractive face. In 1966 she made her big screen debut as the beautiful ex-wife of a madman in an Oscar nominated performance in the oddball comedy Morgan! (1966), as well as the enigmatic woman in a public park in desperate need of a photographer's negatives in the iconic Blow-Up (1966) and briefly appeared in an unspoken part of Anne Boleyn in the Best Picture winner of the year A Man for All Seasons (1966).
She managed to originate the title role in "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie" the same year on the London stage (which was then adapted for the big screen a few years later, but Maggie Smith was cast instead and managed to win an Oscar for her performance). Her follow up work saw her play the lead in the box office hit adaptation Camelot (1967), a film popular with audiences but dismissed by critics, and her second Academy Award nominated performance as Isadora Duncan in the critically praised Isadora (1968).
Her rise in popularity on film also coincided with her public political involvement, she was one of the lead faces in protesting against the Vietnam war and lead a famous march on the US embassy, was arrested during a Ban-the-Bomb demonstration, publicly supported Yasar Arafat's Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and fought for various other human rights and particularly left wing causes. Despite her admirably independent qualities, most of her political beliefs weren't largely supported by the public. In 1971 after 3 films back to back, Redgrave suffered a miscarriage (it would have been her fourth, after Natasha Richardson, Joely Richardson and Carlo Gabriel Nero) and a break up with her then partner and father of her son, Franco Nero. This was around the same time her equally political brother Corin introduced her to the Workers Revolutionary Party, a group who aimed to destroy capitalism and abolish the monarchy. Her film career began to suffer and take the back seat as she became more involved with the party, twice unsuccessfully attempting to run as a party member for parliament, only obtaining a very small percentage of votes.
In terms of her film career at the time, she was given probably the smallest part in the huge ensemble who-dunnit hit, Murder on the Orient Express (1974) and given another thankless small part as Lola Deveraux in the Sherlock Holmes adventure The Seven-Per-Cent Solution (1976).
After a celebrated Broadway debut, she created further controversy in 1977 with her involvement in two films, firstly in Julia (1977) where she acted opposite Jane Fonda as a woman fighting Nazi oppression and narrated and featured in the documentary The Palestinian (1977) where she famously danced holding a Kalashnikov rifle. She publicly stated her condemnation of what she termed "Zionist hudlums", which outraged Jewish groups and as a result a screening of her documentary was bombed and Redgrave was personally threatened by the Jewish Defense League (JDL). Julia (1977) happened to be a huge critical success and Redgrave herself was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar, but Jewish support groups demanded her nomination to be dropped and at the event of the Academy Awards burned effigies of Redgrave and protested and picketed. Redgrave was forced to enter the event via a rear entrance to avoid harm and when she won the award she famously remarked on the frenzy causes as "Zionist hoodlums" which caused the audience to audibly gasp and boo. The speech reached newspapers the next morning and her reputation was further damaged.
It came as a surprise when CBS hired her for the part of real life Nazi camp survivor Fania Fenelon in Playing for Time (1980), despite more controversy and protesting (Fenelon herself didn't even want Redgrave to portray her) she won an Emmy for the part and the film was one of the highest rating programs of the year. Her follow up film work to her Oscar had been mostly low key but successful, performances in films such as Yanks (1979), Agatha (1979), The Bostonians (1984), Wetherby (1985) and Prick Up Your Ears (1987) further cemented her reputation as a fine actress and she received various accolades and nominations.
However mainly in the 1980s, she focused on TV films and high budget mini-series as well as theatre in both London and New York. She made headlines in 1984 when she sued the Boston Symphony Orchestra for $5 million for wrongful cancellation of her contract because of her politics (she also stated her salary was significantly reduced in Agatha (1979) for the same reason). She became more mainstream in the 1990s where she appeared in a string of high profile films but the parts often underused Redgrave's abilities or they were small cameos/5-minute parts. Highlights included Howards End (1992), Little Odessa (1994), Mission: Impossible (1996) and Cradle Will Rock (1999), as well as her leading lady parts in A Month by the Lake (1995) and Mrs Dalloway (1997).
In 2003 she finally won the coveted Tony award for her performance in 'The Long Day's Journey Into Night' and followed up with another two Tony nominated performances on Broadway, her one woman show 'The Year of Magical Thinking' in 2007 and 'Driving Miss Daisy' in 2010 which not only was extended due to high demand, but was also transferred to the West End for an additional three months in 2011.
Vanessa continues to lend her name to causes and has been notable for donating huge amounts of her own money for her various beliefs. She has publicly opposed the war in Iraq, campaigned for the closure of Guantanamo Bay, supported the rights of gays and lesbians as well as AIDs research and many other issues. She released her autobiography in 1993 and a few years later she was elected to serve as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. She also famously declined the invitation to be made a Dame for her services as an actress. Many have wondered the possible heights her career could have reached if it wasn't for her outspoken views, but being a celebrity and the artificial lifestyle usually attached doesn't seem to interest Redgrave in the slightest.
Vanessa has worked with all three of her children professionally on numerous occasions (her eldest daughter, Natasha Richardson tragically died at the age of 45 due to a skiing accident) and in her mid 70s she still works regularly on television, film and theatre, delivering time and time again great performances.- Actress
- Director
Claire was born in London, England. Her father is English and her mother is German. They moved to Canada when she was very young so even though she has a British passport she considers herself a Canadian. She went to school in Toronto and grew up around the High Park area. She worked as a model in her teens but was not really that good at it. She did some runway shows (as she was already 6ft tall at 16), a bit of magazine work and some commercials. Claire has done a lot of traveling. She speaks German and spent most of her summers in a town outside of Cologne in Germany (with her beloved grandmother Kai), after whom she named her production company, Kai Productions. She settled down for two years back in London in the 80s (going back to her roots apparently) and enrolled at London's Central School of Drama. When her studies were finished and her parents cut off her cash, she followed her father to California and decided to try her luck in Hollywood.
Her mother now lives in Vancouver, B.C.
Among her film credits are Best of the Best II (1993), Drop Zone (1994), Sensation (1994), Mind Ripper (1995), Sweepers (1998) and a small role in The Doors (1991).- Actress
Betsy Blair was born in Cliffside, New Jersey, a child model before finding work as a chorus dancer at the early age of 15. She received her first mini-break on Broadway in "Panama Hattie" in 1940 delivering a single line, but by the next year she had copped the ingénue lead in William Saroyan's "The Beautiful People." At around the same time, she met dancer extraordinaire Gene Kelly and married him in 1940. Despite her background in dance, Betsy was admittedly not in the same league as a Vera-Ellen, Cyd Charisse, or Ann Miller, so she was never afforded the opportunity to glide with Gene in films. Moreover, she never even appeared in a musical film.
She made her large screen debut in 1947 and, for the next couple of years, appeared in a number of above-average dramas such as The Guilt of Janet Ames (1947), A Double Life (1947) starring Ronald Colman, The Snake Pit (1948), wherein she played a demented inmate alongside Olivia de Havilland, and a shining role in Another Part of the Forest (1948). After such promise, things came to a halt. Betsy had been involved in SAG politics as early as 1946 proposing the formation of the first Anti-Discrimination committee. Within a year the House Un-American Activities Committe began to investigate Betsy and others in the motion picture industry and what they considered left-wing extremist viewpoints. Her name appeared in the "Red Channels" and that was that. Her career was undone. By the early 1950s, all film offers had dried up. The only reason Betsy won the female lead in the 1955 cinematic classic Marty (1955) was because her husband threatened to stop shooting at MGM if they didn't let her work despite the blacklist. It would be the role of a lifetime for Betsy. As the touching plain-Jane girlfriend of Ernest Borgnine's title butcher, Betsy won the Cannes Film and British Film acting awards, not to mention an Oscar nomination. It did not help her overcome the blacklist, however.
By 1957, she was divorced from Kelly and had moved to Europe to avoid the Hollywood shun. Shortly thereafter, she lived with French actor Roger Pigaut. In 1963, she married producer/director Karel Reisz. They would remain together for almost 40 years until his death in London of a blood disorder in 2002. Betsy later published her memoirs and discussed quite candidly her life on Broadway, life with Gene Kelly, and life amid the blacklisting. She continued to live in England before passing away from cancer on 13th March, 2009. She was 85 years old.- Actor
- Writer
- Director
Jack Shepherd was born in Leeds, on October 29th, 1940. His father was a cabinet maker and his mother an infant school teacher. He was educated at Roundhay School, Leeds and went on to study fine art at Kings College, Newcastle. After gaining a BA in Fine Art, he first studied acting at the Central School and then at the Drama Centre London, a drama school he helped found.
He worked at the Royal Court theatre from 1965 to 1969, and here he was involved in the first production of "Saved" by Edward Bond, and also "Narrow Road To the Deep North" and "Early Morning" by the same author. He won the "Most promising actor of year" in 1967, for his performance in David Storey's restoration of "Arnold Middleton".
During the 1970s, he went on to appear and star in many television dramas, including: Ready When You Are, Mr. McGill (1976) by Jack Rosenthal, All Good Men (1974), Through the Night (1975), the series Bill Brand (1976) (all by Trevor Griffiths) and in 1977 appeared in Count Dracula (1977).
In 1971, he teamed up with the actor Richard Wilson and together they ran a drama studio in north London. Their intention was to provide workshops for professional actors to meet and develop their skills. Shepherd and Wilson took the classes on alternate weeks, each taking part in the others. It was during these times that Shepherd developed an interest in devising plays for theatre. He wrote "The Sleep of Reasons" which was produced at the Edinburgh festival in 1974; in 1982 he wrote "Real Time"; in 1983 he wrote the play "Revelations"; "Underdog" and "Clapperclaw" were both written for the BBC. Most recently, in 1998 he wrote "Half Moon".
He was a member of the National Theatre from 1978 to 1986 and was a regular member of Bill Bryden's company in Cottlesloe. He appeared in "American Buffal" as Teach, and won "best actor" for his performance as Roma in "Glengarry Glen Ross". He appeared as Hickey in "The Iceman Cometh" and a variety of biblical characters in the mysteries which were recently revived to celebrate the millennium.
During the 80s and 90s, he continued to work in television. Some of his work includes: Escape from Sobibor (1987), Blind Justice (1988), Ball-Trap on the Cote Sauvage (1989), A Day in Summer (1989) and, most famously, the part of Detective Superintendent Charles Wycliffe, in Wycliffe (1993) (from 1994-1998). His work has not been exclusive to theatre and television. He has appeared in several films throughout his long career; these include: The Virgin Soldiers (1969), Lights and Shadows (1988), Twenty-One (1991) and Wonderland (1999). Quite recently, Richard Wilson and Shepherd were re-united in the ITV six-part comedy series High Stakes (2001).
Not only does he act and write, he has also directed many stage plays, notably "Two Gentlemen of Verona" for the opening season at The Globe, "King Lear" at Southwalk Playhouse, "The School of Night" by Peter Whelan at Chichester and "A Midsummer Night's Dream". Most recently, Shepherd has been seen in the ITV hit drama The Jury (2002) and in the BBC adaptation of Tony Parsons' Man and Boy (2002).
Shepherd is an accomplished jazz musician, favouring the saxophone, but has also been known to play piano and flute in some of his television appearances.- Naomi Chance attended Central School of Drama. After a short period in repertory and on tour she obtained a small screen part and followed this with some starring roles in films opposite some American stars appearing in British films. She became well-known on British TV for her appearances as Amelia Huntley in The Newcomers (1965). Her second husband was a retired naval surgeon, with whom she lived in Devon for many years. Her final appearance was in 1976. She still had friends in the business in London. She frequently went to visit them and wanted to act again, but they told her to forget it. Anthony Hinds, who produced some of her early films, said of her, "She is very talented, but her trouble is she won't sell herself."
- Richard Pasco was born on 18 July 1926 in Barnes, London, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Mrs. Brown (1997), The Watcher in the Woods (1980) and The Man Who Finally Died (1959). He was married to Barbara Leigh-Hunt and Greta Watson. He died on 12 November 2014 in Warwickshire, England, UK.
- Zoran Radanovich was born in Zagreb, Croatia. He is known for Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011), House of Sand and Fog (2003) and The Hunted (2003).
- Actor
- Writer
Bob Mason was born on 29 July 1951 in Rochdale, Lancashire, England, UK. He was an actor and writer, known for The Emperor's New Clothes (2001), Coronation Street (1960) and Guest House Paradiso (1999). He was married to Janet Heppell. He died on 21 September 2004 in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England, UK.- Writer
- Actress
- Producer
- Joseph Shaw was born on 6 January 1920 in Lancashire, England, UK. He was an actor, known for The Brood (1979), Stage by Stage (1954) and Festival (1960). He was married to Mary Savidge. He died on 9 January 2008 in Stratford, Ontario, Canada.
- Actor
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Andrew Russell Garfield was born in Los Angeles, California, to a British mother, Lynn, and American father, Richard Garfield. When he was three, he moved to Surrey, U.K., with his parents and older brother. He is of English and Polish Jewish heritage. Andrew was raised in a middle class family, and attended a private school, the City of London Freemen's School. He began acting in youth theatre productions while he was still at school. At age 19, he went to the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.
His first professional roles were on the stage and in 2005 he made his TV debut in the Channel 4 teen series Sugar Rush (2005) in the UK. More TV work followed (reaching a wider UK audience in a two-part story in the third season of Doctor Who (2005)), as well as a number of movie appearances. Garfield played Eduardo in The Social Network (2010) and Tommy in Never Let Me Go (2010), two films that brought him to full international attention. That same year, he was cast as the title character in the reboot of the Spider-Man film franchise, The Amazing Spider-Man (2012). He reprised the role in the sequel, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014), before passing off the torch to Tom Holland.
Resuming his work in drama films, Garfield starred in Ramin Bahrani's 99 Homes (2014), with Michael Shannon, Mel Gibson's Hacksaw Ridge (2016), about real-life Seventh Day Adventist war hero Desmond Doss, and Martin Scorsese's Silence (2016), opposite Adam Driver, playing Jesuit priests. He received his first Academy Award nomination for Best Actor for his role as Doss.
In 2017, he starred in Andy Serkis-directed drama Breathe (2017), where Garfield plays Robin Cavendish, an adventurous man paralyzed by polio. In 2018, he headlines David Robert Mitchell's noir thriller Under the Silver Lake (2018).- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Martin Freeman is an English actor, known for portraying Bilbo Baggins in Peter Jackson's The Hobbit film trilogy, Tim Canterbury in the original UK version of sitcom mockumentary The Office (2001), Dr. John Watson in the British crime drama Sherlock (2010) and Lester Nygaard in the dark comedy-crime drama TV series Fargo (2014).
His other notable film roles include the romantic comedy Love Actually (2003) and the comic science fiction film The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005).- Actress
- Additional Crew
- Writer
Carrie Frances Fisher was born on October 21, 1956 in Burbank, California, to singers/actors Eddie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds. She was an actress and writer known for Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977), Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983). Fisher is also known for her book, "Postcards from the Edge", and she wrote the screenplay for the movie based on her novel. Carrie Fisher and talent agent Bryan Lourd have a daughter, Billie Lourd (Billie Catherine Lourd), born on July 17, 1992.- Actress
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Natasha Jane Richardson was born in Marylebone, London, England, to director and producer Tony Richardson and actress Vanessa Redgrave. She was the sister of actress Joely Richardson, the niece of actors Corin Redgrave and Lynn Redgrave, and the granddaughter of actors Michael Redgrave and Rachel Kempson.
Trained at London's Central School of Speech and Drama, Richardson performed extensively on stage in roles, including "Helena" in "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and Ophelia in "Hamlet" at the Young Vic. In 1986, she garnered the London Drama Critics' Most Promising Newcomer Award for her performance as "Nina" in "The Seagull", with Vanessa Redgrave and Jonathan Pryce. In 1987, she played "Tracey Lord" in Richard Eyre's musical, "High Society".
Natasha made her feature film debut as Mary Shelley in Ken Russell's Gothic (1986). Her performance caught the attention of director Paul Schrader, who cast her in the title role in Patty Hearst (1988). Natasha achieved notable success in such films as Pat O'Connor's A Month in the Country (1987), Roland Joffé's Fat Man and Little Boy (1989) and The Favour, the Watch and the Very Big Fish (1991), featuring Bob Hoskins and Jeff Goldblum. For her performance in Volker Schlöndorff's The Handmaid's Tale (1990) and Schrader's The Comfort of Strangers (1990), Richardson earned The London Evening Standard Award for Best Actress of 1990; and for Widows' Peak (1994), also starring Mia Farrow and Joan Plowright, she received the Best Actress Award at the 1994 Karlovy Vary Festival.
Also in 1994, she co-starred with Jodie Foster and Liam Neeson in Nell (1994) and, in 1998, in The Parent Trap (1998) with Dennis Quaid. Her early 2000s films include Blow Dry (2001) released in 2001, and Ethan Hawke's Chelsea Walls (2001).
Natasha performed the title role of "Anna Christie", first in London, where she was voted London Drama Critics' Best Actress Award in 1992, then on Broadway at the Roundabout in 1993, where she was nominated for a Tony for Best Actress in a Play, a Theatre World Award for Outstanding Debut, the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Debut of an Actress, and a Drama Desk nomination for Best Actress. For her performance as Sally Bowles in Sam Mendes' production of "Cabaret", she won the 1998 Tony, Outer Critics Circle, Drama League and Drama Desk Awards for Best Actress in a Musical. She then appeared on Broadway in Patrick Marber's Tony-nominated play "Closer". In December 2009 she had been intended to play "Miss Julie" on Broadway with Philip Seymour Hoffman, directed by David Leveaux for Roundabout Theatre.
Richardson's television credits included Henrik Ibsen's "Ghosts" for the BBC, also starring Judi Dench, Michael Gambon and Kenneth Branagh; the HBO cable feature Hostages (1992); the BBC film Suddenly, Last Summer (1993), based on the play by Tennessee Williams, and also starring Maggie Smith and Rob Lowe. In 1993 she starred as Zelda Fitzgerald in the TNT movie Zelda (1993), co-starring Timothy Hutton and directed by Pat O'Connor (cable Ace nomination for Best Actress). She played Ruth Gruber in the 2001 CBS mini-series Haven (2001) based on Ms. Gruber's autobiography.
In March 2009, Natasha died in a New York City hospital, after falling and receiving a head injury whilst skiing in Mont Tremblant, Quebec, Canada. Natasha was married to actor Liam Neeson from 1994 until her death, and the couple have two children.- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Gael García Bernal was born in Guadalajara to Patricia Bernal, an actress/model & José Ángel García, an actor/director. His stepfather's cinematographer Sergio Yazbek. He began his acting career as a child, working w/ his parents in a variety of plays. At 14, he starred in a soap opera called El abuelo y yo (1992). He appeared in film school exercises and short films, including De tripas, corazón (1996), which was directed by Antonio Urrutia & nominated for an Academy Award for Best Short Film. He also starred in El ojo en la nuca (2001), a short film directed by Rodrigo Plá. He studied acting at the Central School of Speech & Drama in London. Amores Perros (2000) was his first major feature film, followed by And Your Mother Too (2001), directed by Alfonso Cuarón & filmed by Emmanuel Lubezki.- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Joseph Morgan was born in London and spent his childhood with his family in Swansea, Wales. Morgan moved back to London in his late teens to study acting at the Central School of Speech and Drama. While there he continued to write and experiment with filmmaking, participating in student films and work-shopping scenes from his favorite movies. Upon graduation from Central School, Morgan was hired by acclaimed film director Peter Weir to costar opposite Russell Crowe in 'Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World.' Soon after completion of that film, director Oliver Stone hired Morgan for a strong supporting role in the feature film 'Alexander.' After 'Alexander', Morgan spent time working on stage in the West End of London, as well as starring in numerous British television dramas including BBC miniseries 'The Line of Beauty', 'Henry VIII' opposite Emily Blunt, 'Doc Martin' and 'Mansfield Park'. Morgan was also hired by Harmony Korine to play a James Dean impersonator in his film 'Mister Lonely' His big break came in 2009, when Morgan was cast in the leading role in the miniseries 'Ben Hur'. Based on the classic novel and film, 'Ben Hur' was directed by Emmy winner Steve Shill. In 2010, Morgan's film projects included the independent drama 'Angels Crest', and the big-budget film 'Immortals', in which he co-starred with Mickey Rourke. Later that year he was cast as "Klaus" a series regular in the CW hit series 'The Vampire Diaries' After two short years as "Klaus" Morgan was offered a spin-off show called 'The Originals' and centered around his character. 'The Originals' ran for five seasons earning Morgan numerous nominations as well as The People's Choice award for favorite actor in a new show. During his time on the show Morgan spent his hiatus' shooting indie films 'Open Grave' opposite Shalto Copley and 'Desiree' opposite Walton Goggins and and Ron Perlman. He went on to direct three episodes of 'The Originals' bringing his unique style to an established show, garnering a very positive response from colleagues and critics alike. In 2015 Joseph Morgan started a production Company - Night Owl Productions - with his wife and creative partner Persia White. Under that banner they wrote and produced two short films which Morgan directed. The first 'Revelation' went on to play at eight film festivals, winning the best fantasy film award at Flickers. The second 'Carousel' was filmed over seven hard days with a crew of over fifty passionate people striving to achieve maximum production value. It went on to play at numerous film festivals and win Best Drama Short at the London Independent Film Awards August 2018.- Jennifer Anne Ehle is an American actress, the daughter of English actress Rosemary Harris and American author John Ehle. She won the BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress for her role as Elizabeth Bennet in the 1995 BBC miniseries Pride and Prejudice. For her work on Broadway, she won the 2000 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for The Real Thing, and the 2007 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for The Coast of Utopia.
- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Stylish Rupert James Hector Everett was born on May 29, 1959, in Burnham Deepdale, Norfolk, to Sara (Maclean) and Anthony Michael Everett, a Major in the British Army, who later worked in business. Of royal stock, he is of primarily English, Scottish, and Irish ancestry with a dash of German and Dutch thrown in for good measure.
Everett grew up in privileged circumstances, but the wry, sometimes arrogant intellectual was a rebel from the very beginning. At the age of seven, he was placed into the care of Benedictine monks at Ampleforth College where he trained classically on the piano. He was expelled from the Central School of Speech and Drama in London for clashing with his teachers and instead apprenticed himself at the avant-garde Glasgow Citizen's Theatre in Scotland, performing in such productions as "Don Juan" and "Heartbreak House." He moved from stage to British TV in 1982 with sophisticated appearances on such series as "Strangers" "Play for Today" and "The Agatha Christie Hour" and the more visibly seen mini-series Princess Daisy (1983) and The Far Pavilions (1984).
In 1984, Everett filmed a leading gay role in the acclaimed collegiate-themed picture Another Country (1984), which he had performed earlier on stage in 1981. Earning a BAFTA nomination and shooting to international attention, Rupert became one of England's hottest crossover stars. Top patrician roles in quality films came his way such as Dance with a Stranger (1985) opposite Miranda Richardson and Duet for One (1986) starring Julie Andrews and Alan Bates. The rebel went international instead of Hollywood, however, with top-billing in the Aussie feature The Right Hand Man (1987) with Hugo Weaving; the Italian-made Chronicle of a Death Foretold (1987) and the French drama Tolérance (1989) opposite Ugo Tognazzi.
Again, however, the wickedly sharp and suave actor doused his own star fire by clashing with the press and even his own fans in the late 1980's. In 1989, Everett openly and proudly declared his homosexuality which put an initial damper on his status as a romantic leading man. Appearing sporadically in such featured roles as the Prince of Wales in the majestic drama The Madness of King George (1994) and Lord Rutledge in the family comedy Dunston Checks In (1996), Rupert's popularity was re-energized after playing Julia Roberts' gay confidante to droll effect in the box-office comedy hit My Best Friend's Wedding (1997), earning him both BAFTA and Golden Globe nominations. He continued to impress thereafter, notably in such classical-styled pieces as Shakespeare in Love (1998) (as Christopher Marlowe), A Midsummer Night's Dream (1999) (as Oberon), and the Oscar Wilde plays An Ideal Husband (1999) (as Lord Goring, Golden Globe nominee) and The Importance of Being Earnest (2002) (as Algy). On the lighter, fun side, his predilection for mischief was demonstrated as the cartoonish villain Dr. Claw, the nemesis of Matthew Broderick's title character, in Inspector Gadget (1999).
Into the millennium, Rupert continued to be a vibrant presence on stage with a tour of "Private Lives" (in Italian) in 2008, a 2009 Broadway revival of "Blithe Spirit" (his New York debut) and as Henry Higgins in Shaw's "Pygmalion" in Munich the following year. He went on to play Oscar Wilde in "The Judas Kiss" in 2013 and was about to play George on Broadway in "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" when the play closed before it officially opened due to the COVID pandemic in 2020. On TV, he played the effortlessly suave Sherlock Holmes in Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Silk Stocking (2004), the Marquis de Feron in the British series The Musketeers (2014) and Carroll Quinn in a second British series Adult Material (2020).
On film, Everett enhanced the royal dramas To Kill a King (2003) and Stage Beauty (2004) as King Charles I and King Charles II, respectively. Known for his aloof handsomeness and often smug, piss-elegant characters, he engagingly portrayed a jet-setter in the contemporary film People (2004); provided the voice of the unprincely Prince Charming in the animated features Shrek 2 (2004) and Shrek the Third (2007); played a British defector opposite Sharon Stone in the romantic thriller A Different Loyalty (2004); a millionaire playboy involved in a hit-and-run in Separate Lies (2005); an eccentric tycoon in Hysteria (2011); King George VI (father of Queen Elizabeth) opposite Emily Watson's Queen Mum in the romantic dramedy A Royal Night Out (2015); a monsignor in If I Had a Heart (2013); and tortured gay playwright Oscar Wilde during his last days in The Happy Prince (2018), which he wrote and directed.
A novelist on the sly with Hello, Darling, Are You Working? (1989), Rupert has also published two volumes of memoirs: Red Carpets and Other Banana Skins (2006) and Vanished Years (2012), produced documentaries .- Actress
- Producer
- Director
Kathleen Turner was born June 19, 1954 in Springfield, Missouri, to Patsy (Magee) and Allen Richard Turner, a U.S. Foreign Service officer. She graduated from American School in London in 1972. After the death of her father, the Turner family moved back to the United States where Kathleen later enrolled at Missouri State University for two years, and earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) in 1977. Kathleen made her film debut in Body Heat (1981), her role as the relentless Matty Waker brought her astronomical success, and is remembered as one of the sexiest roles in film history. After her initial success, Kathleen continued to flourish with performances in The Man with Two Brains (1983), Romancing the Stone (1984), The Jewel of the Nile (1985), Prizzi's Honor (1985), Peggy Sue Got Married (1986), The War of the Roses (1989), and Serial Mom (1994).- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Laurence Olivier could speak William Shakespeare's lines as naturally as if he were "actually thinking them", said English playwright Charles Bennett, who met Olivier in 1927. Laurence Kerr Olivier was born in Dorking, Surrey, England, to Agnes Louise (Crookenden) and Gerard Kerr Olivier, a High Anglican priest. His surname came from a great-great-grandfather who was of French Huguenot origin.
One of Olivier's earliest successes as a Shakespearean actor on the London stage came in 1935 when he played "Romeo" and "Mercutio" in alternate performances of "Romeo and Juliet" with John Gielgud. A young Englishwoman just beginning her career on the stage fell in love with Olivier's Romeo. In 1937, she was "Ophelia" to his "Hamlet" in a special performance at Kronborg Castle, Elsinore (Helsingør), Denmark. In 1940, she became his second wife after both returned from making films in America that were major box office hits of 1939. His film was Wuthering Heights (1939), her film was Gone with the Wind (1939). Vivien Leigh and Olivier were screen lovers in Fire Over England (1937), 21 Days Together (1940) and That Hamilton Woman (1941).
There was almost a fourth film together in 1944 when Olivier and Leigh traveled to Scotland with Charles C. Bennett to research the real-life story of a Scottish girl accused of murdering her French lover. Bennett recalled that Olivier researched the story "with all the thoroughness of Sherlock Holmes" and "we unearthed evidence, never known or produced at the trial, that would most certainly have sent the young lady to the gallows". The film project was then abandoned. During their two-decade marriage, Olivier and Leigh appeared on the stage in England and America and made films whenever they really needed to make some money.
In 1951, Olivier was working on a screen adaptation of Theodore Dreiser's novel "Sister Carrie" (Carrie (1952)) while Leigh was completing work on the film version of the Tennessee Williams' play, A Streetcar Named Desire (1951). She won her second Oscar for bringing "Blanche DuBois" to the screen. Carrie (1952) was a film that Olivier never talked about. George Hurstwood, a middle-aged married man from Chicago who tricked a young woman into leaving a younger man about to marry her, became a New York street person in the novel. Olivier played him as a somewhat nicer person who didn't fall quite as low. A PBS documentary on Olivier's career broadcast in 1987 covered his first sojourn in Hollywood in the early 1930s with his first wife, Jill Esmond, and noted that her star was higher than his at that time. On film, he was upstaged by his second wife, too, even though the list of films he made is four times as long as hers.
More than half of his film credits come after The Entertainer (1960), which started out as a play in London in 1957. When the play moved across the Atlantic to Broadway in 1958, the role of "Archie Rice"'s daughter was taken over by Joan Plowright, who was also in the film. They married soon after the release of The Entertainer (1960).- Actor
- Director
- Producer
Bob Hoskins was described by the director John Mackenzie as "an actor from the British tradition but with an almost American approach, an instinctive approach to acting and knowing how to work with the camera". He was born on October 26, 1942, in Bury St. Edmund's, Suffolk, where his mother was living after being evacuated as a result of the heavy bombings. He is the son of Elsie Lillian (Hopkins), a nursery school teacher and cook, and Robert William Hoskins, Sr., who drove a lorry and worked as a bookkeeper. Growing up, Hoskins received only limited education and he left school at 15, but with a passion for language and literature instilled by his former English teacher.
A regular theatre-goer, Hoskins dreamed of starring on stage, but before he could do so he had to work odd jobs for a long time to make ends meet. His acting career started out more by accident than by design, when he accompanied a friend to watch some auditions, only to be confused for one of the people auditioning, getting a script pushed into his hands with the message "You're next". He got the part and acquired an agent. After some stage success, he expanded to television with roles in television series such as Villains (1972) and Thick as Thieves (1974). In the mid-'70s, he started his film career, standing out when he performed alongside Richard Dreyfuss in John Byrum's Inserts (1975) and in a smaller part in Richard Lester's Royal Flash (1975).
Hoskins broke through in 1978 in Dennis Potter's mini TV series, Pennies from Heaven (1978), playing "Arthur Parker", the doomed salesman. After this, a string of high-profile and successful films followed, starting with his true major movie debut in 1980's The Long Good Friday (1980) as the ultimately doomed "Harold Shand". This was followed by such works as The Cotton Club (1984), Mona Lisa (1986), which won him an Oscar nomination as well as a BAFTA award, Cannes Film Festival and Golden Globe), Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) (Golden Globe nomination), Mermaids (1990), Hook (1991), Nixon (1995), Felicia's Journey (1999) and Enemy at the Gates (2001).
Hoskins always carefully balanced the riches of Hollywood with the labor of independent film, though leaned more towards the latter than the former. He worked at smaller projects such as Shane Meadows' debut TwentyFourSeven (1997), in which he starred as "Allen Darcy". Besides this, he found time to direct, write and star in The Raggedy Rawney (1988), as well as direct and star in Rainbow (1995), and contributing to HBO's Tales from the Crypt (1989) and Tube Tales (1999).
Suffering from Parkinson's disease in later years, Hoskins died of pneumonia at age 71 in a London hospital.- Actress
- Music Department
- Director
Dame Judi Dench was born Judith Olivia Dench in York, England, to Eleanora Olive (Jones), who was from Dublin, Ireland, and Reginald Arthur Dench, a doctor from Dorset, England. She attended Mount School in York, and studied at the Central School of Speech and Drama. She has performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company, the National Theatre, and at Old Vic Theatre. She is a ten-time BAFTA winner including Best Actress in a Comedy Series for A Fine Romance (1981) in which she appeared with her husband, Michael Williams, and Best Supporting Actress in A Handful of Dust (1988) and A Room with a View (1985). She received an ACE award for her performance in the television series Mr. and Mrs. Edgehill (1985). She was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1970, a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in 1988 and a Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour (CH) in 2005.- Actor
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Bruce Greenwood was born on 12 August 1956 in Noranda, Québec, Canada. He is an actor and producer, known for Star Trek (2009), Thirteen Days (2000) and I, Robot (2004). He has been married to Susan Devlin since 1985. They have one child.- Actor
- Producer
Nonso Anozie was born on 17 November 1978 in London, England, UK. He is an actor and producer, known for Cinderella (2015), Conan the Barbarian (2011) and Happy-Go-Lucky (2008).- Actor
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
- Soundtrack
Tall, gaunt, and particularly effective in horror and drama films, British actor Julian Sands was born in Otley, Leeds, West Yorkshire, to Brenda and William Sands. He came to the attention of NBC when the network cast him in the TV miniseries The Sun Also Rises (1984) and then with Anthony Hopkins in the television film A Married Man (1983). Sands also got noticed for his very small roles in Privates on Parade (1983) and The Killing Fields (1984). It wasn't until his funny and romantic role opposite Denholm Elliott in A Room with a View (1985) and then his unusual role in Gothic (1986) that he garnered audience acclaim.
He continued work on screen in Vibes (1988), Impromptu (1991) and Steven Spielberg's Arachnophobia (1990), until his most remembered role as Warlock (1989), directed by Steve Miner. The film was a major success and he returned for the sequel, Warlock: The Armageddon (1993). Other credits include Naked Lunch (1991), Tale of a Vampire (1992) and the title role in Dario Argento's The Phantom of the Opera (1998). Sands has more recently been in Stephen King's Rose Red (2002) and was occasionally seen on the English stage.
Sands disappeared on January 13, 2023 after going for a hike near the Mount Baldy area of California's San Bernardino Mountains. Local authorities and search and rescue teams conducted over six weeks of multiple ground and aerial searches, which were unsuccessful. On June 24, 2023, hikers near Mount Baldy discovered human remains. On June 27, 2023, local authorities confirmed the remains to be those of Sands. He was 65 years old.- Actor
- Writer
- Director
Ben Browder is an American actor, writer and director born in Memphis, Tennessee on December 11, 1962, as Robert Benedict Browder.
After a successful college football career with the Furman University Paladins as a Championship-winning Linebacker while starring in theatrical productions and gaining a degree in Psychology, Ben moved to London to study classical acting at the Central School of Speech and Drama.
Ben's acting career started in Charlotte, North Carolina where he was raised. In the late 60s he made TV commercials. In the late 70s he appeared in the children's movie Duncan's World (1977) playing Gates, one of Duncan's best friends.
While at drama school, he says he was highly influenced by Dame Judith Dench, who was a visiting teacher at the school and directed him in several Shakespeare productions. In 1987, he and his future wife, Francesca Buller, were cast in Dustin Hoffman's London West End production of Shakespeare's "Merchant of Venice" (which went on to play on Broadway in New York). He worked as a guest on various TV series, TV pilots and movies before he got his first noted TV series role as Sam Brody in the 3rd season of Party of Five (1994), beginning with episode 9, entitled, "Gimme Shelter".
In 1999, Ben was cast after numerous auditions to play the lead on a science fiction TV series, Farscape (1999) which was filmed in Australia by a collaboration of The Jim Henson Company, Channel 9, Hallmark Company and The Sci-fi Channel. The dramatic and eccentric series where Ben played American astronaut John Crichton unique among a crew of renegade aliens, ran for four seasons on what was then known as the Sci-fi cable channel (until 2002, when it was canceled). After finding financing, "Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars" was filmed to complete the Farscape series. During his time as lead actor on Farscape, Ben wrote two scripts for the show: Season 3's "Green-Eyed Monster" and Season 4's "John Quixote."
Ben also starred as Lt. Colonel Cameron Mitchell in the 9th and 10th seasons of Sci-fi Channel's, "Stargate SG-1", after series star and producer Richard Dean Anderson left the show. During his time as lead actor on the show, Ben was given credit for developing the story for Season 10's "Bad Guys."
In 2008, Stargate SG-1 filmed two made-for-TV movies staring the actors from the television show including Ben playing Lt. Col. Cameron Mitchell. Ark of Truth dealt with the fall of Adria and Ben played a double-role of his grandfather and Cameron Mitchell in the followup movie, Continuum. From 2012, Ben appeared in guest-starring roles twice on the TV show Arrow, playing Ted Gaynor, on Chuck playing a Thug, and on CSI New Orleans playing a sociopath named Randy Pruitt. He made a huge splash as Sheriff Isaac on the seventh season episode of Doctor Who called, "A Town Called Mercy."
Ben has been nominated for the genre industry's Saturn award five times. He took home the award in 2002 for Best Actor in a Television Series (Farscape) and again in 2005 for Best Actor on Television (Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars).
In 2014, Ben made his directorial debut with "Bad Kids of Crestview Academy," for which he also repeated his role as Max Rainwater, a rather dim janitor. He also acted in two movies, "Dead Still" and "RoboRex." Ben recently played an extreme character named George Tildon in an independent art house western called "Outlaws and Angels" directed and written by JT Mollner which debuted in theaters in January 2016. As of the Fall 2016, he is completing work on a horror film called Hoax that takes place in the wilds of Colorado and is prepping for other projects.
Ben makes a few convention appearances each year. In 2012, that included the US and Australia. In 2013, he was in the US - Chicago Stargate Convention, Germany, New Zealand and Australia.
Ben is married to actress Francesca Buller. They met in acting school in London. Ben and Francesca have two children.- Francesca Buller is a British-American actress born in Surrey, England. Classically trained at London's Central School of Speech and Drama, Buller is best known for her work in Syfy's Farscape in which she donned prosthetic make-up and heavy wardrobe to portray four different aliens: M'Lee, ro-Na, Raxil, and War Minister Ahkna. Her work as Ahkna in "Bad Timing" earned Buller a nomination for Best Special Guest Television at the Syfy Genre Awards. Other film and television credits include Minnie Chaplin opposite Robert Downey Jr.'s Chaplin, Dr. Taggert in Heat Stroke, and Lilian in Deceived alongside Goldie Hawn and John Heard. Following her training at Central, Buller found success onstage appearing as Jessica in Dustin Hoffman's West End production of Shakespeare's "Merchant of Venice," staying with the show when it transferred to Broadway in 1989, and Ophelia in Shakespeare Theatre Company's 1992 production of "Hamlet" opposite Tom Hulce, for which she received a Helen Hayes award for Outstanding Supporting Actress. Buller now resides in Los Angeles alongside husband Ben Browder and their two grown kids.
- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Producer
James Nesbitt was born in Ballymena, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, to May, a civil servant, and James Nesbitt, a primary school headmaster. He was educated at Coleraine Academical Institution (also the school of Brian Campbell & Brian McAlister). He originally planned to be a French teacher. It was not until teacher Robert Simpson encouraged him to take an apprenticeship at the local Riverside Theatre that his interest in acting began, eventually leading him to a drama school in London, and to what has become a highly successful acting career.
James is a lover of football.- Actress
- Writer
- Producer
Catherine Tate is an English actress and comedian, primarily known for the role of Donna Noble in the "Doctor Who" franchise.
Tate was born as "Catherine Ford" during 1969, in Bloomsbury. Bloomsbury is a district of the London Borough of Camden, known as the home of several of London's museums, colleges, and universities. Tate's mother Josephine was a florist and raised her daughter as a single mother. Tate was reportedly brought up in a "female-dominated environment", as her grandmother and her godparents helped in her upbringing.
Tate attended St Joseph's Roman Catholic Primary School in Holborn, which was also within the London Borough of Camden. She then attended the Notre Dame High School of Southwark, an all-girls' Roman Catholic comprehensive school. The high school is owned and operated by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, a Roman Catholic institute of religious sisters.
In 1984, the 16-year-old Tate enrolled in the Salesian College of Battersea, a Roman Catholic, Voluntary Aided school for boys. She was one of the College's rare female students, because she was interested in the drama lessons it offered and its theatrical facilities. Afterwards, she applied four times to become a student of the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, whose alumni included famed actors such Laurence Olivier and Peggy Ashcroft. Tate's application became accepted at her fourth attempt.
In the 1990s, Tate started her television career with small roles in the police procedural "The Bill" (1984-2010) and the fire-brigade themed drama "London's Burning" (1988-2002). In 1996, Tate started performing stand-up comedy. In 1998, she was one of the main performers and writers in the late night sketch comedy show "Barking". The show lasted for 1 series, consisting for 6 episodes.
In 2000 and 2001, Tate performed at theatrical shows staged during the annual Edinburgh International Film Festival. The increased attention helped her gain a co-starring role in the sitcom "Wild West" (2002-2004). She played the role of Angela Phillips, a bored bisexual woman living in a small town of Cornwall, the westernmost and southernmost county of England. Angela is involved in an unsatisfying lesbian relationship with Mary Trewednack (played by Dawn French), but they are both seeking other lovers. Having decided that they will stay together until something better comes along. The series lasted for 2 seasons, and a total of 12 episodes.
In 2004, Tate was granted her own television series by BBC Two, called "The Catherine Tate Show" (2004-2007). It was a sketch comedy show, where Tate got to showcase some of the characters she had developed in her comedy routines. Among the most notable of them were the foul-mouthed grandmother Joannie "Nan" Taylor, and the argumentative teenager Lauren Cooper. The initial series lasted for 3 seasons. Tate has occasionally revived the characters in the number of television specials, broadcast from 2009 to 2015. The show allowed Tate to win 2 British Comedy Award, a Royal Television Society Award, and a National Television Award.
Tate's newfound popularity in the United Kingdom helped her receive more theatrical roles, and to make frequent guest appearances in other television shows. In 2006, Tate played the character Donna Noble in the "Doctor Who" Christmas special "The Runaway Bride". In the special, Donna is a secretary for a Torchwood Institute subsidiary company, who is about to get married to fiance. But she is actually a pawn in a larger conspiracy, and her fiance has is one of the conspirators. Donna serves as the Tenth Doctor's companion for this episode. He offers her a more permanent position at the TARDIS time machine, but she declines.
In 2007, Tate played the role of frustrated mother Karen in the television film "The Bad Mother's Handbook", an adaptation of a novel by Kate Lomh (1964-). The film depicts Karen's relationships with her Altzheimer-suffering mother Nan (played by Anne Reid), and her intelligent but temperamental daughter Charlotte (played by Holly Grainger).
In 2008, Tate returned to the character of Donna Noble in the "Doctor Who" television series. She was a main character during Series 4 of the television show, but has her memory erased at the series finale "Journey's End". Tate played an amnesiac Donna in the two-part episode "The End of Time" (December, 2009-January, 2010). Unlike other then-recent female companions of the Doctor, Donna was depicted as his best friend and not as his love interest. Tate was praised for performing well in both the comedic and tragic scenes involving the character. In a number of published polls, Donna was praised by show fans as the second-best companion in the television show's history.
From 2011 to 2013, Tate appeared in the American sitcom "The Office" (2005-2013), playing the regular character Eleanour Donna "Nellie" Bertram. Nellie was depicted as a working-class British woman from the Borough of Basildon, Essex, who somehow got promoted to the position of President of Sabre's special projects. The character often commented at her impoverished background and lack of formal education, and it was implied that she was promoted due to favoritism.
Freom 2013 to 2014, Tate appeared in the British sitcom "Big School" (2013-2014), playing the teacher Sarah Postern. The sitcom depicts comedic interactions between the teachers of Greybridge Secondary School, a typical British secondary school. Sarah is portrayed as an attractive French-language teacher, who is romantically pursued by the nerdy chemistry teacher Keith Church (played by David Walliams) and the stereotypical "jerk jock" sports teacher Trevor Gunn (played by Philip Glenister). The show lasted for 2 seasons, and a total of 12 episodes. While considered a ratings hit for the channel BBC One, it was criticized for its humor being overly traditional and inoffensive.
In 2017, Tate started doing voice work for the American animated television series "DuckTales" (2017-). She was cast in the role of Italian sorceress Magica De Spell, one of the main enemies of series protagonist Scrooge McDuck (played vy David Tennant). Tate served as the replacement for Magica's previous voice actress June Foray (1917-2017), who had died prior to the series' production.
By 2019, Tate was 51 years old, but she continued to remain popular in her native United Kingdom, and to make frequent appearances in American productions. She currently lives in the suburban town of Richmond, within Greater London. She lives with her 16-year-old daughter Erin, the result of a previous relationship. Tate has never married and remains a single mother.- Michael Beck was born on 4 February 1949 in Memphis, Tennessee, USA. He is an actor, known for The Warriors (1979), Xanadu (1980) and Megaforce (1982). He has been married to Carolyn Louise Brendel since September 1980. They have two children.
- Actress
- Additional Crew
Lindsay Duncan was born on 7 November 1950 in Edinburgh, Scotland, UK. She is an actress, known for Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014), About Time (2013) and Under the Tuscan Sun (2003). She is married to Hilton McRae. They have one child.- Actor
- Soundtrack
From the age of one, Kevin Whately lived at Humshaugh near Chollerford in Northumberland. At school he appeared in school plays and when he asked his teacher about acting he was told ' You'll never make a proper living', so he joined a Newcastle accountants. Eventually he moved to London where he attended a drama school, but needing money he spent early mornings busking at Oxford Street tube station and evenings taking tickets at The Old Vic Theatre. Later he moved to Perth in Scotland, where he spent a season in rep. In 1980 he met his wife when they were performing in a production of 'A Nightingale in Berkley Square'. He then moved into television. He is Vice President of the People's Theatre in Newcastle and has an Honorary Doctorate from Newcastle University.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Philip Glenister was born on 10 February 1963 in London, England, UK. He is an actor, known for Kingdom of Heaven (2005), Life on Mars (2006) and Cranford (2007). He has been married to Beth Goddard since 2006. They have two children.- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Riz Ahmed (born 1 December 1982), also known by his stage name Riz MC and birth name Rizwan Ahmed, is a British Pakistani actor, rapper, and activist. As an actor, he has won one Emmy Award, out of two Emmy nominations, and was also nominated for a Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild Award, and three British Independent Film Awards.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Joss Ackland, the distinguished English actor who has appeared in over 100 movies, scores of plays and a plethora of television programs in his six-decade career, was born Sidney Edmond Jocelyn Ackland on February 29, 1928, in North Kensington, London. After attending London's Central School of Speech and Drama, the 17-year-old Ackland made his professional stage debut in "The Hasty Heart" in 1945.
Although he first appeared on film in John Boulting's and Roy Boulting's Oscar-winning thriller Seven Days to Noon (1950) in an uncredited bit role, he made his credited debut in a supporting role in Vernon Sewell's Ghost Ship (1952). He would not again grace the big screen until the end of the decade. Instead, Ackland spent the latter half of the 1940s and the first half of the 1950s honing his craft in regional theatrical companies.
In 1955 he left the English stage behind and moved to Africa to manage a tea plantation, an experience that likely informed his heralded performance 20 years later in White Mischief (1987). In his two years in Africa he wrote plays and did service as a radio disc jockey. Upon his return to England in 1957, he joined the Old Vic company.
From 1962-64 he served as associate director of the Mermaid Theatre. Subsequently, his stage acting career primarily was in London's commercial West End theater, where he made a name for himself in musicals. He was distinguished as Captain Hook in the musical version of "Peter Pan" and as Juan Peron in "Evita". In the straight theater he was a memorable Falstaff in William Shakespeare's "Henry IV Parts 1 & 2" and as Captain Shotover in George Bernard Shaw's "Heartbreak House". In the 1960s Ackland began appearing more regularly in films, and his career as a movie character actor picked up rapidly in the 1970s and began to flourish in the 1980s. It has shown little sign of abating in the 21st century, even though he's well into his 70s.
In addition to his performance in "White Mischief", among his more notable turns as an actor before the camera came in the BBC-TV production of Shadowlands (1986), in which he played 'C.S. Lewis', and in Lethal Weapon 2 (1989) as the ruthless South African heavy, Arjen Rudd.
He is the father of seven children, whom he listed as his "hobby" in a 1981 interview. On December 31, 2000, Joss Ackland was named a Commander of the British Empire on the New Year's Honours List for his 50 years of service to the English stage, cinema and television.- Actor
- Producer
- Additional Crew
Julian Alistair Rhind-Tutt is an English actor, best known for playing Dr "Mac" Macartney in the comedy television series Green Wing (2004-2006). Rhind-Tutt was born in West Drayton, Middlesex, the youngest of five; there was a 10-year gap between him and his two brothers and two sisters. He attended the John Lyon School in Harrow, Middlesex, where he acted in school productions, eventually taking the lead in a school production of Hamlet that played at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in the mid-1980s. After reading English and Theatre Studies at the University of Warwick, he attended the Central School of Speech and Drama in London where he won the 1992 Carleton Hobbs Award from BBC Radio Drama.- Actor
- Writer
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
John Lynch was born on 26 December 1961 in Corrinshego, Newry, Northern Ireland, UK. He is an actor and writer, known for Black Death (2010), The Secret Garden (1993) and Best (2000). He was previously married to Mary McGuckian.- Lucy Cohu was born on 2 October 1968 in Swindon, Wiltshire, England, UK. She is an actress, known for Becoming Jane (2007), Gosford Park (2001) and The Queen's Sister (2005). She was previously married to Corey Johnson.
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Anna Madeley is an English actress. She has been described by the British Theatre Guide's Philip Fisher as one of the United Kingdom's "brightest and most versatile young actresses". She grew up in London and started her career as a child actress. She performed for three seasons with the Royal Shakespeare Company and has appeared in three off-West End productions. She has starred in BBC TV films and on Channel 4. Anna has also done work in radio and film.
Madeley grew up in London, attending North London Collegiate School, and began her career as a child actress. She then trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama.
Madeley has performed three seasons with the Royal Shakespeare Company: 2001-2002; and 2003-2004. She appeared in The Roman Actor opposite Sir Antony Sher.
In 2005 she appeared in three off-West End productions (Laura Wade's Colder Than Here, as well as The Philanthropist (directed by David Grindley) and The Cosmonaut's Last Message..., both at the Donmar Warehouse), and rounded off the year starring as both Aaron and Young Alexander Ashbrook in the original Royal National Theatre production of Helen Edmundson's Coram Boy.
In 2006, Madeley starred in two BBC TV films - as the title character in The Secret Life of Mrs Beeton, and in the original drama Aftersun - and the high-profile ITV drama The Outsiders.
In 2007, Madeley appeared in Channel 4's Consent, which combined a dramatised vignette about an alleged date rape with a "real life" sequence in which lawyers and a jury made up of members of the public participated in a trial. In February 2007, Madeley played Nina in a production of The Seagull for a time, when the main actress fell ill.
She was the only cast member to reprise her role in Grindley's 2009 Broadway production of The Philanthropist.
In 2010 she appeared The Secret Diaries of Miss Anne Lister, based on a script by Jane English, and starring Maxine Peake as Anne Lister, a 19th-century industrialist who was Britain's "first modern lesbian" and who kept a detailed journal. The film was shown on the opening night at the Frameline Film Festival at the Castro Theatre in San Francisco in June 2010.
In January 2013 Madeley starred in Hammer Films' first live theatre play, a new stage adaptation of The Turn of the Screw.
In 2016, she played the role of Clarissa Eden in the Netflix series The Crown.- Amy Manson was born on 9 September 1985 in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, UK. She is an actress, known for The Nevers (2021), Spencer (2021) and Beats (2019).
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Thomas Payne (born 21 December 1982) is an English actor. He is known for appearing on AMC's The Walking Dead as Paul "Jesus" Rovia (2016-2018).
Payne was born in Chelmsford, Essex, and grew up in Bath, Somerset, where he attended King Edward's School and was a prolific contributor to the school's drama department. He attended the Royal Central School of Speech & Drama, graduating in June 2005. He then appeared in Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day.
In January 2007, he first appeared in Waterloo Road for the BBC, playing sixth former Brett Aspinall. Despite being 24 at the time, Payne portrayed a 17-year-old character. He remained in the series until the end of the following season in March 2008. It was revealed afterwards that he would not be returning for the new season, beginning in January 2009.
In 2009, Payne played George Best in Best: His Mother's Son, a BBC 2 film about the legendary footballer. In the same year he appeared in Marple: They Do It With Mirrors and Wuthering Heights for ITV.
Payne was named as one of Screen International's Stars of Tomorrow 2007.
On 8 March 2010, it was announced that Tom had joined the cast of Luck a new pilot for HBO directed by Michael Mann, written by David Milch, starring Dustin Hoffman and Nick Nolte. He plays the role of a Cajun jockey.
In 2012, he was cast in the title role of The Physician (based on the book of the same name) alongside Stellan Skarsgard and Ben Kingsley.
Payne was cast with a recurring role in Season 6 of The Walking Dead, as Paul "Jesus" Rovia, and promoted to series regular for season 7.
Payne has been dating singer Jennifer Åkerman since late 2013. He later revealed on an episode of Talking Dead that they are engaged.
His younger brother Will Payne is also an actor.- Actress
- Writer
- Producer
Zoë Tapper was born on 26 October 1981 in Bromley, Kent, England, UK. She is an actress and writer, known for Stage Beauty (2004), Affinity (2008) and Blood (2012). She has been married to Oliver Dimsdale since 30 December 2008. They have one child.- Oliver was born in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England. After studying there since 1997, he graduated from the Central School of Speech and Drama in 2000 and he soon appeared in the BBC big-budget adaptation of the classic novel Lorna Doone (2000). He followed this with another BBC Show, The Office (2001), where he appeared as "Ricky Howard" for the first series. Oliver was most recently seen starring in the Channel Four comedy series Green Wing (2004), Nathan Barley (2005) and The IT Crowd (2006). He also made an appearance in the highly anticipated Sharpe's Challenge (2006).
Oliver most notably played Nick Medhurst, the ATO for the British army unit Bluestone 42 (2013) in the BBC Three comedy of the same name, Chris played Nick from 2013-15, and appeared in all 3 seasons. It followed his attempts at getting with the patrol base padre Mary while also showing the reality of fighting a war in these times, while also having a heap of fun and banter and comradeship with his unit. - Actress
- Soundtrack
Sally Bretton was born on 23 April 1980. She is an actress, known for Green Wing (2004), The Office (2001) and Outlaw (2007).- Actor
- Producer
- Additional Crew
Corey Johnson was born on 17 May 1961 in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Morbius (2022), The Mauritanian (2021) and Captain Phillips (2013).- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Graham Norton was born on 4 April 1963 in County Cork, Ireland. He is an actor and writer, known for Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga (2020), So Graham Norton (1998) and Soul (2020). He has been married to Jono McLeod since 10 July 2022.- Actor
- Soundtrack
The son of a naval officer who ran what were called "concert parties", Kenneth Connor made his stage debut at age two, and by 11 was performing in both a solo act and a doubles act with his brother in various revue shows. He later decided to become a serious actor rather than just a revue performer, and attended a professional music and drama school. After a six-year stint in the army, he returned to the theater as an actor, and secured quite a few roles on the stage. For all his training, though, he found his greatest success doing voice characterizations on radio comedy shows. His success there led to his being cast in the first "Carry On" film, and he went on to become one of the regulars in the long-running series. After it ended Connor did a lot of television work, and achieved another round of success as the undertaker Alphonse in the popular TV series, 'Allo 'Allo! (1982). He died of cancer in 1993.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Carolyn Seymour is a highly accomplished actress of stage and screen, with a long and impressive list of credits on both sides of the Atlantic.
Born in Buckinghamshire to an Estonian father with Russian descent and an Irish mother, Carolyn trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama, before rising to fame with starring roles in Peter Barnes' much acclaimed THE RULING CLASS starring Peter O'Toole and directed by Peter Medak, Terry Nation's cult sci-fi television series SURVIVORS and the BBC's TAKE THREE GIRLS.
Multiple film credits include GUMSHOE opposite Albert Finney for director Stephen Frears, STEPTOE & SON, MR. MUM with Michael Keaton, and CONGO for director Frank Marshall.
Carolyn's extensive theatre work includes THE GREAT EXHIBITION written by Sir David Hare, for which Carolyn starred opposite David Warner and Penelope Wilton at The Hampstead Theatre. The production was directed by Sir Richard Eyre.
Carolyn received critical praise for a role as Ophelia in HAMLET at The Gielgud (formerly The Globe Theatre), directed by Peter Coe and produced by Sam Wanamaker. ON APPROVAL saw Carolyn starring opposite Kenneth More and Moray Watson at The Vaudeville Theatre. In THE PRODIGAL DAUGHTER Carolyn co-starred with Wilfred Hyde-White for the production at the Theatre Royal Brighton followed by a national tour, both directed by Roger Redfarn. HAY FEVER marked Carolyn's debut on Broadway playing Myra Arundel for director Brian Murray. SCHOOL FOR SCANDAL directed by Brian Bedford would follow at The Taper in Los Angeles.
Carolyn made the effortless transition to American television during the 1980s, with celebrated performances in a multitude of hit, award-winning series including FAMILY TIES, HART TO HART, CAGNEY & LACEY, MAGNUM P.I., MURDER SHE WROTE, QUANTUM LEAP, L.A LAW and ER. Recurring guest appearances on the Emmy award-winning STAR TREK: The Next Generation and STAR TREK Voyager, like that of her work on SURVIVORS, have also drawn a strong and devoted fan-base.
Carolyn is also a regular voice artist, recording audio adaptations of stage plays by Sir Alan Ayckbourn (TABLE MANNERS and LIVING TOGETHER), as well as TOP GIRLS by celebrated playwright Caryl Churchill. For Big Finish Productions, and by the demand of her loyal fans, Carolyn returned to her iconic role of Abby Grant in SURVIVORS, as well as guest-starring alongside the surviving DOCTOR WHO's.
Over 5 decades in the industry, Carolyn has continued to adapt to the demands of the business including successfully transitioning into the world of video games, with multiple projects for the STAR WARS franchise amongst many others.
Having resided in the United States and France for many years, Carolyn returns to her native England in Summer 2021 with plans to return to her roots - British stage and screen.
Carolyn divides her personal time between her family, her love of art, and her passion for charitable work including animal activism and supporting the homeless.- Wanda Ventham was born on 5 August 1935 in Brighton, East Sussex, England, UK. She is an actress, known for UFO (1970), Invasion: UFO (1974) and Sherlock (2010). She has been married to Timothy Carlton since April 1976. They have one child. She was previously married to James Tabernacle.
- Frances Lee McCain was born on 28 July 1944 in York, Pennsylvania, USA. She is an actress, known for Back to the Future (1985), Gremlins (1984) and Footloose (1984).
- Actress
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Kathryn Drysdale is known for playing Louise Brooks for 8 seasons in sitcom "Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps" as Taylor in "St Trinians" and as heiress Rhoda Swartz in period feature Vanity Fair . She is also well known as Lizzie in "Tripping Over" directed by Sam Miller and as Natalie in the British sitcom "Benidorm". She is known for her theatre work with the Royal Shakespeare Company and recently in "The Ruling Class" opposite James Mcavoy. She voices the character of Bounce in Netflix series Bottersnikes and Gumbles .- Julian Wadham was born on 7 August 1958 in Ware, Hertfordshire, England, UK. He is an actor, known for The English Patient (1996), The Madness of King George (1994) and Goya's Ghosts (2006). He was previously married to Shirley Cassedy.
- Finty Williams was born on 24 September 1972 in England, UK. She is an actress, known for Gosford Park (2001), The Importance of Being Earnest (2002) and Macbeth (2014).
- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Producer
From Greek and Norwegian heritage, Demetri Goritsas is originally from Eugene, Oregon, USA, and also grew up in Prince George, British Columbia, Canada. He has lived most of his life in London, England.
He has acted in over eighty films and television episodes including the Emmy and Golden Globe winning TV series The Alienist, Black Mirror "Nosedive" and Episodes, as well as the Academy and BAFTA winning films Darkest Hour, Rush and Saving Private Ryan.
In theatre he has premiered or originated roles at the UK's National Theatre, the Royal Court and the Almeida, as well as working with such directors and writers as Debbie Tucker Green, Edward Albee, David Mamet, Jack O'Brien, Ian Rickson and Anne Washburn.- Although he did not turn to the stage until middle age after two decades in the Royal Navy, Jack Gwillim was a notable actor on both sides of the Atlantic. During the 1950s he was a member of the Royal Shakespeare company in Stratford, England, for three years during Sir Anthony Quayle's stint as artistic director, and a member of the Old Vic Company for a further three years. His extensive theatre credits included many leading roles in the West End including "Sacred Flame" with Gladys Cooper and Wendy Hiller, "The Right Honourable Gentleman" with Quayle, "The Dark is Light Enough" with Dame Edith Evans, "Castle In Sweden" with Diane Cilento, "Portrait Of Murder", "A Kind Of Folly" with Dame Flora Robson, "You Never Can Tell" and "Merchant Of Venice" with Sir Ralph Richardson. In 1969 he emigrated to the United States, working in top regional theaters, off-Broadway and Broadway. His Broadway credits include the role of Col. Pickering in Rex Harrison revival of "My Fair Lady", and Ingrid Bergman's husband in "The Constant Wife" directed by Sir John Gielgud. Other Broadway shows included "Ari", "MacBeth" with Christopher Plummer and 'Glenda Jackson (I)', "Romeo and Juliet", "Lost in the Stars" with Brock Peters, "The Iceman Cometh" with James Earl Jones and with the Old Vic "MacBeth", "Romeo and Juliet" with Claire Bloom, "Richard II" and "Troilus and Cressida." He did numerous tours in the U.S including "Laurette" with Judy Holliday.
On stage he has worked with such actors as Sir Ralph Richardson, Sir Anthony Quayle, Dame Judith Anderson, Judi Dench, Sir Michael Redgrave and Richard Burton. He is also known for war films such as Pursuit of the Graf Spee (1956) with Peter Finch, The One That Got Away (1957), North West Frontier (1959) with Lauren Bacall and Sink the Bismarck! (1960). His work in epics includes Solomon and Sheba (1959) with Yul Brynner, Cromwell (1970) with Richard Harris, Oscar-winning films Lawrence of Arabia (1962), Patton (1970) and A Man for All Seasons (1966). His work in cult favorites includes Jason and the Argonauts (1963) and Clash of the Titans (1981) with Sir Laurence Olivier. His work in "Hammer" films includes Sword of Sherwood Forest (1960) with Peter Cushing, Circus of Horrors (1960) and The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb (1964). He also co-starred in the Disney hit In Search of the Castaways (1962) with Maurice Chevalier and Hayley Mills.
His voice work can be heard on Caedmon Records in "Anthony & Cleopatra", "King John", "Macbeth", "Richard II", "Titus Andronicus", "Troilus and Cressida", "Hamlet", "A Midsummer Night's Dream", and "Henry IV" parts I and II and "Henry V". - Michael Elphick was a fantastic and very popular actor. He will be best remembered for his role as Ken Boon in the hit series Boon (1986). He died tragically at the early age of 55. He had been in ill-health for some years, caused by a long-running battle with alcohol, which was exacerbated by the early death of his partner of many years.
Best remembered for Boon (1986), his career was no one-hit wonder. Elphick had been working in television for the past 33 years and his many excellent performances included Dennis Potter's Blue Remembered Hills (1979), as the bully, Peter; The Knowledge (1979), when he played a would-be London cab driver driven almost to despair by the sadistic examiner (played by Nigel Hawthorne); Private Schulz (1981), Auf Wiedersehen, Pet (1983) and Three Up Two Down (1985).
His film career was arguably less successful but none-the-less featured a rich and varied vein of characterisations.
His final role proved to be the film Out of Bounds (2003), in which he unfortunately had quite a small role, and millions saw his final television role, in EastEnders (1985), where he excelled in a very different role, showing just what a fine actor he was. - Actor
- Writer
- Director
Such is the mythology that has sprung up around Bruce Robinson's first film, the openly autobiographical Withnail & I (1987), that it's often hard to separate fact from fiction. But the facts appear to be these: trained as an actor at London's Central School of Speech and Drama, he got off to a good early start when he was given a reasonably prominent part as Benvolio in Franco Zeffirelli's Romeo and Juliet (1968). But despite this and other parts for the likes of Ken Russell (The Music Lovers (1971)) and François Truffaut (the male lead in The Story of Adele H (1975)), he found that acting mostly involved fruitless waiting for the phone to ring interspersed with the occasional TV commercial, while desperately trying to make ends meet. So he began writing screenplays in the mid-1970s, and was lucky enough to secure the patronage of producer David Puttnam who finally produced Robinson's script about Cambodia, The Killing Fields (1984) for which he was nominated for an Oscar. But cult success was to come a couple of years later when he wrote and directed Withnail & I (1987), a film about the squalid lives of two unemployed actors that was elevated to iconic status by students all over the world and which shot newcomer Richard E. Grant to stardom. Robinson's subsequent films, the advertising satire How to Get Ahead in Advertising (1989) and the serial-killer thriller Jennifer 8 (1992), while less memorable than his debut, both show that Robinson has more than enough intelligence and brio to make his future career worth following.- Emma Stansfield was born in 1978 in Monmouth, Wales, UK. She is an actress, known for The Salisbury Poisonings (2020), Endeavour (2012) and Accused (2010).
- Actress
- Producer
Born in London, England, Hannah insisted at age 4 to attend ballet school, setting her on a performing path in life. She later turned her focus to acting and joined The National Youth Theatre of Great Britain. Her interest in other cultures led her to travel around the world, including Bolivia where she did volunteer work in children's homes. Upon her return to England, she attended Leeds University, majoring in English and Spanish and performing in numerous stage productions in both languages. Hannah earned her a First Class honors degree and promptly moved to Spain to further master the language through immersion and even studied Sanford Meisner, with Frank Feys, in Spanish.
Hannah was quickly scouted by View Management, a top Spanish modeling agency, and decided to pursue print and commercial work to support her studies in Barcelona and Madrid and save for drama school back home. She was accepted and attended London University's Central School of Speech and Drama. While pursuing her degree, Hannah was offered several Spanish projects, including the lead in the 11-part mini-series adaptation of María Dueñas' best-selling novel "El Tiempo Entre Costuras". Although against standard school policy, Central allowed Hannah to continue her studies while shooting this and several other projects in Spain and in December 2011, she graduated with a Masters in Acting with Distinction.
Since graduation, Hannah landed her first American role as one of the leads in "Shelter," a pilot for Warner Bros. and the CW that was produced by J.J. Abrams. She was then cast in Walt Disney Pictures' Maleficent (2014), starring Angelina Jolie. Hannah plays "Leila", the beautiful mother of young Princess Aurora, and the film will be released in March, 2014. She will next star, among an international cast, in the pirate drama, Black Sails (2014). The 8-episode series for Starz is executive-produced by Michael Bay, Jonathan E. Steinberg and Robert Levine. Hannah plays "Eleanor Guthrie", a beautiful and courageous owner of a rowdy Bahamas saloon, who must run her father's black market business as supplier to dangerous pirates.
Hannah continues to reside in London, England.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Rufus Sewell was born on the 29th of October 1967 in Twickenham, England. His mother, Jo, was Welsh, and was an artist and painter. His father, Bill Sewell, was an English-Australian animator who was born in Australia to English parents and died when Rufus was 10. He has one brother, Caspar. He attended London's Central School of Speech and Drama and left in June of 1989 after completing three years of training.
He made his London Stage debut in "Making It Better" for which he won the "Best Newcomer Award"; he also originated the role of Septimus Hodge in Tom Stoppards "Arcadia" and was nominated for an Olivier Award. On the Broadway stage, he debuted in "Translations" and received the Broadway Theater World Award. His film work has been equally varied and acclaimed from the junkie in Twenty-One (1991), the sweet bus driver in A Man of No Importance (1994), and the volatile artist in Carrington (1995). The lustful son in Cold Comfort Farm (1995), the protagonist hounded Dostoevsky-like in Dark City (1998), the star-crossed suitor in Dangerous Beauty (1998), to the the bitter, acidic, alcoholic coke-head of The Very Thought of You (1998), he has appeared in some of the most acclaimed theatre, film and television productions.- Actor
- Writer
- Soundtrack
Enn Reitel was born on 21 June 1950 in Forfar, Angus, Scotland, UK. He is an actor and writer, known for Corpse Bride (2005), The Adventures of Tintin (2011) and Dead Silence (2007).- Keegan studied at the Central School of Speech and Drama. Theatre includes: Susan in Abigails Party directed by Sarah Esdaile , ATG Tour, Alan Ayckbourn's The Revengers Comedies. A Message for the Broken Hearted by Gregory Motton, directed by Ramin Gray at The Liverpool Playhouse, Cunigonde in Candide, directed by David Farr at The Gate Theatre. Bedroom Farce, directed by Loveday Ingram at The Aldwych Theatre. The Ghost Is Here, directed by Kazuoshi Kushida, New National Theatre, Tokyo. Hushabye Mountain by Jonathan Harvey directed by Paul Miller at The Hampstead Theatre.
She was picked by Kazuoshi Kushida to join his company at The New National Theatre in Tokyo and perform and sing in Japanese.
On the film scene she played Transom in Thunderbirds (2004). She featured in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010) as the red-haired witch and had a part in Driving Lessons (2006) with Rupert Grint and Julie Walters.
Keegan has appeared in numerous British television programmes in a career spanning three decades. She made recurring appearances in Under the Hammer (1993) with Richard Wilson and was a regular on Hearts and Bones (2000) as well as making an appearance in Gimme Gimme Gimme (1999) by writer Jonathan Harvey. - Actor
- Director
- Additional Crew
Jamie Glover was born on 10 July 1969. He is an actor and director, known for Agatha Raisin (2014), An Adventure in Space and Time (2013) and Waterloo Road (2006).- Barry Evans was born on 18 June 1943 in Guildford, Surrey, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Mind Your Language (1977), Journey to Murder (1971) and Journey to the Unknown (1968). He died on 11 February 1997 in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, England, UK.
- Actor
- Soundtrack
This fair-haired, craggy-faced English character actor was born Edmund Jeremy James Walker, scion of Yorkshire landed gentry. After national service with the Gordon Highlanders and the Black Watch, Kemp adopted his mother's maiden name as his stage moniker and studied acting at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London. He then made the rounds of repertory theatre and joined the Royal Shakespeare Company at the Old Vic for two seasons. On the London stage from 1958, he tended to specialise in portraying military or aristocratic types. That same year, Kemp won the Carleton Hobbs Bursary award which led to a six-month contract with the BBC's Radio Drama Company.
His screen career had actually begun four years earlier but had not amounted to much until the early 60s. Kemp spent a year as PC Steele in the original cast of the long-running police series Z Cars (1962) and his consequent popularity ensured that a number of juicy (mainly military) roles came his way on both the small and the big screen: Squadron Leader Tony Shaw in the wartime POW drama Colditz (1972), the aristocratic German fighter ace Willi von Klugermann mentoring The Blue Max (1966), the spy Colonel Kurt Von Ruger in Darling Lili (1970), Brigadier General Armin von Roon in The Winds of War (1983) (and its sequel) and General Horatio Gates in the miniseries George Washington (1984). He was also a memorably crusty Robert Picard, Patrick Stewart's conservative older brother in Family (1990).
Though once described as "a sinister-looking bloke with a smile like a razor", Kemp was a confident, natural performer with a larger-than-life personality. He was not averse to occasionally spoofing his screen personae, which he did to brilliant effect in The Prisoner of Zenda (1979) (as Prince Michael) and in Top Secret! (1984) (as the East German General Streck, featuring in some of the film's funniest scenes).
Jeremy Kemp retired from acting in 1998 and died after a long illness on July 19 2019 at the age of 84.- Tamzin Malleson was born on 1 May 1974 in Yeovil, Somerset, England, UK. She is an actress, known for Teachers (2001), Poirot (1989) and Midsomer Murders (1997).
- Tandy Cronyn was born on 26 November 1945 in Los Angeles, California, USA. She is an actress, known for Once Upon a Time in America (1984), The January Man (1989) and Much Ado About Nothing (1988).
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Selina Jane Griffiths was born to the popular actress Annette Crosbie (with whom there is a strong vocal similarity) and actor Michael Griffiths and has a brother Owen, two years older, who is a sound engineer. Brought up in Kingston-upon-Thames, Selina attended the Central School of Speech and Drama in London and, upon graduation, her first professional stage role was in the Restoration comedy 'The Way of the World' alongside Barbara Flynn, with whom she would later appear in the starry television adaptation of the novel 'Cranford' . On stage she has acted with the National Theatre in Michael Frayn's 'Afterlife' and 'Noises Off' and in the West End in 'The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie' and 'The Sea'. On television she has tended to appear frequently in sitcoms, playing the prudish Janet in The Smoking Room (2004), snappish alcoholic Pauline in Benidorm (2007) and Connie, a woman who should never be allowed to sing but frequently does, in Cuckoo (2012).- Actor
- Director
Jack Colvin was born on 13 October 1932 in Lyndon, Kansas, USA. He was an actor and director, known for Jeremiah Johnson (1972), The Incredible Hulk (1978) and Child's Play (1988). He died on 1 December 2005 in North Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA.- Actor
- Additional Crew
Born in London, in 1947, he was educated at independent school "King's School" in Canterbury, Kent. He started his film career at the beginning of 70s, as he debuted in Lust for a Vampire (1971), after some TV work, he was noticed in Dracula AD (1972), where he played Christopher Lee's (Dracula) personal assistant Johnny Alucard. From that moment, he usually appeared as a villain. He continued to work on television and he is noted for his work on TV series as "Colditz" (1972-1974), "Edward The King" (1975) and "Secret Army" (1977), and he was also noticed in A Point in Time (1973), where he was noted as the first male actor to have a nude scene on the small screen, and in leading role of Romeo in Romeo and Juliet (1976).
In the 80s he started to work on US films and TV series, some of them being Steel Dawn (1987) and D.O.A. (1988) and "Dynasty" (1981-1989). He returned to UK films with the bit part in James Bond film License to Kill (1989). And he proceed again in US films in Ghostbusters 2 (1989), Edge of Honor (1991), Diplomatic Immunity (1991) and Suburban Commando (1991). He played villains in Street Knight (1993), opposite Jeff Speakman and Hellbound (1994) opposite Chuck Norris.
Neame lives in US, where he still works on television. To mention his guest villain appearances on "The A-Team" (1983-1987), "MacGyver" (1985-1991) and "The Flash" (1990). Neame is one of the very small number of actors to have appeared in both the Star Trek and Doctor Who franchises. In Neame's case his Doctor Who appearance was never shown on television although it was released on VHS. He played the villain Skagra in the serial Shada, which was partially filmed during Doctor Who's 1979-1980 season but abandoned due to a BBC strike, it was later reconstructed for home video release.
Neame's last works were on Species 3 (2004), Special Ed (2005) and The Prestige (2006). Ta also mention that he is also known for video game work in Star Wars Jedi Knight - Dark Forces (1997), where he played sith called Jerec, he also did a voice work in Star Wars - The old Republic (2011).- Actress
- Director
- Writer
Camille Mitchell has garnered extraordinary acclaim for her versatility onstage and onscreen. A leading lady at the Stratford and Shaw festivals, The London Times hailed her as "a gift to the theater." A 2019 and 2018 Leo Award nominee for her diverse performances on ABC's "Somewhere Between" with Laura Patton and SyFy's "Van Helsing", she starred as Mrs. Robinson in "The Graduate" at Vancouver's Arts Club Theatre. For her television role as tough-talking Sheriff Nancy Adams on Warner Brothers' Smallville (2001) over five seasons, she was nominated for the Leo Award for Best Supporting Performance by a Female in a Dramatic Series. Other recent recurring and guest starring roles include "Legion" with Dan Stevens, "Arrow", "iZombie", "Caprica" with Eric Stoltz and "Life Unexpected" with Shiri Appleby, produced by Liz Tigelaar. Films include "Concrete Blondes" and "Frankie and Hazel" with Joan Plowright. She won Canada's Jessie Award for her portrayal of Ariel in Shakespeare's "The Tempest" at the Vancouver Playhouse and was also nominated for Best Actress Awards for Blanche in "A Streetcar Named Desire" starring opposite Kim Coates, Madame Tourvel in "Les Liaisons Dangereuses," and Elizabeth in "The Crucible." Born in Santa Monica to Hollywood star Cameron Mitchell and Viennese actress Camille Janclaire, Camille was raised in Vancouver, Canada, and studied at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London, England. Also a director and writer, her short films "By the Fountain" and "A Mother's Love" for Crazy 8s have won international accolades including the Vail Film Festival, Manhattan Film Festival, Madrid Film Festival and the Best Drama Award at London's Supershorts Film Festival.- Actress
- Writer
She has worked extensively in the theatre since making her debut in Whose Life is it Anyway with Tom Conti. At the National Theatre she performed in Pravda with Anthony Hopkins and played Sheila Birling in Stephen Daldry's revision of An Inspector Calls. At the Royal Court in London she created the part of Jessica in Hysteria which won the Olivier Award for Best Comedy in 1994 and starred opposite Vanessa Redgrave in Three Sisters. Her film work includes Heart of Darkness (1993) directed by Nicholas Roeg, Maurice (1987), Ordeal by Innocence (1984), and The Elephant Man (1980). On television she was seen in Brideshead Revisited (1981) as Cordelia.- Diana Hardcastle was born on 12 July 1949 in London, England, UK. She is an actress, known for The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011), The Kennedys (2011) and The Boy (2016).
- Elena David is known for Nelly's Version (1983).
- Catherine Russell was born on 17 May 1965 in Lambeth, London, England, UK. She is an actress, known for Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004), The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes (1991) and The Inspector Lynley Mysteries (2001). She has been married to Richard Holmes since 5 September 1988. They have two children.
- Actor
- Writer
- Director
3 Minutes of Silence marks Ben's 4th film as a Director/Writer with production company Bolo Films. Ben began his career in theatre as an actor and director, running his own theatre company in the North East of England. On moving to London, Ben studied acting at the Drama Centre and the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.
Bolo Films is a Manchester-based production company. Their previous short films I'm Sorry to Tell You, Taubman and Hope Dies Last have played over 75 international festivals, been BAFTA shortlisted, and qualified for the Academy awards 2017.
3 Minutes of Silence has been funded by the BFI Network and is in the middle of its festival run, playing at 10 International festivals already.
They are currently developing their first feature film Hyem with funding from the BFI Network.- Additional Crew
- Actress
- Producer
Cerris Morgan-Moyer was born in Truro, Cornwall, England, UK. She is an actress and producer, known for Our Flag Means Death (2022), FBI: International (2021) and Carnival Row (2019).- Costume Designer
- Actress
- Costume and Wardrobe Department
Londoner, Sandy, studied at St Martins School of Art and the Central School of Art and Design where she specialised in theatre design, She started her professional career in fringe with the National Theatre working on numerous productions including Orders of Obedience and Rococo, She went on to design sets and costumes for productions of Lumiere and Son, Bright Side and Culture Vulture, As a student and one of the leading lights of the international theatre scene she most admired was Lindsay Kemp, the gifted director, designer and performer, On impulse she spoke to him on the phone and said how much she wanted to work with him, After seeing samples of her work he asked her to join him in Milan as costume designer for his theatre company, During her 3 year spell with him she worked on Nijinsky which was a study of the start and madness of the great Russian dancer, She also designed the costumes for The Big Parade, a tragic- comic homage to the silent screen, and the stage and screen versions of A Midsummer Nights Dream, In 1985 she rapidly established herself in the world of video working on many pop promos with director Derek Jarman and with him on his film Caravaggio, and Zenith's For Queen and Country- Amanda Walker was born on 29 November 1935 in Glasgow, Scotland, UK. She is an actress, known for Triangle of Sadness (2022), Cloud Atlas (2012) and A Room with a View (1985). She has been married to Patrick Godfrey since 20 April 1960. They have two children.
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Ann Todd was a beautiful English actress best known as Gregory Peck's wife in Alfred Hitchcock's The Paradine Case (1947). Her third husband was the legendary director David Lean, for whom she appeared in three films, The Passionate Friends (1949), Madeleine (1950), and The Sound Barrier (1952).- Actress
- Writer
- Chris Gascoyne was born on 31 January 1968 in Huthwaite, Nottinghamshire, England, UK. He is an actor, known for Coronation Street (1960), A Touch of Frost (1992) and Blue Murder (2003). He has been married to Caroline Harding since October 2002. They have one child.
- After studying for a teaching diploma at the Central School of Speech and Drama, Maureen O'Brien became a founding member of the Everyman Theatre in her native Liverpool. About three months later she was persuaded to audition for the part of Vicki on Doctor Who. She was reluctant to accept the role, but did so partly to be with her London-based boyfriend (later her husband). It was a decision she later regretted as, although she liked the people she worked with, she did not enjoy the job and the enormous publicity it brought her. After leaving Doctor Who she worked as a supply teacher at a girl's school in Kennington, then returned to the theatre. This was followed by a three-year spell in Canada. Since returning to the UK in the mid-seventies, she has had further success in theatre, TV, radio and film, and as a writer of crime fiction.
- Actress
- Writer
Alexis Zegerman was born in 1977 in London, England, UK. She is an actress and writer, known for Happy-Go-Lucky (2008), Disobedience (2017) and Hijack (2023).- Simon Dutton was born on 1 January 1958 in Buckinghamshire, England, UK. He is an actor, known for Jupiter Ascending (2015), Suite Française (2014) and Downtown Lagos (1992).
- Originally from Bahrain, Khalid grew up and was educated between the Middle East, the United Kingdom, and the United States. He trained as an actor at The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama (RCSSD) in London. He is fluent in both English and Arabic, and is a published play script translator.
- Actress
- Producer
- Writer
Mary-Bonner Baker was born on 6 September 1977 in Houston, Texas, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for NCIS: Los Angeles (2009), Colony (2016) and Recount (2008). She has been married to Hunter Perrin since 2005.- Gabriella Licudi was born Gabrielle Carmen Stuttard, the only child of Wilfred James Stuttard, a naval engineer from Northern Ireland, and Olga Maria Licudi of Gibraltar, from whom she took her stage name. After seeing a film dealing with the education of deaf mutes, Gabriella was so moved she decided to become a teacher of elocution. To help prepare for her chosen profession she enrolled in courses at the Central School of Speech and Drama, where she was spotted by an agent while performing in a class production in 1961. Accepting an offer from the Citizen's Theatre of Glasgow, a week before departing for Scotland Gabriella "gate-crashed" an audition for a new stage play, John Mortimer's "Two Stars for Comfort", starring Trevor Howard. The play was a hit and ran for nine months in London's West End. Producer Samuel Bronston attended a performance and offered Gabriella a small role in his upcoming epic The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964). Gabriella went on to appear in several more films & popular television series, including the title role in the sci-fi cult classic Unearthly Stranger (1963), as a widowed expatriate opposite Patrick McGoohan in an episode of Secret Agent (1964), one of the conspiratorial McTarry daughters in the Bond-spoof extravaganza Casino Royale (1967), in the Henry Hathaway African adventure The Last Safari (1967), and the female lead in the legendary and little-seen experimental feature Herostratus (1967) by Don Levy. Gabriella left films in the 1970s and relocated to Africa, where she and her South African husband ran a safari lodge for several years before she eventually returned to London to run her own production company.
- Eleanor Matsuura (born c. 1983) is an English actress, who is best known for her roles as Hannah Santo in Spooks: The Greater Good, Bev in Utopia and as PC Donna Prager in Cuffs.
Matsuura was born in Tokyo and raised in Hertfordshire, England. She was trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama and graduated in 2004. She is trained in Modern and Period dance.
Matsuura worked on stage at the Royal Court Theatre, Old Vic Theatre and several West End theatres. She has also appeared in several British TV dramas, including EastEnders, Thorne, Extras, Holby City, Lead Balloon, Doctor Who and Hustle, and British films. She appears as Isobel in Bull at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield.
Matsuura features in the fourth series of the hit BBC One drama series Sherlock, playing the role of Detective Inspector Hopkins. She has done voice acting for video games such as Mass Effect: Andromeda and Dreamfall Chapters. She currently portrays Yumiko on the hit TV Show The Walking Dead based on the comic book of the same name.
Matsuura is of half-Japanese and half-British descent, and has a basic skill in Japanese. She is an animal rights supporter and works closely with the Battersea Dogs and Cats Home.
Matsuura is married to the Canadian actor Trevor White, the couple resides in London. - Jimmy Gardner was born on 24 August 1924 in Newmarket, Suffolk, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Frenzy (1972), Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991). He died on 3 May 2010 in London, England, UK.
- Actress
- Director
- Producer
Morgane Polanski was born on 20 January 1993 in Paris, France. She is an actress and director, known for The Ghost Writer (2010), The French Dispatch (2021) and The Wife (2017).- Joseph Bennett was born on 28 August 1894 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He was an actor, known for Marked Cards (1918), After the Fog (1930) and Won in the Clouds (1928). He died on 3 December 1931 in Hollywood, California, USA.
- Actor
- Producer
- Editor
Eddie Ruiz is an award nominated actor and multi winning producer who was born and raised in Boyle Heights, California, near downtown Los Angeles. He quickly landed a guest-star on "That's So Raven" which Fred Savage directed. He attended C.S.U.,Fullerton where he received hi B.A. in Acting. He flew overseas to London, UK where he received his MFA in Acting from The Central School of Speech and Drama. Some grads from CSSD include Sir Laurence Olivier, Gael Garcia Bernal and Judy Dench.
After his return, there has been a lot of love for Eddie in the industry. He made his film debut in the award winning film, "Russel Fish: The Sausage and Egg Incident" starring alongside GLEE's Chris Colfer(Kurt). Eddie was nominated for Best supporting actor in Russel. After landing several TV guest roles, he booked Michael Patrick King's NBC/WB Pilot as Juan in A Mann's World starring Don Johnson.
Eddie also stars in films such as "Make A Movie Like Spike" appears alongside Jamil Walker Smith(Stargate, Hey Arnold), Malcolm Goodwin(Breakout Kings), "Ghostown" alongside Jack Guzman(Power Rangers), The Missing Link, Heavy Metal Strawberry Pickers, and Neighborhood Garden.
Eddie is no stranger to the stage. He has worked with many respectable theatre companies such as Will & Company where he was Pinocchio in Pinocchio, playing Verges in Tony Plana's Much Ado About Nothing with East LA Classic, and Martinez in Ray Bradbury's The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit with the Pandemonium Theatre Company. He has received many awards and great reviews for his performances.
Eddie lives in Hollywood, CA where he is now Acting and Producing full time. Produced several films including "Maddoggin".- Actor
- Additional Crew
Richard Easton was born on 22 March 1933 in Montréal, Québec, Canada. He was an actor, known for Revolutionary Road (2008), Dead Again (1991) and Henry V (1989). He died on 2 December 2019 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA.- Sonia Forbes-Adam was born in 1965 in Southstoke, Bath, Somerset, England, UK. She is an actress, known for Witness Against Hitler (1996) and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey - The Chronicles of The Hobbit - Part 1: Return to Hobbiton: The Shire (2013). She has been married to James Nesbitt since 1993. They have two children.
- Actor
- Writer
- Director
Doug Rao was born on 31 March 1974 in Berkshire, England, UK. He is an actor and writer, known for Dark Heart (2016), Battlefield 1 (2016) and Colombiana (2011).- Barbara Thorn was born in 1954 in the UK. She is an actress, known for Trial & Retribution (1997), Judge John Deed (2001) and 84 Charing Cross Road (1987).
- Tall, lean, dark and well-spoken, Maurice Colbourne had a strong line in tough guys and villains before achieving his greatest fame as the sympathetic Tom Howard in the BBC's expensive and hugely popular soap opera Howards' Way (1985).
Born Roger Middleton in Sheffield, he trained as an actor at the Central School of Speech and Drama and spent time in repertory theatre performing the requisite wide range of parts from Shakespeare to Brecht. His first major television role was in Gangsters (1976), a controversial series spawned from Play for Today (1970) and produced during what is now widely regarded as a golden age of BBC drama. Colbourne played an ex-SAS officer and convict who is hired by a secretive police organisation to go undercover in the Birmingham underworld. He also appeared in the popular The Onedin Line (1971) at the end of the 1970s.
Notable roles continued into the 1980s when he was cast in a strong supporting role as Jack Coker in producer David Maloney's popular adaptation of John Wyndham's science-fiction classic The Day of the Triffids (1981). In 1984, he made a further foray into science-fiction when he appeared as Lytton, the ruthless mercenary helping the Daleks in Eric Saward's dark and action-packed Resurrection of the Daleks: Part One (1984). His character was judged successful enough to warrant a reprise the following year in Attack of the Cybermen: Part One (1985), again created by the same team of writer Eric Saward and director Matthew Robinson. Also in 1985, Colbourne appeared as an SS Officer in Hitler's S.S.: Portrait in Evil (1985).
1985 proved to be the year Colbourne would become a household name. Gerard Glaister cast him in the BBC's new Sunday evening soap opera Howards' Way (1985) in the lead role of Tom Howard, the redundant aircraft designer and sailing enthusiast. This role proved a change of pace for Colbourne and a departure from his tough guy image towards a far more sympathetic and gentle character. Howards' Way (1985) was a huge ratings hit and was seen as the BBC's answer to Dallas (1978) and Dynasty (1981). Colbourne starred in five series but suddenly and prematurely died in 1989 while the series was still in production. - Alex Hassell was born on 17 September 1980 in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England, UK. He is an actor, known for The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021), Violent Night (2022) and The Boys (2019). He is married to Emma King.