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- Producer
- Actor
- Composer
American actor Mark Wahlberg is one of a handful of respected entertainers who successfully made the transition from teen pop idol to acclaimed actor. A Best Supporting Actor Oscar nominee for The Departed (2006) who went on to receive positive critical reviews for his performance in The Fighter (2010), Wahlberg also is a solid comedy actor, proven by his starring role in Ted (2012).
Mark Robert Michael Wahlberg was born June 5, 1971 in a poor working class district, Dorchester, of Boston, Massachusetts. He is the son of Alma Elaine (Donnelly), a nurse's aide and clerk, and Donald Edward Wahlberg, a delivery driver. Wahlberg is the youngest of nine children. He is of Swedish (from his paternal grandfather), French-Canadian, English, Irish and Scottish, descent. The large Wahlberg brood didn't have a lot growing up, especially after his parents divorced when he was eleven. The kids crammed into a three-bedroom apartment, none of them having very much privacy. Mark's mother has said that after the divorce, she became very self-absorbed with her own life. She has blamed herself for her son's subsequent problems and delinquency. Wahlberg dropped out of high school at age fourteen (but later got his GED) to pursue a life of petty crime and drugs. He'd spend his days scamming and stealing, working on the odd drug deal before treating himself to the substances.
The young man also had a violent streak - one which was often aimed at minorities. At age sixteen, he was convicted of assault against two Vietnamese men after he had tried to rob them. As a result of his assault conviction, he was sentenced to serve 50 days in prison at Deer Island penitentiary. Whilst there, he began working out to pass time and, when he emerged at the end of his sentence, he had gone from being a scrawny young kid to a buff young man. Wahlberg also credits jail time as being his motivation to improve his lifestyle and leave crime behind him.
Around this time, his older brother Donnie Wahlberg had become an overnight teen idol as a member of the 1980s boy band New Kids on the Block. A precursor to the boy-band craze, the group was dominating the charts and were on top of their game. Mark himself had been an original member of the band but had backed out early on - uncomfortable with the squeaky clean image of the group. Donnie used his connections in the music business to help his little brother secure a recording contract, and soon the world was introduced to Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch, with Wahlberg as a bad-boy rapper who danced in his boxers. Despite a lack of singing ability, promoters took to his dance moves and a physique they knew teenage girls would love.
Donnie scripted some easy songs for Mark, who collected a troupe of dancers and a DJ to become his "Funky Bunch" and "Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch" was born. His debut album, "Music for the People", was a smash hit, which was propelled along by the rapper's willingness to disrobe down to boxer-briefs on stage, not to mention several catchy tunes. Teenage girls thrilled to the rapping "bad boy". Record producer David Geffen saw in Wahlberg a cash-cow of marketing ability. After speaking to designer Calvin Klein, Marky Mark was set up as the designer's chief underwear model.
His scantily clad figure soon adorned billboards across the nation. Ironically, while the New Kids on the Block's fame was dwindling as audiences tired of their syrupy lyrics, "Marky Mark's" bad boy image was becoming even more of a commodity. He was constantly in the headlines (often of the tabloids) after multiple scandals. In 1992, he released a book dedicated to his penis. Wahlberg was constantly getting into rumored fights, most memorably with Madonna and her entourage at a Los Angeles party. While things were always intense, they were relatively harmless and made for enjoyable reading for the public. However, when the story of his arrest for assault (and the allegations of racism) broke in the press, things took on a decidedly darker note. People were not amused. Soon after, while on a British talk show along with rapper Shabba Ranks, he got into even more trouble. After Ranks made the statement that gays should be crucified, Wahlberg was accused of condoning the comments by his silence. Marky Mark was suddenly surrounded by charges of brutality, homophobia and racial hatred. His second album, "You Gotta Believe", had not been faring well and, after the charges surfaced, it plummeted from the charts.
Adding to the hoopla, Wahlberg was brought to court for allegedly assaulting a security guard. He was ordered to make amends by appearing in a series of anti-bias advertisements. Humbled and humiliated by his fall from grace in the music world, Wahlberg decided to pursue another angle, acting. He dropped the "Marky Mark" moniker and became known simply as Mark Wahlberg. His first big screen role came in Penny Marshall's Renaissance Man (1994). Despite the name change, many people snickered at the idea of the has-been rapper thinking he could make it as an actor. From the get-go, he was proving them wrong. In Renaissance Man (1994), he gave an utterly charming performance as a simple but sincere army recruit. What naysayers remained found it increasingly difficult to write Mark Wahlberg off as he delivered one fine performance after another. He blew them away in the controversial The Basketball Diaries (1995) and chilled them in Fear (1996) as every father's worst nightmare.
The major turning point in Wahlberg's career came with the role of troubled porn star Dirk Diggler in Paul Thomas Anderson's Boogie Nights (1997). Since then, Wahlberg has chosen roles that demonstrate a wide range of dramatic ability, starring in critically acclaimed dramas such as Three Kings (1999) and The Perfect Storm (2000), popcorn flicks like Planet of the Apes (2001) and Contraband (2012), and even indies such as I Heart Huckabees (2004).
Wahlberg was the executive producer of such television series as Boardwalk Empire (2010), In Treatment (2008) and the highly successful comedy Entourage (2004), which was partly based on his experiences in Hollywood.
Wahlberg and his wife Rhea Durham have four children.- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Multi talented and award winning actor Neal McDonough has been blessed to have an incredible career in the film industry.
He is now producing films alongside his wife Ruvé for the McDonough company. Films such as THE WARRANT, BREAKERS LAW, REDSTONE, BOON, BLACK SPARTANS ,and most recently the hit film THE SHIFT for Angel Studios.
McDonough is about to start filming THE LAST RODEO which he has written with his partner Derek Presley.
The McDonough company will be producing this film with Jon Avnet directing.
After that they will going into production on their next western he has written called THE WICKED AND THE RIGHTEOUS .
McDonough is well known for performances in productions, such as BAND OF BROTHERS, MINORITY REPORT, WALKING TALL and STAR-TREK FIRST CONTACT. He also started in many stage productions, and most recently playing Whitey Bulger on stage in FINDING WHITEY at the Wilbur theater in Boston.
He also recently played Daddy Warbucks in ANNIE and numerous other stage productions as well.
His voice over career is what really started him. The voice of many cartoons, including Bruce Banner in the INCREDIBLE HULK and in many video games such as CALL OF DUTY ZOMBIES.
He has also been the long term voice of FIDELITY AND CADILLAC.
But he's most proud of his relationship with God, his wife, Ruvé, and their five children.
McDonough trained at Syracuse University and studied at LAMDA in London.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Ray Bolger was born Raymond Wallace Bolger on January 10, 1904 in Dorchester, Massachusetts, to Anne C. (Wallace) and James Edward Bolger, both Irish-Americans. Ray began his career in vaudeville. He was half of a team called "Sanford and Bolger" and also did numerous Broadway shows on his own. Like Gene Kelly, he was a song-and-dance man as well as an actor. He was signed to a contract with MGM and his first role was as himself in The Great Ziegfeld (1936). This was soon followed by a role opposite Eleanor Powell in the romantic comedy Rosalie (1937). His first dancing and singing role was in Sweethearts (1938), where he did the "wooden shoes" number with redheaded soprano/actress Jeanette MacDonald. This got him noticed by MGM producers and resulted in his being cast in his most famous role, the Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz (1939).
Surprisingly, even though the film was a success, Bolger's contract with MGM ended. He went to RKO Radio Pictures to make the romantic comedy Four Jacks and a Jill (1942). After this, Bolger went to Broadway, where he received his greatest satisfaction. In 1953, he turned to television and received his own sitcom, Where's Raymond? (1953), later changed to "The Ray Bolger Show". After his series ended, Bolger guest starred on many television series such as Battlestar Galactica (1978) and Fantasy Island (1977), and had some small roles in movies. In 1985, he co-hosted the documentary film That's Dancing! (1985) with Liza Minnelli. Ray Bolger died of bladder cancer in Los Angeles, California on January 15, 1987, five days after his 83rd birthday.- Actor
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Kevin Chapman was born on 29 July 1962 in Dorchester, Massachusetts, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for CODA (2021), City on a Hill (2019) and Sneaky Pete (2015). He is married to Meaghan. They have two children.- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Producer
A grand, robust, highly theatrical British classical actor, Maurice Evans was born on June 3, 1901, in Dorchester, England, the son of a justice of the peace who enjoyed amateur play writing on the side. In fact, his father adapted several adaptations of Thomas Hardy's novels and Evans would often appear in them. Early interest also came in London choirs as a boy tenor.
Making his professional stage debut in 1926, Evans made do during his struggling years by running a cleaning and dyeing store. He earned his first triumph three years later in the play "Journey's End." When his resulting attempts as an early 1930's romantic film lead and/or second lead in White Cargo (1929), Raise the Roof (1930), The Only Girl (1933), The Path of Glory (1934), Bypass to Happiness (1934) and Checkmate (1935) didn't pan out, he refocused on the stage.
Following a season with the Old Vic theatre company, he arrived in America and proceeded to conquer Broadway, establishing himself as one of the world's more illustrious interpreters of Shakespeare. His eloquent, florid portrayals of Romeo, Hamlet, Macbeth and Richard II are considered among the finest interps. He was also deemed a master of Shavian works which included superlative performances in "Major Barbara", "Man and Superman" and "The Devil's Disciple".
As a U.S. citizen (1941), Maurice was placed in charge of the Army Entertainment Section, Central Pacific Theater during WWII and left military service with the rank of major. His post-war career included a handful of character film roles, notably Kind Lady (1951), Androcles and the Lion (1952), Gilbert and Sullivan (1953) (as composer Sir Arthur Sullivan), The War Lord (1965), Rosemary's Baby (1968), and as "Dr. Zaius" in the Planet of the Apes (1968) series.
Films would never be Evans' strong suit, earning much more stature on TV. More importantly, he brought Shakespeare and Shaw to 1950's TV, adapting (and directing) a number of his stage classics including King Richard II (1954), The Taming of the Shrew (1956), Man and Superman (1956), Twelfth Night (1957), The Tempest (1960). He won an Emmy award in 1960 for his Macbeth (1960).
Interestingly, for all his legendary performances under the theatre lights and stirring TV classics, the ever-regal stage master is probably best known to generations for his delightful, Shakespeare-spouting appearances on the Bewitched (1964) TV series, as Elizabeth Montgomery's irascible warlock father. Following guest shots on such popular TV shows as "Medical Center," "The Big Valley," "Columbo," "Streets of San Francisco," "Fantasy Island" and "The Love Boat," he made his final on-camera appearance in the TV movie A Caribbean Mystery (1983).
Evans returned to England to live out his remaining years and died there on March 12, 1989, in a Sussex nursing home of heart failure as a result of a bronchial infection, aged 87.- Actress
- Producer
- Writer
Alexandra is originally from Dorchester, Boston, Massachusetts. Alexandra moved to New York City to pursue a career in acting when she was 17. She graduated with honors from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts with a dual degree in Drama and Psychology and studied at the Stella Adler Studio. After graduating from NYU, Alexandra performed in Off-Broadway and Regional Theatre, studied with Joseph Chaikin in his final master classes in NYC, and continued her classical theatre training with Patsy Rodenburg from The National Theatre in London.- Producer
- Writer
- Actor
Dennis Lehane was born on 4 August 1965 in Dorchester, Massachusetts, USA. He is a producer and writer, known for The Drop (2014), Mystic River (2003) and Live by Night (2016). He was previously married to Dr. Angela Mililani (Lieb) Bernardo and Sheila Fort Lawn.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Geoffrey Hutchings was born on 8 June 1939 in Dorchester, Dorset, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Topsy-Turvy (1999), Henry V (1989) and Cor, Blimey! (2000). He was married to Andrea Godfrey and June Watts. He died on 1 July 2010 in London, England, UK.- Music Department
- Actress
- Composer
Kay Hanley began her career in music as the lead singer of Boston-based alternative rock band Letters to Cleo, releasing 3 acclaimed albums between 1990-2000, and spawning such hits as Awake and Here and Now. After a 16-year hiatus, Letters To Cleo reunited in 2016 to release new music and embark on several sold-out US tours and beginning work on their 4th full length studio album. In the late 90's, Ms. Hanley began expanding her work as a singer and songwriter into the TV and film world, writing songs for WB's animated series Generation O, providing the singing voice for Rachael Leigh Cook's character Josie in Universal Pictures' feature film Josie and the Pussycats and performing cover versions of Nick Lowe's Cruel to be Kind and Cheap Trick's I Want You To Want Me in Touchstone Pictures' hit film, 10 Things I Hate About You. In 2016 she appeared as herself on NBC's Park and Recreation and performed at the fictional Pawnee/Eagleton Unity Concert. Hanley is a Peabody Award winning songwriter for animated television, penning original songs for shows like Disney Junior's hit series Vampirina and Doc McStuffins, Dreamworks' Harvey Street Kids, WB/Cartoon Network's DC Super Hero Girls Netflix series, Ada Twist, Scientist. Ms. Hanley is co-executive director of Songwriters Of North America (SONA), a non-profit advocacy organization that fights to protect the value of songs and songwriters in a rapidly changing music business. As a result of her advocacy work, Hanley was chosen to represent songwriters on the Mechanical Licensing Collective, serving as vice-chair of the Unclaimed Royalties Oversight Committee.- Peter MacLean was born on 2 January 1936 in Dorchester, Massachusetts, USA. He was an actor, known for Squirm (1976), Days of Our Lives (1965) and Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo (1984). He was married to Dorothy Constantine. He died on 28 May 2003 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Cinematographer
- Director
- Producer
Albert Maysles was born on 26 November 1926 in Dorchester, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. He was a cinematographer and director, known for Grey Gardens (1975), Salesman (1969) and Gimme Shelter (1970). He was married to Gillian Walker. He died on 5 March 2015 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA.- Honor Davis-Pye is known for playing Young Margot in The Ghost Within (2023), Amara in The Surgeon (2022) and Young Beth in Decrypted (2021). Honor is also the voice of Little Lily in the BAFTA winning Video Game Disco Elysium - The Final Cut (2021).
Highly respected for her ability to interpret strong, sympathetic characters in both drama and comedy, bringing characters alive on screen for which she has won numerous awards and accolades including Best Child Actress and Best Performance.
Attends regular Drama/Acting Classes and Film Workshops. Honor speaks naturally British RP/Estuary and is trained in multiple American accents.
Honor also excels at sport including competing in Tae Kwon Do at national and international levels, Gymnastics and Athletics.
Born in Dorset on the South Coast of England, UK. - Actor
- Director
Paul Davis was born on 6 September 1922 in Dorchester, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. He was an actor and director, known for Bewitched (1964), Rescue 8 (1958) and Firing Line (1966). He was married to Alice Pearce. He died on 20 February 1984 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- Actor
- Additional Crew
Colson Smith was born on 13 August 1998 in Dorchester, Dorset, England, UK. He is an actor, known for Coronation Street (1960), The Selfish Giant (2013) and Jailhouse Dog (2014).- Danielle Perry was born on 30 December 1976 in Dorchester, Massachusetts, USA. She is an actress, known for Julia (2022), Boston Strangler (2023) and Dexter: New Blood (2021).
- James 'Whitey' Bulger was born on 3 September 1929 in Dorchester, Massachusetts, USA. He died on 30 October 2018 in Bruceton Mills, West Virginia, USA.
- Actress
- Writer
- Producer
At five feet three inches, Sue Costello may look harmless, but once she opens her mouth, it is obvious that this blonde means business - funny business. Sue has the ability to bring a room full of patrons to tears with her comedic disposition and vivacious wit. That mixed with her vulnerability and honesty has made her one of the few women in the business who can do what she does.
From her thick Boston accent to her street smart demeanor to her ability to make you feel like you want to take care of her, and be her best friend, Sue has the "it" factor. After graduating from the University of Massachusetts with a bachelor Degree in Theatre Arts, Sue began her career as a stand-up comedian in Boston, later re-locating to the bustling city of Manhattan.
Since that time, she has appeared on several television shows such as "NYPD Blue" and "Tough Crowd" with Colin Quinn and Comedy Central. After starring in two t.v. pilots for CBS, Sue earned her very own self titled television series, "Costello". Sue was also a producer and the co-creator of the show. Though "Costello" lived a short life on air, Sue received various accolades for her energetic wit. Sue was a guest host on NBC's "Later". She has also performed on Comedy Central's "Premium Blend". In addition to television appearances, Sue has also honed her performing skills on the stage and the big screen. Sue was cast in such films as "Southie" directed by John Shea, and "Once in the Life", with Laurence Fishburne.
Sue's already extensive resume continues to grow, she performed with Rosie Perez, Alan Cumming and Olympia Dukakis at the Nantucket Film Festival's Story telling event. She co-starred in Jim Breuer's pilot for Comedy Central. Her stand up reached a new level this year when she made to the finals of NBC's Last Comic Standing. Sue has also been a regular guest host on "Breuer Unleashed" on Sirius radio.- Jason Kelly is a first-generation Irish-American actor, born and raised in Dorchester, Massachusetts. His passion for acting started at a young age, being cast alongside Sean Penn in Clint Eastwood's classic Mystic River (2003) at age 11. Later roles included work on the acclaimed Showtime series Brotherhood (2006), and commercial work for the likes of United Way. Jason's lead role in Dive (2011) is his return to the big screen, and surely the first of many more opportunities to arise. He is a graduate of Fenway High School, and an accomplished boxer.
- Actor
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Buddy Clark grew up in the Westend of Boston. As a youngster, he expressed strong interests in sports, body building, exercising, and one of his big dreams was to become a professional baseball player. Buddy even had plans to become a lawyer. He attended Northeastern Law School in Boston, however his love for music was stronger than his dreams of becoming a pro baseball player or an attorney. As a young boy Buddy sang as often as he could at gatherings, and in what today's times would be called "joints", local pubs, where the floors of the local pubs and ba rooms were covered with sawdust. He often times sang just to earn enough to pay for a square meal. Neighbors and friends, who heard this young lad sing were supportive; whether he sang on the streets or in a pub, he was well liked; it wasn't long before Buddy was appearing with local Boston bands, singing his heart out to supportive loyal Boston fans. At 27 years old the young Sam Goldberg was singing at a local wedding in Boston when he was heard by David Lilienthal, a proprietor of Boston's leading furriers, I.J. Fox, located on Washington Street in Boston. Sam became a protégé of Mr. Lilienthal who arranged music lessons for him and started him off on a professional career as a band vocalist and radio star. He appeared for nine years on a Boston radio show sponsored by I.J. Fox; Sam made two evening broadcasts and sang six days a week on morning shows. Sam was now on his way to a new musical career with his own Boston radio show, with a new name, were he was billed as Buddy Clark...a name that had more of a show business flair than his own. It wasn't too long that the Buddy Clark stylish unique baritone voice was catching on to local audiences in his own home state of Massachusetts. Within a few years after his successful Boston radio show, he was now ready to tackle the "Big Apple"...New York City, where singers often went to seek their musical careers by joining the big bands.... and Buddy was no exception. In 1934 he made his big band singing debut career in earnest as a vocalist with the Benny Goodman band on the "Let's Dance" radio show. Buddy was billed on several other top radio shows including the "Hit Parade" from 1936-1939. Buddy worked hard to achieve his musical goals. He even supplemented his vocal activity by appearing, often times unaccredited, on the transcription discs recorded with such giants of the big band era as Fred Rich, Archie Blyer, Freddy Martin, Lud Gluskin, Nat Brandywynne, and other popular bands of the radio stations that couldn't afford to have a live music program of their own. In fact, Buddy Clark's renown as a "ghost singer" was such that film producer Darryl F. Zanuck hired him to do the singing for actor Jack Haley in "Wake Up and Live", a 1937 movie about a popular radio singer who gets "Mike Fright". The Hollywood welcome mat was now laid down for Buddy. He was offered his own radio show called, "Here's to Romance" and he even played a small cameo role in the 1942 film "Seven Days Leave' which starred two of Hollywood's leading stars, Lucille Ball and Victor Mature. He also sang for actor Mark Stevens in the musical hit "I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now". Buddy made scores of hit records many of them with Xavier Cugat's orchestra. The balding Clark who didn't care whether he lost his hair or not earned the title of the "Contented Crooner", partly because of his radio sponsor on the "Carnation Contented" program, and also because of his appeal to the bobby-sox fans. He didn't care if his fans swooned when he sang. Although fame and fortune came to Buddy Clark, in the 30's and 40's he was one who never forgot where he came from as a struggling singer of Boston. Every year he would return back to the Westend of Boston and perform for friends, and fans alike. Jdacob Burnes at the time was an official of the Westend House on Blossom Street in Boston, where Clark was an alumnus of the famous Westend House. Burnes recalled, "The young singer was a good looking boy, an excellent debater and a fine athlete. He was the catcher on the Wesend House baseball team and was on the basketball team." Buddy Clark put his career on hold by enlisting into the U.S. Army for three years during World War II. While serving his country, Buddy sand with many of the military bands until his discharge in 1945, in which he resumed his career. For the last ten years of his singing career as a super star in radio and a top ranking celebrity of the juke boxes, he had lived in an aura of success while earning over a $100,000 a year, which in those days would be equivalent to millions of dollars to popular singers of the 1990's and now of the 2000's. Buddy married twice. His first wife was Louise Dahl, the adopted daughter of famed hotelier, Ralph Hitz, who owned the famous New Yorker Hotel, as well as the Lexington, and several other New York hotels. Buddy and Louise had three children, all born between 1935 and 1939. Following their divorce, Buddy married Nedra Stevens. They had one daughter, Penelope, born in 1943. Penny, as she was called, died in 1950, as a result of being hit by a car as she ran across the street to meet her governess. Penny was a 'little friend' of Clark Gable, the Clark's next-door neighbor, who often shared 'little tea' with his young neighbor.
Buddy's career ended abruptly in the plane crash onto Beverly Boulevard on the 1st of October 1949.- Actress
- Additional Crew
Melissa Wolfe was born on 4 October 1977 in Dorchester, Massachusetts, USA. She is an actress, known for Shadow Glories (2001), That Fall (2006) and Bill the Intern (2003). She has been married to Seth Wolfe since 31 January 2004.- Actress
- Writer
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Kathy Byron was born on 8 December 1963 in Dorchester, Massachusetts, USA. She is an actress and writer, known for The Nukes (2009), Desperate Housewives (2004) and Weeds (2005).- Editor
- Editorial Department
- Visual Effects
Joseph Marshall was born on 10 October 1994 in Dorchester, Dorset, England, UK. He is an editor, known for Casualty (1986), Hollyoaks (1995) and Doctor Who (2005).- Writer
- Actor
Trevor Neal was born in Dorchester, Dorset, England, UK. He is known for Off Their Rockers (2013), Let's Play (2012) and Get Well Soon (2012).- Actor
- Producer
Jamie Lee-Hill is an actor know for playing a wide range of characters, and being able to perform with emotional intensity or vulnerability.
Lee-Hill was born Jamie Lee Hill (Lee being his middle name) in Dorchester on 30 March 1972 to father Geoffrey Hill, an electrician and photographer, and mother Mirveen Hill (née Grainger) a nurse. The third of four sons, he grew up in the Dorset villages of Corfe Mullen, Child Okeford, and Shroton, and then moved to the area where his parents honeymooned, the tiny village of Rhydymain in Gwynedd, North Wales. The family lived in caravans on site whilst Geoffrey self-built the family houses in Shroton and Rhydymain. Jamie learnt Welsh and encountered his first experienced of drama in the small Snowdonia village. His acting career had an unpromising start when he was playing an angel in a nativity play. Spotting his mother in the audience, he slipped out of character and called out "Hello Mum" instead of focusing on the baby Jesus.
Jamie enjoyed watching his father perform at Dolgellau Amateur Dramatics Society (DADS) and remembers a local production of The Pied Piper of Hamelin in which he was disappointed at not being one of the lucky children brought up on stage from the audience to enter a magical world. Not deterred, he would persuade his younger brother to join him and put on shows to his parents based upon the fairy tales he would read.
In 1982 the family moved across the border to Chester. The only brush he had with a professional production as a child was at an open audition at The Gateway Theatre in Chester for Jungle Book. Unfortunately, his younger brother insisted on coming and made him late. Denied the chance to audition, Jamie was certain that his commitment would make him the most convincing monkey ever, but the producers would not relent at his persistence, taking his number, and saying they would get back to him. He is still waiting for the call and has never been late for an audition since.
The light bulb moment when Jamie fell in love with acting happened in an English lesson at Queens Park High School, Chester. The teacher casually distributed texts of a play to some of the pupils. One hit his desk, and immediately on being asked to read the part of a hooligan, an unquenchable fire was lit. The shy boy found great freedom in playing someone completely different without suffering any of the consequences. He still feels a thrill and tingle of excitement every time he begins reading a new script.
At high school Jamie had a small role in The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe, and then got the lead role of Ernie in Ernie and His Incredible Hallucinations. There was a televised version at the time, and Jame first set his sights on being a television actor when he believed he could have played the part much better. A teachers' strike resulted in the play being cancelled and that was the limit of his acting experience at school With no G.C.S.E. drama course, or any advice on a career path in this field, no path to acting opened up at that time in his life.
Jamie's parents moved to Bournemouth when he was fifteen. Jamie hated Winton boys' school, so after less than two weeks, left his parents and moved back to Chester staying with some family friends to finish his schooling at Queens Park High, before eventually moving back to Bournemouth in 1988.
Jamie joined a small local drama group, St. Lukes players, which has since been disbanded. The older ladies in particular drilled the development of character into the performers, and three of the young intake went on to become professional actors, including Jamie. Not bad for a small church hall group that would perform to tiny audiences of fewer than a hundred people. He also went on to perform at All Saints Dramatic Society in many plays, musicals and pantomimes.
Settling down at a relatively young age, Jamie married and has a son, Elliott Hill. Jamie worked in insurance and construction, obtaining an upper second class honours degree in Quantity Surveying. He maintained steady jobs to maintain the financial security of his family, but Jamie's burning ambition to be an actor refused to go away. This desire was fueled by his television debut, a one off professional performance, when he worked with John Sessions for a week playing the poet William Wordsworth in Splendour in the Grass. This was aired by HTV at prime time on a Sunday evening in 1998.
After separating from his wife in 2009, Jamie decided that it was the time to pursue his life long ambition. He had to overcome barriers; a director refused to audition him because he was untrained, but Jamie persuaded her she had nothing to lose by auditioning him. Jamie then landed the role despite her initial prejudice and the competition. This gave him encouragement and brought him repeat work in professional fringe theatre around the Bournemouth area.
Jamie made a swift transition from theatre to film, adoring the intimacy of acting up close to the camera. He first gained experience in local student film productions, and was then cast by Suki Singh in his first feature film, working alongside Sam Heughan and Claudia Bassols in Emulsion.
Jamie was cast by Dramatic Productions as Steve Hubble in A Streetcar Named Desire which was staged at Poole Lighthouse. This lead on to him being taken on to their agency books which gave him the opportunity to audition for Far From the Madding Crowd. He received the audition request whilst holidaying in his old home village of Rhydymain, so he got his son to tape his audition as a shepherd whilst in a field surrounded by sheep. Thomas Vinterberg, known for the Oscar nominated film The Hunt, saw the tape and hand picked him for the supporting role of Laban Tall.
Jamie was thrilled to work for such a wonderful director alongside Carey Mulligan, Michael Sheen, Matthias Schoennearts, and Tom Sturridge, the latter of whom he has worked with since together with Benedict Cumberbatch in The Hollow Crown.
Always keen to master his craft, and a great admirer of Stanislavski, Jamie even made the pilgrimage to his Moscow home. Jamie has also extended his skills by training late in life with Dorset School of Acting, and has particularly found the work around imagination and breaking down of texts to have been helpful in improving his performances.
Jamie has gone on to work on several other films. He signed with DQ Manament in 2015 and his burning ambition remains as undiminished as ever.- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
John King was born on 31 August 1961 in Dorchester, Massachusetts, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Safe House (2012), House of Cards (2013) and Alpha House (2013).