Craig Gallivan

Last updated

Craig Gallivan
Born
Craig Gallivan

Swansea, Wales
OccupationActor

Craig Gallivan is a Welsh actor best known for playing Luke in the long-running Sky1 television series Stella and Callum Watson in the ITV series Footballers Wives and Footballers' Wives: Extra Time , and his musical theatre roles. From 2018 to 2019, he played the lead role of Dewey in the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical School of Rock , and since 2021 he has been playing Olaf in Disney's Frozen , both in the West End.

Contents

Early years

Gallivan spent his early years playing rugby. At the age of 12, he was selected to play for his home city of Swansea and went on to represent West Wales. [1]

The same year, his younger sister Hayley was part of a youth drama group who travelled to London to audition for a revival of the musical Oliver! at the London Palladium in the West End. Gallivan was persuaded to join them and later was offered the small part of Charlie Bates in the production. [2] [3]

Career

Gallivan was trained as an actor at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. [4] In 2000 he portrayed Young Terry in the BBC drama Care . [5] In 2006–2007 he played Callum Watson in the ITV1 series Footballers' Wives and the ITV2 spin-off Footballers' Wives: Extra Time [6] and has appeared in the roles of Jamie in Days of Significance with the Royal Shakespeare Company and Soldier in Crime and Punishment with the National Theatre (both in 2008) in London. [7] Also in 2008, he portrayed Jonathan in the episode "From Out of the Rain" on the BBC's Doctor Who spin-off Torchwood . [8] He played Tony Elliot in the musical Billy Elliot in 2010, directed by Stephen Daldry at the Victoria Palace Theatre. [9]

Gallivan starred as Luke Morris in the hit Sky 1 comedy-drama Stella ; [10] [11] the show ran for 6 seasons from 2012 to 2017. [12]

In 2018, Gallivan took over the lead role of Dewey in the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical School of Rock [13] and played that role for longer than any other actor in the show's original West End run. [1] [10] He originated the role of Olaf in West End production of the Disney musical Frozen at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, which opened in 2021. [14] A 2023 review in The Daily Telegraph said "Gallivan’s Olaf is the irresistible scene-stealer ... a riot", [15] while one in Daily Express commented, "Olaf is one of my favourite characters on the show, Craig Gallivan's mastery of the puppet makes it easy to forget he's moving him at all. In Summer is a really nice number". [16] A writer for South Wales Life found him "funny and extremely loveable in every way" as Olaf. [1]

Filmography

TV

YearTitleCharacterProductionNotes
2000 Care Young Terry BBC Films Film
2006 Footballers Wives Callum Watson ITV1 TV series (7 episodes)
Footballers' Wives: Extra Time ITV2 TV series (2 episodes)
2008 Torchwood Jonathan BBC Three TV series (1 episode, "From Out of the Rain")
2008 The Edge of Love Sailor Beating Dylan BBC Films Feature film
2012–2017 Stella Luke Morris/Morgan Sky 1 Main cast (56 Episodes; 2 Christmas specials)
2019 Children in Need telethonDewey Fynn BBC School of Rock TV

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "Frozen the Musical – Olaf is From South Wales!", South Wales Life, 27 December 2021
  2. ↑ Desai, Hira. "Tell Us In 10: Craig Gallivan from Disney's Frozen", Official London Theatre, 6 October 2021
  3. ↑ Clements, Carly-Ann. "Craig Gallivan talks School of Rock turning 2", Official London Theatre, 8 November 2018
  4. ↑ "Craig Gallivan". BroadwayWorld . Retrieved 5 December 2023.
  5. ↑ "Care, BBC One". BBC Archives, Programme Index. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
  6. ↑ "Wives kick off again". Manchester Evening News . 1 February 2007.
  7. ↑ Paul Taylor (19 March 2008). "Days Of Significance, Tricycle Theatre, London". The Independent .
  8. ↑ Joan O'Connell Hedman (1 April 2008). "Torchwood Recap: Season 2, Episode 10, "From Out of the Rain"". Slant Magazine .
  9. ↑ Khomami, Nadia. "From Billy Elliot to Spider-Man: how Tom Holland won the world’s heart", The Guardian , 24 January 2022
  10. 1 2 Williams, Kathryn. "What are the stars of TV comedy Stella doing now?", Wales Online, 8 September 2020
  11. ↑ Vincent Terrace (2016). "Stella". Internet Comedy Television Series, 1997–2015. McFarland & Company. pp. 273–274. ISBN   9780786497607.
  12. ↑ "Stella", British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 4 December, 2023
  13. ↑ Gans, Andrew. "Craig Gallivan Will Lead London's School of Rock, Playbill, July 13, 2018
  14. ↑ Wood, Alex. "Frozen in the West End with Samantha Barks and Stephanie McKeon: first look photos", WhatsOnState.com, 3 September 2021; and "Frozen announces West End extension", London Theatre Direct, 18 January 2023
  15. ↑ Swain, Marianka. "Frozen, The Musical: a West End spectacle of the most magical kind", The Daily Telegraph, 16 November 2023
  16. ↑ Jones, Jada. "Frozen the Musical review: A magical, heart-warming adaptation", Daily Express, 17 November 2023
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