James Morgan (actor)

Last updated

James Morgan
Born (1985-08-08) 8 August 1985 (age 36)
OccupationActor
Years active2002–present

James Morgan (born 8 August 1985) is a Welsh actor.

Contents

Career

Stage

Morgan was born in Maesteg, South Wales on 8 August 1985. He began acting in 1996, at the age of ten, when he was cast in the role of Charlie Bates in the Maesteg Amateur Operatic Society production of Oliver! . He built up a reputation through acting in pantomime and musical theatre performances in the local community. He began to accrue significant roles on stage including Chino in West Side Story and Cosmo in Singin' in the Rain for Bridgend County Youth Theatre.

This led to the role of Mark Anthony in A Chorus Line at the Sherman Theatre in Cardiff as part of the International Festival of Musical Theatre in 2005.

In 2008 Morgan joined the Swansea Little Theatre - the company that once counted Dylan Thomas as a member - playing George Milton in John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men at the Dylan Thomas Theatre. [1] The production received favourable reviews, [2] earning him a Best Actor nomination at the Glammie Awards in South Wales. [3]

In 2010 he returned to Swansea, playing the role of Ethan in the musical adaptation of The Full Monty . With positive reviews [4] after a full house run at the Dylan Thomas Theatre the show was transferred to the Grand Theatre, Swansea for a one-off final performance.

2019 saw Morgan back at the Dylan Thomas Theatre, this time playing Dylan Thomas in the play 3 Knights and 2 Welshmen, about the friendship between the Welsh poet and actor Richard Burton. Inspired by actual events, the play was set in an Austrian hotel during the production of eight-hour epic Wagner (which also featured Sir John Gielgud, Sir Ralph Richardson, and Sir Laurence Olivier, who all appear as characters in the play). [5] He followed this up with a turn as John Proctor in Arthur Miller's The Crucible at the Grand Theatre, Swansea, a performance which was described as "faultless" by the UK's National Operatic and Dramatic Association, [6] and earned him a NODA Wales & Ireland award for Best Individual Performance in a Drama.

2020 saw Morgan make his London West End debut in The Man Whose Hair Grew Black playing the role of Brian Thomas for Gurnwah Productions at the Leicester Square Theatre in February. [7]

Screen

Away from the stage, Morgan has taken a series of roles in television, with parts in the ITV Wales shorts What Goes on Tour and Covered - the latter winning him the Best Actor prize at the It's My Shout Awards in South Wales in 2004.

In 2010 Morgan appeared on BBC1 in The Indian Doctor, a period comedy-drama set in the 1960s, with a cast that included Sanjeev Bhaskar, Ayesha Dharker, Mark Williams and Beth Robert. 2012 saw his return to show playing the role of minor Harri. In 2011 he appeared in the lead role of Jason Rees in the Seraphim Pictures short film The Final Punchline. In 2014 he made a return to television in 24: Live Another Day as a DSS Agent for 1 episode, and followed this up in 2016 playing Morgan in "The Corpse Series" which was released through Crypt TV in the US in 2017.

In 2018 he was cast in Human Resources, the first episode of the Watchers Productions series Strange Tales, playing the role of Noah. [8]

Related Research Articles

Tim Curry English actor and singer

Timothy James Curry is an English actor and singer. He rose to prominence for his portrayal of Dr. Frank-N-Furter in the film The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975), reprising the role he had originated in the 1973 London and 1974 Los Angeles musical stage productions of The Rocky Horror Show.

Geraint Wyn Davies Welsh-Canadian-American actor.

Geraint Wyn Davies is a Welsh-American stage, film and television actor-director. Educated in Canada, he has worked in the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States. His most famous role as the vampire-turned police detective Nick Knight in the Canadian television series Forever Knight.

Under Milk Wood is a 1954 radio drama by Welsh poet Dylan Thomas, commissioned by the BBC and later adapted for the stage. A film version, Under Milk Wood directed by Andrew Sinclair, was released in 1972, and another adaptation of the play, directed by Pip Broughton, was staged for television for the 60th anniversary in 2014.

Ioan Gruffudd Welsh actor

Ioan Gruffudd is a Welsh actor. He first came to public attention as Fifth Officer Harold Lowe in Titanic (1997), and then for his portrayal of Horatio Hornblower in the Hornblower series of television films (1998–2003). Subsequent roles have included Lancelot in King Arthur (2004), Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic in Fantastic Four (2005) and its sequel (2007), William Wilberforce in Amazing Grace (2006), and Tony Blair in W. (2008).

Gareth Thomas (actor) Welsh actor

Gareth Daniel Thomas was a Welsh actor. He rose to national prominence playing the role of Roj Blake in the 1970s BBC science-fiction television drama series Blake's 7.

<i>Spamalot</i>

Monty Python's Spamalot is a musical comedy adapted from the 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Like the motion picture, it is a highly irreverent parody of the Arthurian legend, but it differs from the film in many ways. The original 2005 Broadway production, directed by Mike Nichols, received 14 Tony Awards nominations, winning in three categories, including Best Musical. During its initial run of 1,575 performances, it was seen by more than two million people and grossed over $175 million. Tim Curry starred as King Arthur in the original Broadway and West End productions. It was one of eight UK musicals commemorated on Royal Mail stamps, issued in February 2011.

Mark Addy English actor

Mark Ian Addy is an English actor. He is known for varied roles in British television, including Detective Constable Gary Boyle in the sitcom The Thin Blue Line (1995–1996) and Hercules in the fantasy drama series Atlantis (2013–2015).

Robert "Con" O'Neill is an English actor. He started his acting career at the Everyman Theatre and became primarily known for his performances in musicals. He received critical acclaim and won a Laurence Olivier Award for playing Michael "Mickey" Johnstone in the musical Blood Brothers. Subsequently, he was nominated for a Tony Award and a Drama Desk Award for the same role. He also appeared in many films and television series.

Michael Bogdanov was a Welsh theatre director known for his work with new plays, modern reinterpretations of Shakespeare, musicals and work for young people.

Aneirin Hughes Welsh actor and singer

Aneirin Hughes is a Welsh actor and singer known for playing Chief Superintendent Brian Prosser in the BBC4 Welsh police drama Hinterland. He won a Best Actor BAFTA Cymru for his appearance as Delme in Cameleon (1997), a Welsh language film.

Colin George was a Welsh actor and director, who was the founding Artistic Director of the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield (1971).

Daniel Evans (actor) Welsh actor

Daniel Gwyn Evans is a Welsh actor and director.

Paul Keating is an English actor. He has been nominated twice for an Olivier Award for his performances on the West End stage. He began acting at the age of 12, appearing as Gavroche in Les Misérables at The Palace Theatre for 10 months.

Huw Ceredig Jones was a Welsh actor, best known for portraying Reg Harries in the Welsh-language soap opera Pobol y Cwm.

Actor-manager Actor who manages their own theatrical company and usually stars in its productions

An actor-manager is a leading actor who sets up their own permanent theatrical company and manages the business, sometimes taking over a theatre to perform select plays in which they usually star. It is a method of theatrical production used consistently since the 16th century, particularly common in 19th-century Britain and the United States.

Dylan Thomas Theatre

The Dylan Thomas Theatre is a theatre based in the Maritime Quarter, in the centre of the city of Swansea in Wales. The theatre officially opened under its present name in 1983, but was home to the Swansea Little Theatre from 1979.

A Poet in New York is a British drama television film that was first broadcast, in a 60-minute version, by BBC One Wales on 30 April 2014. A longer 75-minute version was later broadcast by BBC Two on 18 May 2014. The film, written by Andrew Davies and directed by Aisling Walsh, explores how Welsh poet Dylan Thomas died in New York at the age of 39. The film was made to mark the centenary of Thomas' birth on 27 October 1914.

<i>Under Milk Wood: An Opera</i>

Under Milk Wood: An Opera is a chamber opera in one act by the Welsh composer John Metcalf. The libretto is directly adapted from the play for voices Under Milk Wood by Dylan Thomas. It premiered on 3 April 2014 at the Taliesin Arts Centre in Swansea.

Anthony Lyn is a Welsh theatrical director and actor, originally from Swansea in South Wales. During his early life, he performed in numerous shows at the Grand Theatre in Swansea. As an actor he appeared in London's West End and toured nationally.

Philip Burton (theatre director)

Philip Henry Burton was a Welsh teacher who became an acclaimed radio producer and theatre director. In his later life, he emigrated to the United States where he helped found the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York City. Despite Burton's successes in many fields, it is for his role in helping Richard Burton to pursue his career as an actor, that he is best remembered.

References