Lewis Bridgeman

Last updated

Lewis Bridgeman
Born2007 (age 17–18)
Maldon, Essex, England
Education Plume School
OccupationActor
Years active2020–present

Lewis Bridgeman (born 2007) is an English actor. Aged 14, he joined the National Youth Theatre and performed in productions including The Wind in the Willows , Posh and Arcadia . In 2024, he joined the cast of the BBC soap opera EastEnders as Barney Mitchell. As well as acting, Bridgeman was accepted into Mensa at the age of 12 and has been billed "one of the smartest people alive". [1]

Contents

Life and career

Bridgeman was born in 2007 in Maldon, Essex, where he attended Plume School. Since the age of six, he has had aspirations to become either a drama teacher or an actor. [2] At GCSE level, he achieved four grade 9s, two grade 8s, two grade 7s and one grade 6. [3] These exams included studying drama, which he also studied for his A-levels. He also attended the Chelmsford Drama Centre at weekends. [4] He is autistic and dyspraxic, which meant he struggled socially at school. His mother feared he would have a bad experience at Plume, however, she said they were "amazing" for him. [2] Aged 12, he took Mensa International's acceptance test and passed, meaning his IQ is above 132 and that he is in the top 2% of the world's population. [1] His mother credited Mensa with instilling a confidence in him. [2]

In 2021, aged 14, Bridgeman joined the National Youth Theatre and is set to be a member until he is 26. [4] He has appeared in various theatre productions including The Wind in the Willows , Posh , Goodnight Mister Tom and Arcadia . [5] Despite struggling in social situations due to his autism, he was seen to be confident whilst performing. [1] In 2022, he read letters from radio archives for Forecast22, a digital artwork and interactive website celebrating the centenary of the first UK public radio broadcasts. [5] In 2024, he was cast in the BBC soap opera EastEnders . [6] [7] He was cast as Barney Mitchell, a member of the established Mitchell family. [8] [9] Bridgeman described his character as "introverted", contrasting the rest of the family, and was looking forward to developing the character. [10] During his first few weeks of filming, he was also sitting his A-level exams, which he passed. [11]

Filmography

YearTitleRoleNotes
2024–present EastEnders Barney Mitchell Regular role

Stage

YearTitleRoleVenue
2020 Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead The PlayerOld Court Theatre
2022 The Wind in the Willows BadgerOld Court Theatre
2022 Posh Toby MaitlandChelmsford Theatre
2022 Goodnight Mister Tom WilliamChelmsford Theatre
2023 Arcadia Gus/Augustus CloverlyChelmsford Theatre

References

  1. 1 2 3 "EastEnders star Lewis Bridgeman is one of the smartest people alive with an IQ over 130". RSVP Live . Archived from the original on 30 October 2024. Retrieved 4 February 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 "Autistic schoolboy from Plume Academy joins Mensa age 12". Maldon Standard . Archived from the original on 24 July 2019. Retrieved 4 February 2025.
  3. ↑ "GCSE Results 2022: Maldon's Plume Academy students break records with 'fantastic set of results'". Maldon Nub News. Retrieved 4 February 2025.
  4. 1 2 "Plume student with autism gets National Youth Theatre chance". Maldon Standard . Retrieved 4 February 2025.
  5. 1 2 "Lewis Bridgeman". Spotlight . Retrieved 4 February 2025.
  6. ↑ "EastEnders' Barney Mitchell star is secretly a genius as academic past revealed". OK! . Retrieved 4 February 2025.
  7. ↑ "Where you've seen BBC EastEnders' new Mitchell stars before - famous movies to talent show past". Daily Mirror . Retrieved 4 February 2025.
  8. ↑ "EastEnders fans 'work out' Barney's real dad - and he's already on the Square". MyLondon . Retrieved 4 February 2025.
  9. ↑ "EastEnders teen feared 'dead' after being dangled from bridge as fans left gobsmacked". Manchester Evening News . Retrieved 4 February 2025.
  10. ↑ "EastEnders announces three new Mitchells as Stevie's secret family". Digital Spy . Archived from the original on 8 October 2024. Retrieved 4 February 2025.
  11. ↑ "Lewis Bridgeman". Visable People. Retrieved 4 February 2025.
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