Bradley Walsh
(Actor)
.. DS Ronnie Brooks
Born:
June 04, 1960
in
Watford
Best Known For:
Coronation Street and Law & Order: UK
Early-life:
Bradley John Walsh was born in Watford on June 4, 1960. He wanted to be a footballer and was playing for a county league team when he was offered a contract with Brentford FC. Sadly, his sporting career was brought to an abrupt end when he broke both his ankles. He then considered joining the police, but was told he was too short, so he followed his father into engineering. He eventually decided to try stand-up comedy, and made his first steps towards turning professional when he became an entertainer at a holiday camp near Morecambe.
Career:
Walsh's big TV break came in 1993, when he appeared on the Royal Variety Show. It led to a stint presenting the National Lottery, and he also hosted the game shows Wheel of Fortune and Win, Lose or Draw. After fearing his brand of light entertainment was becoming dated he moved into acting, taking parts in the TV version of Lock, Stock, the soap Night and Day and movie Mike Bassett: England Manager before Coronation Street's bosses created the role of Danny Baldwin for him in 2004. He stayed in Weatherfield for two years before leaving to pursue other projects. He's since appeared in Torn, The Old Curiosity Shop, The Sarah Jane Adventures, Law and Order: UK and SunTrap. He moved back into presenting in 2009 with ITV quiz show The Chase, and is a team captain on Play to the Whistle.
Quote:
'Professionally I saw the end of light entertainment galloping towards me. Oddly enough, it's coming back now thanks to all the reality shows.'
Trivia:
Walsh is a supporter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Jamie Bamber
(Actor)
.. DS Matt Devlin
Harriet Walter
(Actor)
.. DI Natalie Chandler
Ben Daniels
(Actor)
.. James Steel
Born:
June 10, 1964
in
Nuneaton
Best Known For:
Playing Finn in Cutting It.
Early-life:
Born in Nuneaton on June 10, 1964. He's the son of a Rolls-Royce engineer-turned-grocer and the owner of a children's clothes shop. He claims to have been shy, but naughty as a child. School plays gave him the acting bug and he also credits David Lynch's The Elephant Man as a source of inspiration. He studied acting at Lamda before appearing in a series of repertory productions up and down the UK. He made his big-screen debut in 1987 Emily Lloyd vehicle Wish You Were Here, while his first TV appearance was in the 1989 drama The Paradise Club.
Career:
Daniels claims his big break came when he landed a leading role in Alan Ayckbourn's Family Circles at Scarborough's Stephen Joseph Theatre in 1986. He then played Mercutio in a made-for-TV version of Romeo and Juliet. Larger parts in the likes of Outside Edge and Silent Witness followed, while on the big screen, his film CV was boosted with appearances in Passion in the Desert, and Fanny and Elvis. In 2002, he won the role of Finn Bevan in the series Cutting It, becoming a household name in the process. After quitting in 2004, he has gone on to star in Spooks, The Virgin Queen, The State Within, Lark Rise to Candleford, The Paradise and Law & Order: UK.
Quote:
'Homophobia is still shockingly prevalent in film and TV. I know I've lost work because of being gay, and it is always an issue. I don't consider myself politically gay, but whenever I catch a whiff of that now, I'm on it like a ton of bricks.'
Trivia:
Daniels was in the running to replace Matt Smith in Doctor Who before the role went to Peter Capaldi.
Freema Agyeman
(Actor)
.. Alesha Phillips
Born:
March 20, 1979
in
London
Best Known For:
Being a Doctor Who assistant
Early-life:
Born in 1979 in north London to Azar, an Iranian mother, and Osei, a Ghanaian father. She has an older sister and younger brother. She grew up on a council estate in Hackney and went to Our Lady's Convent in Amhurst Park, Stamford Hill. Freema studied drama at the Anna Scher Theatre School in Islington and at Radford University in Virginia, USA. She graduated with a BA Honours in Performing Arts and Drama from Middlesex University in 2000.
Career:
Agyeman made ends meet as a box-office assistant, before landing a regular role in the short-lived Crossroads revamp in 2002. After the soap folded, Freema went on to appear in Casualty@Holby City, Silent Witness and The Bill. She grabbed a part in the little-seen film Rulers and Dealers, before making her Doctor Who debut as ill-fated character Adeola in the 2006 episode Army of Ghosts. She was then recast as Adeola's cousin, Martha Jones, who became the Doctor's assistant following Rose's departure. Since quitting the show, Agyeman has featured in Little Dorrit, Survivors, Torchwood and Law & Order: UK.
Quote:
'I don't for any minute take any of this for granted, I'm fully aware of how lucky I am.'
Trivia:
She was named Best Newcomer at the 2007 Glamour Women of the Year Awards.
Bill Paterson
(Actor)
.. George Castle
Born:
June 03, 1945
in
Glasgow
Best Known For:
A number of small-screen TV roles.
Early-life:
Bill Paterson was born on June 3, 1945, in Glasgow. He spent three years as a quantity surveyor before doing a teaching course at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. He was about to accept an educational role when he was offered a place with the Citizen's Theatre. His big break came at the Edinburgh Festival in The Great Northern Welly Boot Show, a satire by Billy Connolly about striking shipbuilders.
Career:
Paterson's TV debut came in 1977's Bafta-winning Licking Hitler. A year later he appeared in The Vanishing Army and Smiley's People. He went on to feature in such films as The Killing Fields, A Private Function, Defence of the Realm, The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, Chaplin, Bright Young Things and Truly, Madly, Deeply. Other TV projects include The Singing Detective, Traffik, The Crow Road, Doctor Zhivago, Auf Wiedersehen, Pet, and Law & Order: UK. He was also nominated for an Olivier Award for Bertolt Brecht's Schwekyk in the Second World War in 1982 and has done extensive voiceover work on TV and radio.
Quote:
'I don't think acting has ever been my passion, but it's a very nice way of making a living.'
Trivia:
Paterson turned down one of the leads in Alien.
Patrick Malahide
(Actor)
.. Robert Ridley QC
Born:
March 24, 1945
in
Reading
Best Known For:
Playing Detective Sergeant Chisholm in Minder and a string of other roles.
Early-life:
Born Patrick Gerald Duggan in Reading on March 24, 1945. In 1976, he made his TV acting debut in The Flight of the Heron. Since then, the prolific character actor has appeared in a number of TV shows.
Career:
Perhaps best known for playing Detective Sergeant Chisholm in the hugely popular ITV comedy drama Minder, Malahide's credits also include The Singing Detective, Middlemarch, Alleyn Mysteries, Five Days, Law & Order: UK, The Paradise and Hunted. More recently, he has starred in Game of Thrones, Indian Summers and Luther. His film credits include The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996), The World is Not Enough (1999) and Billy Elliot (2000). Writing as PG Duggan, he created the BBC TV movie Reasonable Force and the miniseries The Writing on the Wall. Malahide's numerous stage credits include roles in The Crucible, Twelfth Night, The Tempest, Beauty and the Beast, The Cherry Orchard, Uncle Vanya and Mutabilitie.
Quote:
'If I'm walking past a building site, I get 'Oi, Chisholm' from Minder fans. But if I go to a library, a female librarian will flutter her eyelashes at me because she remembers Middlemarch.'
Trivia:
Malahide was nominated for a Bafta TV Award for his role in The Singing Detective.
Lorraine Ashbourne
(Actor)
.. Maureen Walters
Best Known For:
Her role as philandering female footballer Geraldine in TV's Playing The Field.
Early-life:
Born in Manchester in 1961, Ashbourne always dreamed of being an actress and on leaving school joined a local theatre. Her sister, Jayne, is also an actress who appeared in Coronation Street and New Street Law. While at drama school, Lorraine contacted Debbie Horsfield to say she would love to work with her. Her first acting job was in the Red Devils, a trilogy of plays by Horsfield, which formed the inspiration for new BBC One drama, True Dare Kiss.
Career:
After years of working in theatre, plus character roles in TV shows like The Bill, Casualty and London's Burning, she landed a part as the mother in Colin Firth movie Fever Pitch. She went on to star as Yvonne Mackey in City Central and as the fiery Geraldine Powell in the soccer drama Playing The Field. Other projects have included The Martins, King Kong, Jayne Eyre and Housewife, 49, True Dare Kiss, and The Street.
Quote:
'People think I just came from nowhere. But I've worked hard over the years and now it's all happening.'
Trivia:
Her stage credits include Fool For Love, Othello and The Three Sisters.
Tony Maudsley
(Actor)
.. Mike Turner
Born:
January 30, 1968
in
Kirkby, Merseyside
Best Known For:
Playing hairdresser Kenneth in Benidorm.
Early-life:
Tony was born in Kirkby, Merseyside, on January 30, 1968. He trained to be an actor at The Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. His first acting role was in the 1998 TV movie A Life for a Life.
Career:
Maudsley made his film debut in Plunkett & Macleane (1999). His other film credits include Sleepy Hollow (1999), Honest (2000) and Born Romantic (2000). He is largely known for small parts on TV. These have included roles in the likes of Coronation Street, Queer as Folk, Where the Heart Is, Peak Practice, Rose and Maloney, and Doc Martin. He has had recurring roles on In a Land of Plenty, Eyes Down, The Royal and The Job Lot. He is perhaps best known for playing hairdresser Kenneth in Benidorm and Grawp in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007).
Quote:
On filming Benidorm: 'It was like being on holiday. It's friendly, there's so much to do.'
Trivia:
He won a Royal Television Society Best Newcomer award for his role in A Life for a Life.
Venetia Campbell
(Actor)
.. Dionne Farrah
Michelle Asante
(Actor)
.. Leona Collins
Gillian McCutcheon
(Actor)
.. Judge Blake
Angela Terence
(Actor)
.. Serena Jackson
Louise Howells
(Actor)
.. Anna Shorofsky
Nicholas Blane
(Actor)
.. Oswald Spear
Babou Ceesay
(Actor)
.. Daniel Matoukou
Best Known For:
Playing Marcus in Guerilla.
Early-life:
Baboucarr Alieu Ceesay was born in England in 1979 but grew up in West Africa. He trained at Oxford School of Drama. Babou also studied Microbiology at Imperial College London. He worked as an internal auditor for accounting company Deloitte before turning to acting full-time.
Career:
Ceesay's first major role was as Billy in comedy horror film Severance (2006). Two years later, he appeared on an episode of Whistleblower. He has also made guest appearances in such TV series as Silent Witness, Casualty, Luther, Law & Order: UK and Lewis. Ceesay worked on the Nigerian film Half of a Yellow Sun (2013) and the British film '71 (2014) before being cast in the American TV series A.D. The Bible Continues. Since then, he has appeared in the feature films Eye in the Sky (2015), Free Fire (2016) and Rogue One (2016) and starred in the TV film Damilola, Our Loved Boy (2016). He has also had roles in the TV dramas National Treasure and Guerilla.
Quote:
On choosing roles: 'I'm interested in characters' attitudes towards life, understanding that and allowing them to have that but ultimately it comes down to their behaviour.'
Trivia:
He was BAFTA-nominated for Best Actor for his portrayal of Richard Taylor in Damilola, Our Loved Boy.
Mark Roper
(Actor)
.. Parker
Amanda St John
(Actor)
.. Lucas
Andrew Pritchard
(Actor)
.. James
Alison Lintott
(Actor)
.. Evans
Geoffrey Burton
(Actor)
.. White
Louise Ford
(Actor)
.. Sharon
Angela Sims
(Actor)
.. Angie
Angelo Andreou
(Actor)
.. Kostas
Genevieve Allenbury
(Actor)
.. Mrs Stavrou
Alexander Perkins
(Actor)
.. SOCO
Cally Lawrence
(Actor)
.. Mrs Jackson
John Mackay
(Actor)
.. Lindford
Sarah Flind
(Actor)
.. Sarah
Joan Hodges
(Actor)
.. Mrs Murphy
Jane Jeffrey
(Actor)
.. Clarke
Barbara Joslyn
(Actor)
.. Harris
William Brand
(Actor)
.. Martin Stanton
Michael O'Connor
(Actor)
.. Albert Norman
Iarla McGowan
(Actor)
.. Lampton
Rupert Farley
(Actor)
.. Charlie Dias
Richard Stokes
(Producer)
Jane Featherstone
(Executive producer)
Andrew Woodhead
(Executive producer)
Stephen Garrett
(Executive producer)
Dick Wolf
(Executive producer)