Andrew Grainger

Last updated

Andrew Grainger
Born1965 (age 5859)
United Kingdom
OccupationActor
Years active1987–present
PartnerSacha Hickman ( née Williams)
Children2

Andrew Grainger (born 1965) is an English theatre and film actor. A native of the United Kingdom, Grainger moved to Castor Bay, Auckland, New Zealand in 2007, where he is active in both theatre and television productions, but continues to appear regularly on British television, as he has since launching his career.

Contents

Theatre

"Andy Grainger", as he was initially credited, formulated an acting career through his love of musicals and theatre. He began a West End theatre acting, dancing and singing career in 1987 at age 22 at the Prince of Wales Theatre playing "Benjamin" in a stage and road production of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers , directed by Michael Winter, and in 1990 playing "Lt. Buzz Adams" in South Pacific , directed by Roger Redfarm. He also portrayed "Dr. Orin" in a 1994 production of A Little Shop of Horrors at the Oldham Coliseum Theatre directed by Lindsay Dolan. [1] [2]

Since then, he has appeared regularly in such venues as the Hull Truck Theatre, London Palladium, King's Head Theatre, Silo Theatre and the Auckland Theatre Company. [1]

In 2013, he appeared as "Geoff Tordoff" in a production of The Heretic with the Auckland Theatre Company. [2]

Television and films

Grainger has participated in over 60 British television series and films in his career, among them The Bill , Rosemary and Thyme , Heartbeat , Bad Girls and EastEnders . In New Zealand he has appeared in local programmes Shortland Street, Outrageous Fortune, The Million Dollar Con Man, Life's A Riot and The Cult. He has received recognition for a variety of worldwide television commercial appearances, [1] [2] as well as a role in the first season of Ash vs Evil Dead in 2015.

Among the feature films he has appeared in are Parting Shots (1999), In the Beginning (2000), Large (2001), Spy Game (2001), Mean Machine (2001), Kiss Me Deadly (2008) and The Lovely Bones (2009).

Personal life

Grainger moved to New Zealand in 2006 to start a family with his wife, Sacha. Living near Waiake Beach in Torbay, they have two children. "I think in life if you have an opportunity to try things new you should embrace them, and the lifestyle here is fantastic." [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard O'Brien</span> British-New Zealand writer and actor (born 1942)

Richard Timothy Smith, known professionally as Richard O'Brien, is a British-New Zealand actor, writer, musician, and television presenter. He wrote the musical stage show The Rocky Horror Show in 1973, which has remained in continuous production. He also co-wrote the screenplay along with director Jim Sharman for the film adaptation, The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975), and appeared on-screen as Riff Raff. The film has received a large cult following and became the longest-running theatrical release in film history. O'Brien co-wrote the musical Shock Treatment (1981) and appeared in the film as Dr. Cosmo McKinley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joel Grey</span> American actor, singer, dancer, director, and photographer (born 1932)

Joel Grey is an American actor, singer, dancer, photographer, and theatre director. He is best known for portraying the Master of Ceremonies in the musical Cabaret on Broadway and in Bob Fosse's 1972 film adaptation. He has won an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Tony Award. He earned the Lifetime Achievement Tony Award in 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ray Meagher</span> Australian actor

Raymond Francis Meagher is an Australian actor, who has appeared in Australian film and television since the mid-1970s. He is notable as the longest continuing performer in an Australian television role, portraying Alf Stewart on Home and Away, having played the role since the first episode in 1988. Meagher won a Gold Logie Award for his role in Home and Away in 2010 and has currently played the role of Alf for over 35 years.

Harry Alan Sinclair is a New Zealand film director, writer and actor. In his early career he was an actor and member of The Front Lawn, a musical theatre duo. He went on to write and direct several short films, a TV series and three feature films. He is best known for his role as Isildur in the first scenes of Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.

Lisa Irene Chappell is a New Zealand actress and musician. She is known for her roles as Chelsea Redfern in Gloss (1987–90), her acting debut, and as Claire McLeod in McLeod's Daughters (2001–03), a performance which earned her two Logie Awards, for Most Popular New Female Talent and Most Popular Actress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew Scott (actor)</span> Irish actor (born 1976)

Andrew Scott is an Irish actor. Known for his roles on stage and screen, he has received numerous accolades, including a BAFTA Television Award and two Laurence Olivier Awards, along with nominations for a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stuart Devenie</span> New Zealand actor

Stuart Forbes Devenie is a New Zealand actor and theatre director, whose career spans three decades on stage and screen. He has performed in theatre productions nationally and internationally. In the 1980s, he was the artistic director of Centrepoint Theatre in Palmerston North and has been a senior educator at Toi Whakaari New Zealand Drama School. In 2000, he founded Playfair Ltd theatre company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Napier Robertson</span> New Zealand writer, actor, film director and producer

James William Napier Robertson is a New Zealand writer, film director, actor and producer, who wrote and directed 2009 film I'm Not Harry Jenson, and 2014 film The Dark Horse, for which he won Best Director, Best Screenplay and Best Film at the 2014 New Zealand Film Awards, and which was declared by New Zealand critics "One of the greatest New Zealand films ever made".

Nathaniel Lees is a New Zealand theatre actor and director and film actor of Samoan descent, best known for film roles in The Matrix Reloaded, The Matrix Revolutions and The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and for starring in Young Hercules as Chiron the centaur.

Alistair Browning was a New Zealand actor who won several awards for his work in film, television and theatre, best known for his roles in Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence, The Lord of the Rings, Rain, Futile Attraction, Siege, and Power Rangers Dino Super Charge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olivia Tennet</span> New Zealand actress, dancer and choreographer

Olivia Tennet is a New Zealand actress and dancer best known in her home country for her role as Tuesday Warner on the nightly medical drama Shortland Street, along with several roles in television and theatre. Outside of New Zealand, she is best known for her roles in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002), Power Rangers RPM (2009), and the independent film Blood Punch (2013).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cameron Rhodes</span> New Zealand actor

Cameron Rhodes is a New Zealand film and theatrical actor and director.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antony Starr</span> New Zealand actor (born 1975)

Antony Starr is a New Zealand actor. He is best known for his television roles. He played the dual roles of Jethro and Van West in the series Outrageous Fortune (2005–10), Lucas Hood in the Cinemax series Banshee (2013–16), and John/Homelander in the Prime Video series The Boys and its spin-offs (2019–present).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Henare</span> New Zealand actor

George Winiata Henare is a New Zealand actor with a career spanning over 50 years.

Nancy Brunning was a New Zealand actress, director, and writer who won awards in film and television and made a major contribution to the growth of Māori in the arts. She won the best actress award at the New Zealand Film Awards for her lead role in the film What Becomes of the Broken Hearted? (1999). In 2000, she won the Best Actress in Drama award at the New Zealand Television Awards for her lead role in the television series Nga Tohu.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Warner (actor)</span>

John Hickson Warner was a British film, television and stage actor whose career spanned more than five decades. His most famous role was that of Timothy Dawes in Salad Days, which premiered in the UK at the Theatre Royal in 1954, and transferred to the Vaudeville Theatre in London in the same year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rachel House (actress)</span> New Zealand actress and director

Rachel Jessica Te Ao Maarama House is a New Zealand actress and director. She is best known for her roles in the films Whale Rider (2002), Boy (2010), White Lies (2013), Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016), Moana (2016), Bellbird (2019) and Soul (2020). She is a series regular on TV in the 2022 reboot of Heartbreak High as Principal Stacy "Woodsy" Woods and is a recurring character in the New Zealand Dark comedy-drama Creamerie as Doc Harvey. She is also a regular fixture of New Zealand theatre.

Morgana O'Reilly is a New Zealand film, television and theatre actress. She has appeared in several theatre productions and created the one-woman play The Height of the Eiffel Tower, which she performed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2014. O'Reilly played Lynn Matthews in the biographical television film Billy and starred as Kylie Bucknell in the horror-comedy Housebound. She has made appearances in Nothing Trivial, Sunny Skies, This is Littleton. O'Reilly played Naomi Canning in Neighbours from 2013 until 2015. She made guest appearances in 2020 and 2022. She starred in sitcom Mean Mums and joined the cast of Wentworth as Narelle Stang in 2019. O'Reilly and her husband Peter Salmon created the comedy-thriller INSiDE, which won the International Emmy Award for Best Short-Form Series in 2021.

Geraldine Brophy is a British-born New Zealand television, film and stage actress, theatre director and playwright.

Miriama McDowell is a New Zealand actor, director and playwright. She is a graduate of Toi Whakaari.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Auckland Actors
  2. 1 2 3 "The Heretic Actor's Biographies". Archived from the original on 27 July 2013. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
  3. UK actor back on stage