Graham Hamilton

Last updated

Graham Hamilton
Born
James Graham Hamilton McOwat

(1944-11-27) 27 November 1944 (age 79)
Leeds, England
NationalityBritish
Education Giggleswick School, Giggleswick, North Yorkshire
Alma mater Rose Bruford College, Sidcup, Kent
Occupation(s)Actor, singer
Years active1966–present
Website http://www.spotlight.com/4372-9059-9315

James Graham Hamilton McOwat (born 27 November 1944) is a British stage and television actor who was the 15th President of Equity, the actors' trade union, between 2008 and 2010. [1] Formerly vice-president for ten years, Hamilton has been involved in Equity's ruling Council since 1976, during his acting career in plays and musicals in the West End. He is known chiefly for his portrayal of Fagin in Oliver! [2] After working in the West End, he became famous for playing the villain in over twenty-one pantomimes, appearing at major theatres throughout the UK. He was the architect of Equity's Annual Conference and its Rules that replaced the union's inadequate Annual General Meeting in 1995. In 2007, he was awarded Honorary Life Membership of Equity by its governing Council for distinguished service to the union.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Actors' Equity Association</span> American labor union for theater performers

The Actors' Equity Association (AEA), commonly called Actors' Equity or simply Equity, is an American labor union representing those who work in live theatrical performance. Performers appearing in live stage productions without a book or through-storyline may be represented by the American Guild of Variety Artists (AGVA). The AEA works to negotiate quality living conditions, livable wages, and benefits for performers and stage managers. A theater or production that is not produced and performed by AEA members may be called "non-Equity".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Graham Norton</span> Irish comedian, actor and television host

Graham William Walker, better known by his stage name Graham Norton, is an Irish comedian, actor, author and television host known for his work in the UK. He is a five-time BAFTA TV Award winner for his comedy chat show The Graham Norton Show (2007–present) and an eight-time award-winner overall. He has received the British Academy Television Award for Best Entertainment Performance three times for So Graham Norton. Originally shown on BBC Two before moving to other slots on BBC One, his chat show succeeded Friday Night with Jonathan Ross in BBC One's late-Friday-evening slot in 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jonathan Pryce</span> Welsh actor (born 1947)

Sir Jonathan Pryce is a Welsh actor who is known for his performances on stage and in film and television. He has received numerous awards, including two Tony Awards and two Laurence Olivier Awards, and a knighthood for services to drama.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samuel West</span> British actor, theatre director and narrator

Samuel Alexander Joseph West is an English actor, theatre director and narrator. He has directed on stage and radio, and worked as an actor in theatre, film, television, and radio. He was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his portrayal of Leonard Bast in the Merchant Ivory film adaptation of E. M. Forster's novel Howards End (1992), and was later nominated for the Genie Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role for his portrayal of the title role in Rupert's Land (1998). In 2010, he was nominated for the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Jeffrey Skilling in Lucy Prebble's Enron. He has appeared as reciter with orchestras and performed at the Last Night of the Proms in 2002. He has narrated several documentary series, including five for the BBC about the Second World War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Equity (British trade union)</span> British trade union for creative professionals

Equity, formerly officially titled the British Actors' Equity Association, is the trade union for the performing arts and entertainment industries in the United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Theodore Bikel</span> Austrian-American actor and folk musician (1924–2015)

Theodore Meir Bikel was an Austrian actor, folk singer, musician, composer, unionist, and political activist. He appeared in films, including The African Queen (1951), Moulin Rouge (1952), The Kidnappers (1953), The Enemy Below (1957), I Want to Live! (1958), My Fair Lady (1964), The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming (1966), and 200 Motels (1971). For his portrayal of Sheriff Max Muller in The Defiant Ones (1958), he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ron Silver</span> American actor and activist (1946–2009)

Ronald Arthur Silver was an American actor, director, producer, radio host, and activist. As an actor, he portrayed Henry Kissinger, Alan Dershowitz and Angelo Dundee. He was awarded a Tony in 1988 for Best Actor for Speed-the-Plow, a satirical dissection of the American movie business, and was nominated for an Emmy for his recurring role as political strategist Bruno Gianelli in The West Wing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iggie Wolfington</span> American actor

Ignatius "Iggie" Wolfington was an American actor. He was the youngest member of the prominent Wolfington family of Philadelphia, operators of a carriage business early in the 20th century and brother of the founder of Wolfington Body Company in Exton, Pennsylvania. He married Lynn Wood, an actress, in 1972.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance</span> Australian trade union

The Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance (MEAA), also sometimes referred to as the Alliance, is the Australian trade union and professional organisation which covers the media, entertainment, sports and arts industries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barry Williams (actor)</span> American actor (born 1954)

Barry William Blenkhorn, better known by his stage name Barry Williams, is an American actor. He is known for his role as the eldest of the Brady sons, Greg Brady, on the ABC television series The Brady Bunch (1969–1974), a role he reprised in several sequels and spin-offs including the animated series The Brady Kids (1972-1973), the variety series The Brady Bunch Hour (1976-1977) and the television films The Brady Girls Get Married (1981) and A Very Brady Christmas (1988) and the reality television series A Very Brady Renovation (2019).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ermysted's Grammar School</span> School in Skipton, North Yorkshire, England

Ermysted's Grammar School is an 11-18 boys' voluntary aided grammar school in Skipton, North Yorkshire, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gavin Lee</span> British actor

Gavin Lee is an English actor who has appeared on the stage in musical theatre, notably as Bert in the musical Mary Poppins, in both the West End and on Broadway, and as Squidward Tentacles in the original Broadway cast of SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical.

The Lambs, Inc. is a social club in New York City for actors, songwriters, and others involved in the theatre. It is America's oldest theatrical organization. "The Lambs" is a registered trademark of The Lambs, Inc.; and the club has been commonly referred to as The Lambs Club and The Lambs Theater since 1874.

Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS (BC/EFA) is an American nonprofit organization that raises funds for AIDS-related causes across the United States, headquartered in New York City. It is the theatre community's response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. By drawing upon the talents, resources and generosity of the American theatre community, BC/EFA has raised over $300 million for critically needed services for people with AIDS, HIV, and other critical illnesses since its founding in 1988. The organization awards annual grants to over 450 AIDS and family service organizations across all 50 states, Puerto Rico & Washington D.C., and is the single largest financial supporter of the social service programs of The Actors Fund.

The Little Theatre on the Square is a theater in Sullivan, Illinois. It is located in Sullivan's town square on Harrison Street. It is the only professional theater between Chicago and St. Louis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bertie Carvel</span> British actor (born 1977)

Robert Hugh Carvel is a British film and theatre actor. He has twice won a Laurence Olivier Award: for Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical for his role as Miss Trunchbull in Matilda the Musical, and for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his performance as Rupert Murdoch in Ink. For the latter role, he won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Featured Role in a Play.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1919 Actors' Equity Association strike</span>

The 1919 Actors' Equity Association strike officially spanned from August 7, 1919, to September 6, 1919. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the theatre industry was revolutionized by powerful management groups that monopolized and centralized the industry. These groups created harsh working conditions for the actors. On May 26, 1913, actors decided to unionize, and they formed the Actors' Equity Association. After many failed attempts to negotiate with the producers and managers for fair treatment and a standard contract, Equity declared a strike against the Producing Managers' Association on August 7, 1919. During the strike, the actors walked out of theaters, held parades in the streets, and performed benefit shows. Equity received support from the theatrical community, the public, and the American Federation of Labor, and on September 6, 1919, the actors won the strike. The producers signed a contract with the AEA that contained nearly all of Equity's demands. The strike was important because it expanded the definition of labor and altered perceptions about what types of careers could organize. The strike also encouraged other groups within the theatre industry to organize.

<i>Hamilton</i> (musical) 2015 biographical musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda

Hamilton: An American Musical is a sung-and-rapped-through biographical musical with music, lyrics, and a book by Lin-Manuel Miranda. Based on the 2004 biography Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow, the musical covers the life of American Founding Father Alexander Hamilton and his involvement in the American Revolution and the political history of the early United States. Composed over a seven-year period from 2008 to 2015, the music draws heavily from hip hop, as well as R&B, pop, soul, and traditional-style show tunes. It casts non-white actors as the Founding Fathers of the United States and other historical figures. Miranda described Hamilton as about "America then, as told by America now."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the performing arts</span> Aspect of viral outbreak

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the performing arts, mirroring its impacts across all arts sectors. Due to physical distancing requirements and closure of the physical venues, curtailing not only public performances but also rehearsals, many performing arts institutions attempted to adapt by offering new digital services. In particular this resulted in the free online streaming of previously recorded performances of many companies – especially orchestral performances and plays – lists of which were collated by journalists as well as bespoke crowdsourcing projects.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeffrey Omura</span> American actor, activist, labor leader, and organizer

Jeffrey Omura is an American actor, politician, and labour organizer.

References

  1. "Graham Hamilton - Actor". Equity. Archived from the original on 2 February 2014. Retrieved 1 February 2012.
  2. Smith, Alistair (22 July 2008). "Hamilton elected Equity president". The Stage . London. Retrieved 29 June 2013.