Lewis Bridgeman | |
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Born | 2006or2007(age 18–19) [1] Maldon, Essex, England |
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 2020–present |
Lewis Bridgeman (born 2007) is an English actor. At age 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. [2]
Bridgeman was born 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. [3] At GCSE level, he achieved four grade 9s, two grade 8s, two grade 7s and one grade 6. [4] These exams included studying drama, which he also studied for his A-levels. He also attended the Chelmsford Drama Centre at weekends. [1] 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. [3] 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 general population in terms of intelligence, as measured by IQ. [2] His mother credited Mensa with instilling a confidence in him. [3]
In 2021, aged 14, Bridgeman joined the National Youth Theatre and is set to be a member until he is 26. [1] 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. [2] 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]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
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2024–present | EastEnders | Barney Mitchell | Regular role |
Year | Title | Role | Venue |
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2020 | Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead | The Player | Old Court Theatre |
2022 | The Wind in the Willows | Badger | Old Court Theatre |
2022 | Posh | Toby Maitland | Chelmsford Theatre |
2022 | Goodnight Mister Tom | William | Chelmsford Theatre |
2023 | Arcadia | Gus/Augustus Cloverly | Chelmsford Theatre |