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- Producer
- Director
- Production Designer
Described by film producer Michael Deeley as "the very best eye in the business", director Ridley Scott was born on November 30, 1937 in South Shields, Tyne and Wear. His father was an officer in the Royal Engineers and the family followed him as his career posted him throughout the United Kingdom and Europe before they eventually returned to Teesside. Scott wanted to join the British Army (his elder brother Frank had already joined the Merchant Navy) but his father encouraged him to develop his artistic talents instead and so he went to West Hartlepool College of Art and then London's Royal College of Art where he helped found the film department.
In 1962, he joined the BBC as a trainee set designer working on several high profile series. He attended a trainee director's course while he was there and his first directing job was on an episode of the popular BBC police series Z Cars (1962), Error of Judgement (1965). More TV work followed until, frustrated by the poor financial rewards at the BBC, he went into advertising. With his younger brother, Tony Scott, he formed the advertising production company RSA (Ridley Scott Associates) in 1967 and spent the next 10 years making some of the best known and best loved TV adverts ever shown on British television, including a series of ads for Hovis bread set to the music of Dvorak's New World Symphony which are still talked about today ("'e were a great baker were our dad.")
He began working with producer David Puttnam in the 1970s developing ideas for feature films. Their first joint endeavor, The Duellists (1977) won the Jury Prize for Best First Work at Cannes in 1977 and was nominated for the Palm d'Or, more than successfully launching Scott's feature film career. The success of Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) inspired Scott's interest in making science fiction and he accepted the offer to direct Dan O'Bannon's low budget science fiction horror movie Alien (1979), a critical and commercial success that firmly established his worldwide reputation as a movie director.
Blade Runner (1982) followed in 1982 to, at best, a lukewarm reception from public and critics but in the years that followed, its reputation grew - and Scott's with it - as one of the most important sci-fi movies ever made. Scott's next major project was back in the advertising world where he created another of the most talked-about advertising spots in broadcast history when his "1984"-inspired ad for the new Apple Macintosh computer was aired during the Super Bowl on January 22, 1984. Scott's movie career has seen a few flops (notably Legend (1985) and 1492: Conquest of Paradise (1992)), but with successes like Thelma & Louise (1991), Gladiator (2000) and Black Hawk Down (2001) to offset them, his reputation remains solidly intact.
Ridley Scott was awarded Knight Bachelor of the Order of the British Empire at the 2003 Queen's New Year Honours for his "substantial contribution to the British film industry". On July 3, 2015, he was awarded an honorary doctorate by the Royal College of Art in a ceremony at the Royal Albert Hall in London. He was awarded the BAFTA Fellowship in 2018. BAFTA described him as "a visionary director, one of the great British film-makers whose work has made an indelible mark on the history of cinema. Forty years since his directorial debut, his films continue to cross the boundaries of style and genre, engaging audiences and inspiring the next generation of film talent."- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Described by top film critic Mark Kermode as an "unbelievably versatile" actor, Jamie Bell was born in 1986 in Billingham, Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham, England, UK, to Eileen (Matfin) and John Bell, a toolmaker. He comes from a family of dancers including his grandmother, mother, aunt, and sister. It was at his sister's dance practices that he would stand outside the door and imitate the movements of the dancers inside. At age six, he was encouraged to step inside the door and, thus, his dance career began. His own story parallels that of Billy Elliot (2000) in that Jamie kept his dancing a secret from his friends at school. His mother had him when she was 16 and, unfortunately, he never knew his father.
When he met Stephen Daldry, director of Billy Elliot (2000), Jamie adopted him as his father. Once the word about his dancing got out, he was harassed, but this only made him more determined to prove that dancing wasn't just for girls. He has proven a lot by landing the title role of Billy Elliot (2000), winning the role in an audition that included more than 2,000 boys from the northeast of England. His ensuing performance certainly justified the selection since he has not only won the hearts of moviegoers all over the world, he has also been nominated for and won a number of awards, including a Best Newcomer Award and then a Best Male Performance at the BAFTA awards.- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Rowan Sebastian Atkinson was born on 6 January, 1955, in Consett, Co. Durham, UK, to Ella May (Bainbridge) and Eric Atkinson. His father owned a farm, where Rowan grew up with his two older brothers, Rupert and Rodney. He attended Newcastle University and Oxford University where he earned degrees in electrical engineering. During that time, he met screenwriter Richard Curtis, with whom he wrote and performed comedy revues.
Later, he co-wrote and appeared in Not the Nine O'Clock News (1979), which was a huge success and spawned several best-selling books. It won an International Emmy Award and the British Academy Award for "Best Light Entertainment Programme of 1980." He won the "British Academy Award" and was named "BBC Personality of the Year" for his performance in Not the Nine O'Clock News (1979).
Atkinson also appeared in several movies, including Dead on Time (1983), Pleasure at Her Majesty's (1976) (aka "Monty Python Meets Beyond the Fringe"), Never Say Never Again (1983), and The Tall Guy (1989). He played "Mr. Bean" in the TV series, Mr. Bean (1990) but, apart from that and Not the Nine O'Clock News (1979), he also appeared in several other series like Blackadder (1982) and Funny Business (1992), etc.
Atkinson enjoys nothing more than fast cars. He has two children, named Benjamin and Lily, with ex-wife Sunetra Sastry.- Actor
- Composer
- Additional Crew
Jeremy Swift is an English actor born in Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham in 1960, who has most recently been seen in 'Mary Poppins Returns' directed by Rob Marshall for Disney. Jeremy has also worked with legendary film directors such as Roman Polanski (Oliver Twist), Robert Altman (Gosford Park) and The Wachowski Siblings (Jupiter Ascending). His professional career began touring a revue show to prisons and borstals and throughout his 20's Jeremy worked mainly in theatre including The National Theatre (What The Butler Saw) and the West End (Abigail's Party). Jeremy moved more into television in his 30's with roles in Vanity Fair and cult show The Smoking Room (BBC) then in his 40's into major feature films such as Gosford Park, Amazing Grace, Oliver Twist, Fred Claus and Jupiter Ascending. He is known internationally for his role in Downton Abbey, in which he played Mr. Spratt (Maggie Smiths butler) and Foyle's War, in which he played Glenvil Harris. Jeremy is married to the actress Mary Roscoe. (q v )They have 2 children and live in London.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Alun Armstrong is a British actor who is known for playing Cardinal Jinette from the Van Helsing franchise, Baltus Hafez from The Mummy Returns, Uncle Garrow from Eragon, the High Constable from Sleepy Hollow and Maxwell Randall from Billy the Kid and the Green Baize Vampire. He is married to Sue Bairstow and has three sons.- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Simon Farnaby was born on 2 April 1973 in Darlington, County Durham, England, UK. He is an actor and producer, known for Paddington 2 (2017), Wonka (2023) and Your Highness (2011). He is married to Claire Keelan. They have one child.- Actor
- Producer
- Music Department
Stephen Tompkinson was born in Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham in October 1965. His grandad (who Stephen describes as "a comic genius") inspired him to take up acting and he attended the Central Drama School, which he left at the age of 23. He has rarely been out of work since and has worked on the stage, on radio, television and, on the big screen, notably in the movie Brassed Off (1996), for which he has gained many excellent reviews. His TV roles have included a psychopathic poisoner (A Very Open Prison (1995)), a psycho TV reporter (Drop the Dead Donkey (1990)), a yuppie (Downwardly Mobile (1994)), a priest (Ballykissangel (1996)), a veterinarian (Wild at Heart (2006)) and a detective inspector (DCI Banks (2010)). Stephen has also played "Demetruis" in "A Midsummer Night's Dream" for Radio 4. He is also a keen charity cricket player and once scored two more runs than Brian Lara, when they played on the same team. In 1994, he won a Best Comedy Actor award for his role as "Damien Day" in Drop the Dead Donkey (1990). In the future, he plans a trip to Australia (to do a report for the Holiday programme) before he begins filming a new series of Ballykissangel (1996) in March 1997.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Daniel Casey was born on 1 June 1972 in Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham, England, UK. He is an actor, known for Midsomer Murders (1997), Marchlands (2011) and Hex (2004). He has been married to Ellie since October 2005. They have two children.- Mark Stobbart was born in Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham, England, UK. He is known for Line of Duty (2012), The Devil Outside (2018) and The Silence (2010).
- Writer
- Producer
- Director
Franc was born in Norton, near Stockton on Tees and on leaving St John's School at Billingham he went to work at Smith's Dock in Middlesbrough but soon gained a scholarship to the London Film School. From there he moved into the film side of tv commercials and freelancing and his productions of The Fight, a BBC documentary about the preparation for the Bugner -Frazer fight. Television productions such as Auf Wiedersehen Pet brought more acclaim and Quadrophenia, his first feature film achieved cult status in Amereica. This success led 20th Century Fox to offer him a three picture deal that brought a four year stay in Beverley Hills. The mid 1980's saw completion of a 14 million dollar blockbuster The Bride loosely based on May Shelley's Frankenstein tale starring Sting and Jennifer Beals. Since then Franc has maintained his run of successes with both film and television productions.- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Soundtrack
Malcolm Dixon was born on 1 September 1934 in Auckland, County Durham, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Time Bandits (1981), Flash Gordon (1980) and Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983). He was married to Anita B. Senior. He died on 9 April 2020 in the UK.- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Mike grew up in a working-class family in Stockton-on-Tees, North Yorkshire on the North East coast. A versatile character actor with an extensive body of work across both stage and screen. He studied Meisner technique under the tuition of Eva Pope, as well as attending Anthony Meindl's Actors Workshop, Drama Studio London and Redroof's Film and Television School.
On screen he has appeared in "The Genius of Turner" for the BBC; Series 2 of American crime docudrama "Suspicion" by the award winning October Films; the multi award-winning short film "Falsified" (Taba Productions); "Easy Virtue" for Ealing Studios and the Oscar-winning "The Kings Speech".
Mike is also Creative Director for Old Lamp, the award nominated production company he set up with British / Portuguese actress Luisa Guerreiro. In 2015, the company released "The Journey of Alfred Small" which picked up award nominations for 'Best Ensemble Cast'. Following this, the company then produced a live immersive production of "The Crystal Egg Live" to critical praise and a sell out run.- Actor
- Writer
- Director
William Thompson Hay was probably one of the most versatile of entertainers. He was not only a character comedian of the first rank, but was also an astronomer of high repute - he discovered the spot on the planet Saturn in 1933 - and a fully qualified air pilot; he was once an engineer. Born in Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham in 1888, he became interested in astronomy at school and carried on his research work in this direction after he had finished his nightly stage entertainments. He was first "on the air" in 1922 and his then comedy sketches of "St. Michaels School" (of which he was the headmaster) proved to be one of the most popular comedy characters on radio at that time. This character was transferred to film and became equally successful. He worked at Elstree Studios, then Gainsborough, then Ealing; the Gainsborough period was the most consistently successfully, particularly when he worked with the team of Marcel Varnel (director), Val Guest and Marriott Edgar (writers), and Moore Marriott and Graham Moffatt (supporting cast). By the time he made his first film, he was in his mid forties and his last role came less than a decade later. Between 1934 and 1943, he was a prolific and popular film comedian. He was credited on several films as a writer or co-ordinator, and was arguably the dominant 'author' of all the films in which he appeared, in that they were built around his persona and depended on the character and routines he had developed over years on the stage.- Peter McPherson was born on 22 July 1983 in Hartlepool, County Durham, England, UK. He is an actor, known for Years and Years (2019), In from the Side (2022) and The Chair (2019).
- Beatrice Kelley was born in 1947 in Durham, County Durham, England, UK. She is an actress, known for Ideal (2005), Heartbeat (1992) and Johnny and the Bomb (2006).
- Actor
- Writer
Ian Cullen first trod the boards in a village pantomime at the age of four and has been an actor ever since. He became a household name when he played PC Joe Skinner in Z Cars (1962), first appearing in 1969, the character was later promoted to Detective and stayed with the show for 6 years, until he was gunned down in the line of duty in one of TV's biggest shocks in the mid 70s.
Other recurring roles include the classic 60s hospital drama Emergency-Ward 10 (1957), where he played Warren Kent (1966-67), When the Boat Comes In (1976), as Geordie Watson (1977-81) and as Angus Hart, the original lead of the Channel 5 soap opera Family Affairs (1997). Ian's character, Angus Hart, was also killed in a shock storyline when the entire Hart family were killed in a boat explosion. He has also guest starred in many British television series, including Doctor Who (1963), The Bill (1984), Blake's 7 (1978) and Sorry! (1981).
Ian's stage work is extensive and has seen him perform all over the Country, with 8 West End productions to his name and 2 years with the Royal Shakespeare Company. He won rave reviews for his performance as Jay in 'Road to the Sea' at the Orange Tree Theatre, in 2003.
In 2008 he won a Gold Award for his narration of the feature length documentary The Destiny of Britain (2007). Constantly busy, Ian also runs the Surrey Heath Youth Actors Company with his wife, actress Yvonne Quenet. They have been married for over 30 years and have three daughters.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Elizabeth Estensen was born on 10 August 1949 in Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham, England, UK. She is an actress, known for Emmerdale Farm (1972), T.Bag's Christmas Cracker (1988) and T.Bag's Christmas Carol (1989). She has been married to Philip Allen since May 1983. They have one child.- Actor
- Writer
Bodhrán Mullan was born on 1 April 1999 in Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham, England, UK. He is an actor and writer, known for The Lounge (2019), Once Upon a Time in Frickley and Hope Street (2020).- Actor
- Writer
Peter Sandys-Clarke was born on 11 July 1981 in Darlington, County Durham, England, UK. He is an actor and writer, known for Napoleon (2023), The Charles Dickens Show (2012) and Desperate Romantics (2009).- Ronald Radd was born on 22 January 1929 in Ryhope, Sunderland, County Durham, England, UK. He was an actor, known for The Sea Gull (1968), A Tale of Two Cities (1957) and The Saint (1962). He was married to Dorothy May Goodman. He died on 23 April 1976 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
- Philip Middlemiss was born on 19 June 1963 in Hartlepool, County Durham, England, UK. He is an actor, known for Coronation Street (1960), Where the Heart Is (1997) and Traffik (1989).
- Actor
- Writer
- Soundtrack
James Gaddas was born on 17 June 1960 in Ragworth, Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham, England, UK. He is an actor and writer, known for Starter for 10 (2006), Bad Girls (1999) and Jonathan Creek (1997).- Director
- Producer
- Writer
Maurice Elvey was born in Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham, England, the oldest son of William Clarence Folkard, an inspecting engineer, and Sarah Anna Seward Folkard (formerly Pearce). He never had a formal education, and was working on the streets of London by the age of nine after having run away from home. For a time he worked as a page boy in the Hyde Park Hotel, and a lucky encounter with a wealthy American set him on the road to a career in first the theatre and then in films. It was while in New York when working as a stage producer that he saw his first film, The Flying Dutchman (1923). This made such an impression on him that when he came back to England he was determined to produce and direct films; thus began a career spanning 44 years, during which time he made over 300 feature films and innumerable shorts. Amongst the "firsts" that Maurice Elvey can claim as a director are: Gaumont's first talking film (High Treason (1929)) and the first British colour film Sons of the Sea (1939)). Carol Reed and David Lean began their distinguished careers in film by working for him, and he directed Gracie Fields in her first movie, Sally in Our Alley (1931). Maurice Elvey was the older brother of Fred V. Merrick, and during the 1920s and 1930s they worked on a number of films together. In May 1996 the world premiere of a long-lost film about David Lloyd George, directed by Elvey, took place in Cardiff more than 70 years later than scheduled. The three-hour film was suppressed on the eve of its release under circumstances that have still not been fully explained. The film was acclaimed by cinema historians as a milestone in film making, and it is believed that had it been released in 1918, as originally planned, it may well have changed the course of British cinema.
Maurice Elvey was married three times. His first marriage took place on 31st December 1910 to Adeline Maud Charlton Preston (aka actress 'Philippa Preston'. This marriage ended in divorce. He then married Florence Hill Clarke (a sculptor) on 2nd February 1916. This marriage, too, ended in divorce. On 13th January 1923 he married Isabella Reed (aka actress Isobel Elsom), but this marriage also ended in divorce. As Elvey's niece and god-daughter I was privileged to unveil a plaque in April 1997 at the Green Dragon Museum, Stockton-on-Tees as part of the Centenary of Cinema Celebrations.- Frank Jarvis was born on 13 May 1941 in Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham, England, UK. He was an actor, known for The Italian Job (1969), A Bridge Too Far (1977) and Secret Army (1977). He was married to Christine Muphy. He died on 15 September 2010 in London, England, UK.
- Actor
- Music Department
While Paul was born in Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham near Middlesbrough, his early years were spent traveling the world due to his father being a chief technician in the R.A.F. but they always came back to Stockton. His final school was St. Mary's College in Middlesbrough and when he left he spent a year working as a clerk for a haulage contractor. At that time acting hadn't entered his mind as he wanted to be a singer and dreamt of being the new Frank Sinatra. A friend was studying acting at the Guildhall School of Speech and Drama and encouraged Paul to apply. Armed with speeches from 'King Lear', which he'd studied at school, he applied but was turned down. He took acting lessons from a Stockton teacher friend who took him through some pieces then he re applied and was accepted. One of his earliest acting jobs was as a photographer in 'Coronation Street' then a part in 'Crossroads' where he met and married Diane Keen and later divorced. They had a daughter Melissa, In 1975 who's a theatrical agent. He became well known playing the title role in the TV series 'The Growing Pains of PC Penrose' and the follow up series 'Rosie'. Now married to actress Claire Neilson he's stepfather to her daughter Peggy. who's a script editor. His most enjoyable role was the smallest, that of Master Stephen in Ben Johnson's Every Man In His Humour. He has a third daughter Rosie- Edward was educated at South Shields Grammar Tech1958 -65, Manchester University 1967 -1970 BA Hons 1970 and is the chair of the Northern Electric Arts Awards, On the board of Northern Stage Co .,Royal Overseas League, British Actors Equity, Directors Guild of Great Britain. He appeared in the television series When the Boat Comes In and Rockcliffes Babies
- Additional Crew
- Actor
- Writer
Ben Pratt was born on 18 May 1990 in Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham, England, UK. He is an actor and writer, known for The Secret Eye (2013) and Leeza (1994).- Ivy Close began a dynasty that has now covered four generations of the history of Cinema and Television. She married the photographer Elwin Neame (1885-1923) and reared two sons Ronald Neame (1911-2010), a successful cinematographer, screenwriter, producer and director and Derek Neame (1915-1979), an author who scripted several films. Her grandson Christopher Neame (1942- ) and her great-grandson Gareth Neame (1967- ) have become successful producers. Her second husband was the Australian-born make-up artist and former stuntman Curly Batson, who died in 1957.
- Elliott Francis was born in Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham, England, UK. He is an actor, known for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009), Splatalot (2011) and Little Dorrit (2008).
- Producer
- Actor
- Writer
Born in Barnard Castle, County Durham his father, Deric was a bank manager at Spennymoor, Bishop Auckland and Barnard Castle and his mother, Gill, from Lincolnshire, was a teacher. He has an older brother and sister, Nigel and Debbie. He acted with the Middleton and District Musical Society making his debut as the Artful Dodger in 'Oliver'. He had thought of going into the legal profession and would probably been a lawyer but when he went to have a look around Christchurch College in Oxford, where his brother had been, they called him Nigel and he thought there would be too much comparison so he gave up the idea and decided on acting and auditioned for and got into Webber Douglas Stage School (1989 - 1992).He made his theatrical debut in 1992 at The Royal Court theatre playing Doug in 'Six Degrees of Separation which transferred to the Comedy Theatre in the West End.He joined the RSC (1994 - 1996) appearing in 'Twelfth Night' and 'Pentecost,' both in the West End. He made his television debut in 'Just a Gigolo' in 1993 followed by parts in 'The Upper Hand',and 'Dalziel and Pasco'. In 1996 he was appearing in 'A Going Concern' at the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough when ha was seen by the casting director of 'Coronation Street'and after doing a reading test was given the role of Detective Alan McKenna. His films include An English Lord in 'Henry V' Kenny St John in 'Up On the Roof' In 2000 he was in a touring production of 'Death Trap' He has written a number of unproduced scripts and would like to write and direct one.- Neil Daglish was born in December 1949 in Hebburn, County Durham, England, UK. He is an actor, known for Doctor Who (1963), EastEnders (1985) and Secret Army (1977).
- Producer
- Actor
- Director
Matt Baker was born on 23 December 1977 in Easington, County Durham, England, UK. He is a producer and actor, known for Doctor Who (2005), Blue Peter (1958) and The Itch of the Golden Nit (2011). He has been married to Nicola Mooney since 16 July 2004. They have two children.- Brian Lonsdale was born in 1979 in Bishop Auckland, County Durham, England, UK. He is an actor, known for Goal! The Dream Begins (2005), Valiant (2005) and War Horse (2014).
- Actor
- Writer
Best known in Australia as Detective Peter Barnes (1967-73) in the long running police drama Homicide (1964). He later appeared in Cop Shop (1977) and began to make a name for himself in local and international movies before suffering the first of the strokes that would eventually kill him in the mid-1980s. He was confined to a wheelchair for the last four years of his life. He and his wife Lenice Reed were married for 28 years, having met on the set of Homicide.- Composer
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Jim Parker was born on 18 December 1934 in Hartlepool, County Durham, England, UK. He was a composer, known for The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling (1997), The Fortunes and Misfortunes of Moll Flanders (1996) and To Play the King (1993). He was married to Pauline George and Sonia Levy. He died on 28 July 2023 in the USA.- Camera and Electrical Department
- Additional Crew
Ian Fergusson was born in the Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham, England but spent much of his younger years living abroad including in Japan, Southern Africa and California. His final school years were spent in Hertfordshire, England and Edinburgh, Scotland.
Ian Fergusson is a BBC weather presenter in the West of England, appearing on the regional news programme 'Points West', especially breakfast bulletins. Previously he worked as a cameraman based at BBC Bristol (where he was awarded by the Royal Television Society). Arguably, he is best-known to the wider public through his TV documentary work on sharks.
Fergusson's interests in sharks began as a child in South Africa in the mid 1970s. He went on to gain chartered status as a biologist and his research and conservation work in the past decade has mainly focused on sharks inhabiting the Mediterranean Sea. He has authored a number of scientific papers on the biology of great white sharks and other species, including preparing sections of the well-known 'Red List' of threatened species prepared by IUCN: The World Conservation Union.
His credentials as a shark conservationist include helping establish the Shark Trust, a UK-based wildlife charity, in 1997. Fergusson is now a patron of the Trust and also serves as a member of the IUCN Shark Specialist Group.
Although much of his TV work with the BBC has been behind the scenes as a cameraman, his TV appearances have spanned over a decade including presenting Channel 4's Equinox: 'Jaws in the Med' in 1995. Since then, he has been a regular contributor in television portrayals of sharks, including appearances on various BBC and ITV documentaries; children's programmes including the BBC's Blue Peter and Live & Kicking; and even fending-off Jeremy Paxman as a guest on BBC Two's current affairs series, Newsnight.
He was awarded by the Royal Television Society for his camera-work in 2007 and given Freedom of the City of London in 1997. Fergusson will appear as guest presenter in the first of a major new BBC TWO series of science-adventure documentaries,'Oceans', which will be shown in Autumn 2008.- Jessica James was born on 7 March 1917 in Hartlepool, County Durham, England, UK. She was an actress, known for EastEnders (1985), The 10th Kingdom (2000) and The Great Kandinsky (1995). She died on 28 October 2010 in Camden, London, England, UK.
- Actress
- Make-Up Department
- Producer
Born Rachel Dawn Woodhouse in Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham, England.
Rae (her performing name has appeared in various BBC drama's such as Byker Grove, George gently and Jonathan Strange & Mr Norell, appearing alongside actors Martin Shaw, Lee Ingleby, Michael Socha, Anthony McPartlin, Declan Donnelly, Eddie Marsan and Marc Warren. Twice Rae has been called upon to play a woman suffering domestic violence, the first was in 2011 and the second more recently with Crissy Rock (Benidorm) in 2017 in Violence Breeds Violence.
Whilst studying Musical Theatre at Stockton Riverside College, Rae also took on to study a Diploma in Theatrical and Media make-up. Upon qualifying she went into working on set as an MUA, but also as an Actor. She is quoted as saying, "Acting is my primary, but I am happy to do make up when needed". Once she had completed her Musical Theatre BTEC, Rae went on to study at Teesside university, where she gained a FDa in performance and events management and went on to do a top up degree in Performing Arts - Acting, Graduating with a BA(Hons) in 2011. Rae continues her training even to this present day, she attends weekly classes at Northern Star Acting and regularly attends workshops, boot camps and networking events. Rae is also committed to learning stage combat and armed combat, until recently she attended weekly classes with Ravenwolf Cinematic Combat.
Rae recently played the role of Moire in Whiteblade, she is presently waiting to start filming on English Outlaw: The Story of Dick Turpin, Swords of Scavelia, Isle of Ironghard, I am Poly and Salvatus. She is also in rehearsals at present for The Hound of the Baskervilles, which is set to go on Stage in July 2022.
When not filming or treading the boards, Rae is keen on honing her skills in unarmed combat, all aspects of sword combat and Archery and is looking to add gun skills to her repertoire of skills in the coming year. Alongside this Rae has many other hidden skills and talents including horse ridding, carriage driving, knitting, embroidery a knack for picking up accents and crying on demand, to name but a few. When she gets spare time she loves nothing more than spending quality time with her family, reading / working on scripts, driving somewhere with the family, knitting or watching a good movie / Theatre production / Musical.
Recent news: NSA nominated and awarded Rachel Michaelson the prestigious award of Actor of the year 2018. Rachel is reported to have been shocked, but very happy with her award.- Actor
- Stunts
Jimmy James, whose real name was James Casey was born in Stockton on Tees in 1892, His father, who was a clog dancer on Northern and Midland halls in 1904 introduced James as Terry the Blue Eyed Irish Boy who then did a song and dance act. After a while he joined Will Netta's juvenile singing troupe, Jockeys then Phil Ree's Stable Lads and Clare Lovedales Ten to One On. He then formed his own sketch company and toured The Spare Room as a bridegroom who got drunk at the reception and got locked out on the wedding night, Playing Sunderland in 1929 he was seen by George Black's agent and given a London booking at the Palladium, He was essentially a visual comic doing drunk routines, rolling a cigarette around his mouth, facial contortions. He had 3 routines Drunk, chipster and his best known The Shoebox with gormless Hutton Conyers, originally played by his son in law, Jack Darby then his son Cass James then Roy Castle (1956 ~ 59) Bretton Woods and his nephew Jack Casey.
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-- Director
- Writer
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Bill Hays was born on 15 March 1938 in Wingate, County Durham, England, UK. He was a director and writer, known for Dig This Rhubarb (1963), The Good Companions (1980) and R3 (1964). He was married to Catherine Schell and Jill. He died on 2 March 2006 in Craponne-sur-Arzon, Haute-Loire, France.- Director
- Writer
- Producer
Tim Burstall was born on 20 April 1927 in Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham, England, UK. He was a director and writer, known for Stork (1971), End Play (1976) and Libido (1973). He was married to Neela Dey and Betty Rogers. He died on 19 April 2004 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Susan Maughan was born on 1 July 1942 in Consett, County Durham, England, UK. She is an actress, known for Junior Showtime (1969), What a Crazy World (1963) and Two Left Feet (1965).- Actor
- Soundtrack
Stephen Hancock was born on 25 November 1925 in Bishop Auckland, County Durham, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Coronation Street (1960), The Avengers (1961) and Dear Dotty (1954). He was married to Jocelyn Page. He died on 1 November 2015 in Southwold, Suffolk, England, UK.- Christine Bocca was born on 1 June 1915 in Easington, County Durham, England, UK. She was an actress, known for Jigsaw (1962) and The Flaw (1955). She was married to Laurence Naismith. She died on 19 March 1985 in Woolhampton, Berkshire, England, UK.
- Wincey Willis was born Florence Winsome Leighton in Gateshead, County Durham in 1948.
The name Florence was soon dropped in favour of Winsome - shortened to Wincey - a named she loved. When she married husband Malcolm Willis the names ran together so well she still uses his surname some 15 years after her divorce. She was employed variously in the travel industry, acting as a courier and guide before finding work as a record plugger. This lead to her first broadcasting experience as a radio presenter, from where she progressed to Weather presenting for Tyne Tees Television. Domiciled in the Barnard Castle area she also indulged her other passion, which was to rescue and re-home various wild and domestic animals. At one time she had a menagerie of approaching 100 creatures of varying sorts, a subject on which she would eventually publish a book.
In May 1983, Greg Dyke, then Programme Editor for the struggling TV-am was searching for new faces to prop up the failing morning show. He sought unknowns who'd make an impact, even recruiting a friend's aerobics instructor as the exercise presenter. A clip of Willis' presenting the weather was sent to him and he hired her immediately. As he commented at the time, she was more famous for the things that went wrong on her show than for slick presentation, and nobody really cared about the weather anyway. Her weather slot was immediately prior to the half hourly news bulletins and she found she was given anything between 15 seconds and three minutes (with little notice as to which it would be) to fill depending on how long previous interviews and items had lasted. Remarkably it worked. Popular with both audience and colleagues her role began to grow and other features and gimmicks were added, until the arrival of Bruce Gyngell in 1984. Seeking to drag the whole show upmarket, and reduce expenditure to the minimum he could get away with Willis gradually found herself being marginalised within TV-am. However this ironically coincided with expanding horizons elsewhere. Treasure Hunt (1982) came along in 1985 and riding her fame she was offered a deal to write a book, and sponsor a children's board game. Neither was spectacularly successful, but kept her name firmly in the public eye. The usual round of 'B' list games shows and chat shows also meant that she was instantly recognisable anywhere in the UK and abroad. Her haircut was perhaps her most distinctive feature. Spectacularly streaked blonde, it was relatively short and spiky on top and long to the back. Definitively the ultimate 'Mullet' as they were known in the 1980s. She was rewarded with the 'Head of the Year Award' in 1986, a year that perhaps marked the peak of her fame.
In the summer of 1987 after a disagreement with Gyngell about her role within the programme she walked out: noting with some irony that as she was clearing her desk, her replacement was already being feted on the canal bank outside TV-am's studios. While TV-am and Bruce Gyngell then embarked on their terminal progress through industrial disputes and ill-judged franchise bids, Willis also saw her public exposure steadily decline. Although she continued to appear on Treasure Hunt, it too would disappear as a show in 1989 leaving her with no regular appearances.
Her involvement with animals had continued through the 1980s and she was active in supporting many animal charities, including sponsoring 'St Tiggywinkles' hospital for injured animals. Gradually this work took over and in the early 1990s she left the UK to go Greece for an extended period living and working in a turtle sanctuary. She has since returned to the UK, and has become known for reading and writing poetry. - Ciaran Dow Jones was born on 2 July 1985 in Darlington, County Durham, England, UK. He is an actor, known for Weapon (2020), Shameless (2004) and The Nature of Daylight (2016).
- Robert Scroggins was born in 1940 in Durham, County Durham, England, UK. He is an actor, known for St. Ives (1955), The Adventures of Sir Lancelot (1956) and Angel Pavement (1957).
- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Dean Stobbart was born on 25 March 1980 in Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham, England, UK. He is an actor and director, known for 442oons (2013), Killing Time (2004) and Where the Heart Is (1997).- Eli Woods was born on 11 January 1923 in Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Mr. H Is Late (1988), Little Dorrit (1987) and Spender (1991). He was married to Pamela. He died on 1 May 2014 in Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham, England, UK.
- Additional Crew
- Producer
- Actor
Dean Sipling was born on 19 December 1971 in Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham, England, UK. He is a producer and actor, known for Colette (2018), Lucky Man (2016) and In Fabric (2018).