Connor Wilkinson

Last updated

Connor Wilkinson
Born (1996-10-31) 31 October 1996 (age 27)
Liverpool, England
OccupationActor
Years active2010–present

Connor Wilkinson (born 31 October 1996) is an English actor. In 2010, he was cast in the regular role of Finn O'Connor in the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks , and appeared from 1 September 2010 to 19 September 2011.

Contents

Early career

Just before getting the part on Hollyoaks, Connor spent time in Belgium and Scotland filming a pilot for a children’s movie based on the Ulysses Moore fantasy book series. Also, he spent time going to ABD drama school every Saturday. [1]

Hollyoaks

In January 2010, Hollyoaks series producer Lucy Allan quit her role and was replaced by Paul Marquess, who immediately began a revamp of the series. [2] Several characters were axed and new signings were revealed. The O'Connor family were the third new family to be announced, with former Brookside actress Alexandra Fletcher being cast as the stepmother of the Liverpudlian family. [3] [4] Marquess commented on the family: "We're very excited about the arrival of the O'Connors who burst onto screens in August with a very dramatic storyline. And I'm personally very excited to work with the fantastic Alex Fletcher again." [3]

After Finn's arrival, it was announced that he and Amber Sharpe would be involved in an underage sex storyline. Hollyoaks, teaming up with Channel 4 Education's Battlefront web series would explore sex involving two 12-year-olds, which would lead to Amber's pregnancy. [5] [6] [7]

Wlkinson said of the story "I play the youngest of the O’Connor family and almost immediately Finn landed himself in trouble! It was fantastic to be involved in such a strong storyline right from the start." [1]

The character last appeared on 19 September 2011, however his departure was only announced in August 2012 by series producer Emma Smithwick. [8]

Wilkinson's latest work has been at the Liverpool Empire Theatre where he played Lyle in Footloose (musical) and played a supporting T-Bird in Grease (musical). [ citation needed ]

Related Research Articles

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Hollyoaks is a British soap opera which originally began airing on Channel 4 on 23 October 1995. It was created by Phil Redmond, who had previously conceived the soap opera Brookside. From 2005 to 2023, episodes have aired on sister channel E4 a day prior to their broadcast on Channel 4. In 2023, Hollyoaks was removed from Channel 4's early evening schedule, but remains on E4 and Channel 4's on demand service with episodes now uploaded to YouTube. At its inception, the soap was targeted towards an adolescent and young adult audience but it has since broadened its appeal to all age groups. Hollyoaks has covered various taboo subjects rarely seen on British television, for which it has received numerous awards. It has won the award for Best British Soap twice, in 2014 and 2019; its first win broke the 15-year tie between rival soap operas EastEnders and Coronation Street. Beginning with a cast of 15 characters, it now has upwards of 50 regular cast members. The longest-serving actor is Nick Pickard, who has portrayed Tony Hutchinson since the first episode.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Darren Osborne</span> Fictional character from Hollyoaks

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neville Ashworth</span> UK soap opera character, created 2005

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amy Barnes</span> UK soap opera character, created 2005

Amy Barnes is a fictional character from the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Ashley Slanina-Davies. She debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 2 January 2006. Amy was created by executive producer David Hanson and Slanina-Davies was offered the role whilst looking for work as an extra. In 2009, Slanina-Davies stated that she would be lost without the role and confirmed her loyalty to the serial. In July 2010, it was announced that Slanina-Davies would be leaving the show. However, it was later revealed that she was back filming and staying in the serial in 2011. Amy's storylines have included underage pregnancy which resulted in the birth of daughter Leah Barnes and the subject of domestic abuse in her relationship with Ste Hay, portrayed by Kieron Richardson. Whilst filming the storyline, Slanina-Davies cut her long hair off for charity and this was scripted into the storyline.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michaela McQueen</span> UK soap opera character, created 2006

Michaela McQueen is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Hollie-Jay Bowes. Michaela was the first of the McQueen family to be seen on-screen in 2006, when she was credited as Michaela Jones. On 8 June 2010, Bowes announced that she had quit the show and would leave in six months. However, it was announced on 24 June 2010 that show bosses had axed Bowes and speedily wrote Michaela out after she spoke about upcoming storylines and her exit on social networking website Twitter. Bowes reprised her role as Michaela in 2011, initially appearing in the fourth series of Hollyoaks Later, before reappearing in the main series. In July 2012, Bowes confirmed she would be leaving Hollyoaks, and her final scenes would air on 31 August 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zoe Carpenter</span> UK soap opera character, created 2006

Zoe Carpenter is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Zoë Lister. The character first appeared on-screen on 1 September 2006, as one of three new students at Hollyoaks Community College. It was announced in 2009 that Lister had quit her role in order to pursue other projects; she subsequently left the series in January 2010. During Zoe's time in Hollyoaks she has been portrayed as a bubbly tomboy who often makes the wrong choices in life and has had a number of failed relationships. In March 2017, it was reported that Lister would be reprising the role and it was later confirmed that she would return for Amy Barnes' funeral. Her return aired on 24 April 2017.

Hollyoaks Later is a British television spin-off of the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks. The series allows for more sexual content, 'edgier' storylines and stronger language than Hollyoaks. The show was on hiatus from 2014 to 2020, where it returned on 6 January 2020 for a one-off episode focusing on the conclusion of Breda McQueen's serial killer storyline.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Loretta Jones</span> UK soap opera character, created 2009

Loretta Jones is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, and its spin-off series, Hollyoaks Later. The character is played by Melissa Walton and first appeared on-screen on 26 November 2008 during the first series of the Hollyoaks spin-off Hollyoaks Later as a new love interest for the character Dominic Reilly. She made her first appearance in the Hollyoaks series in February 2009 and was the first character to be introduced to the series by producer Lucy Allan. In 2010, Loretta was axed from the series, along with 15 other characters, during a cast cull by executive producer Paul Marquess.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jem Costello</span> UK soap opera character, created 2010

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diane Hutchinson</span> Fictional character from Hollyoaks

Diane Hutchinson is a fictional character from the British soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Alex Fletcher. The character made her first appearance on 1 September 2010. Diane was introduced into the series by Hollyoaks' executive producer Paul Marquess, during his rejuvenation of the show. Marquess axed numerous characters and replaced them with new families. Fletcher began filming in June 2010, the same month her casting was publicised. Diane was introduced with her husband, Rob and stepchildren, Sinead and Finn O'Connor. The O'Connors are one of three families that were introduced 2010. Diane is characterised as a "loving wife" and a "devoted stepmum". Fletcher initially hoped that Diane would be likeable, despite her over the top demeanour. Fletcher believed Diane has a good relationship with her step-children and was loathe to portray her as "the wicked stepmother".

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Riley Costello</span> UK soap opera character, created 2010

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Finn O'Connor</span> UK soap opera character, created 2010

Finn O'Connor is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks. Upon his introduction as part of the O'Connor family, the character was portrayed by Connor Wilkinson. The family were introduced during a "shake-up" of the show by new series producer Paul Marquess. Writers then placed Finn in an issue-led story exploring underage sex and teenage pregnancy with Amber Sharpe. The character was written out of the series in 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jason Costello</span> Fictional character from Hollyoaks

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References

  1. 1 2 "Drama News". lamontcasting.co.uk. Archived from the original on 4 August 2012. Retrieved 12 September 2019.
  2. ↑ Green, Kris (11 February 2010). "New 'Hollyoaks' boss shakes up production". Digital Spy . (Hachette Filipacchi UK). Archived from the original on 13 February 2010. Retrieved 29 November 2010.
  3. 1 2 Green, Kris (16 June 2010). "'Hollyoaks' unveils third new family". Digital Spy . (Hachette Filipacchi UK). Archived from the original on 31 October 2010. Retrieved 29 November 2010.
  4. ↑ "O'Connor clan revealed!". Holy Soap . (Channel 5 Broadcasting). 16 June 2010. Archived from the original on 19 June 2010. Retrieved 29 November 2010.
  5. ↑ B, Abi (29 September 2010). "Hollyoaks tackles issues surrounding underage sex". E4. Archived from the original on 9 October 2010. Retrieved 30 September 2010.
  6. ↑ Online reporter (29 September 2010). "Exciting Hollyoaks exclusive". Battlefront. Archived from the original on 20 July 2012. Retrieved 30 September 2010.
  7. ↑ Love, Ryan (29 September 2010). "Hollyoaks announces underage sex plot". Digital Spy . (Hachette Filipacchi UK). Archived from the original on 1 November 2010. Retrieved 29 September 2010.
  8. ↑ "Hollyoaks': Extra character and story teasers from Emma Smithwick". www.digitalspy.ie. Archived from the original on 25 August 2012. Retrieved 22 August 2012.
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