Biography Archives

Man Of A Thousand Faces? Move Over Lon Chaney! – Christian Bale

May 16, 2022

Some actors can adopt any number of accents. Others are comfortable under pounds of prosthetics. Yet more can slim down, bulk up, or stack on mountains of muscle. It takes someone very special to be able to manage all three. I would argue that one such actor is Mr Christian Bale. To be honest, the […]

The Mordo The Merrier – Chiwetel Ejiofor

May 9, 2022

Some actors are best known as dramatic actors, others can turn their hands to comedy. Nowadays a growing arena is the one set aside for action specialists. Then there is the, much smaller, group who can competently pull off a musical performance. To be able to have a foot in every camp makes for a […]

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A Jedi Master With A Very Particular Set Of Skills? Hmm…Must Be Liam Neeson

May 2, 2022

Over six feet tall, deep voice with a Celtic accent, had a variety of occupations before becoming an actor, and is renowned for playing tough guys. No, not Sean Connery but Liam Neeson. He’s an inch taller than Sir Sean was and is Irish rather than a Scot. His previous career options included driving a […]

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Aren’t You Ewan McGregor’s Dad? – Alec Guinness

May 1, 2022

I think, by now, that anyone who’s read more than a couple of my previous articles will be used to me saying something along the lines of “Ah yes. Fred Bloggs. You’ll probably know him from some huge and relatively recent film. However, I remember him from something much earlier because I’m exceptionally old.” So […]

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From Beethoven to Sirius Black and Zorg – The Chameleonic Gary Oldman

April 19, 2022

Throughout this series of Best of Brit articles, there has been a relatively common theme; a lot of the people I’ve spoken about have spent some of their earlier years in one of the renowned theatrical training grounds such as the RSC, the National, or RADA. This chap is a bit different in that he […]

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I Fod, Neu Ddim I Fod – Rhys Ifans

March 21, 2022

A short while ago I did a piece on Anthony Hopkins and mentioned some of the talent that had been born in the area of South Wales around Swansea. If you head Westish for about sixty miles you’ll be near the birthplace of this chap…Rhys Ifans. If you’re wondering, it’s pronounced Reece Ivans. That’s a […]

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You’ve Been In Two Huge Franchises? A Brief Bio of Benedict Cumberbatch

March 15, 2022

Prior to 2010 not many people had heard of Benedict Cumberbatch nor could they, probably, pick him out of a line up. That wasn’t due to lack of exposure; parts in seventeen TV shows, ten films, thirty radio programmes, and eighteen theatre plays gave him a decent amount of public attention but he was never […]

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From The Water Margins To The Hogwarts Head of Hufflepuff – Actor Miriam Margolyes

March 8, 2022

Some actors are known for their stage careers, others for their film and TV work. Some actors are known for their vocal versatility or their commitment to radically change their physique through diet and/or exercise. Still others are renowned either for the beauty or the character of their appearance. A rare, special few are none […]

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Warm, Resonant, Rich…And That’s Just The Voice – Actor Roger Allam

March 6, 2022

We’re all allowed favourites. Similarly, we’re all allowed someone we admire. Someone we want to be like, someone we secretly copy and could imagine ourselves actually being. It probably changes over the years. A bit like actors play Romeo, then they move on to Hamlet, before finally ending up as Lear so who you idolise […]

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Indie Movie Review – Echoes Of The Past (2021)

February 21, 2022

Let me get something straight right from the start. Echoes Of The Past was quite hard work. Not because it was badly made or acted but because it was based on a true story that was one of the most appalling examples of humanity or, more accurately, the lack of it: The Kalavryta Massacre (Σφαγή […]

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