Luke Kempner | |
---|---|
Born | Luke Garrod Kempner 5 June 1987 |
Alma mater | Guildford School of Acting |
Occupations |
|
Spouse | Alana MacFarlane (m. 2016) |
Children | 1 |
Relatives | Sooz Kempner (sister) |
Website | https://www.lukekempner.com/ |
Luke Garrod Kempner (born 5 June 1987) is an English impressionist, comedian and actor. After appearing in various films and musicals, he established a career in comedy, developing his own stand-up comedy show, and has since appeared as an impressionist on numerous sketch shows including Newzoids (2016), Tracey Ullman's Show (2017), Murder in Successville (2017), Spitting Image (2020–2021), The Last Leg (2021) and Deep Fake Neighbour Wars (2023), as well as appearing regularly on Big Brother's Bit on the Side (2016–2018).
Luke Garrod Kempner was born on 5 June 1987 to Mark and Anna Kempner ( née Schneider) in Smallfield, a settlement in Burstow, Surrey, England. [1] [2] He is the younger brother of comedian Sooz Kempner. [3] Kempner attended Burstow Primary School and subsequently Oakwood School in Horley. [1] He then went on to attend Reigate College and studied drama at the Guildford School of Acting. Kempner said he "[impersonated] the teachers all the way through [his] education." [1] [4]
Kempner married Alana MacFarlane in 2016 and they have a daughter, born in 2021. [1]
After finishing drama school, Kempner began his career as an actor, portraying minor roles in the films Fathers of Girls (2009) and Fly Trap (2010) and appearing in musicals including Lift, Les Misérables , South Pacific and Avenue Q but said that he "always wanted to do [his] comedy professionally." [1] [5] [6]
In 2012, he began posting videos of himself impersonating celebrities including Andy Murray and Tom Daley, however it wasn't until his comedy skit Downstairs at Downton, inspired by the characters of the ITV drama Downton Abbey , gained traction on social media and his career as a comedian and impressionist subsequently took off. [1] He developed the online sketch into a one-man show titled The Only Way Is Downton, touring around the UK at venues including the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and later developing an American version America's Got Downton that he performed in the United States. [7] [8]
In December 2015, Kempner fronted his own ITV2 sketch show Luke Kempner's Impression of 2015, which featured Kempner's various impersonations of celebrities. [7] In 2016, he appeared in an episode of Drunk History and provided the voices for the ITV sketch show Newzoids , before joining Big Brother's Bit on the Side as a regular comedian and impressionsist, in which he impersonated the housemates throughout the series. [9] [10] [11] [12] In 2017, he appeared as various characters in Tracey Ullman's Show and Murder in Successville . [13] [14]
In 2019, he narrated the ITV2 dating series Singletown . [15] In 2020, Kempner appeared as a contestant on the first series of Celebrity Karaoke Club , and finished in third place. [16] Between 2020 and 2021, he provided the voices for the puppets on the revival series of Spitting Image and went on to star in the musical adaption. [17] In 2021, he appeared as various characters in The Last Leg . [18]
In 2022, Kempner toured his new show Macho Macho Man at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, which was described as a "deep dive into the thorny issues of modern masculinity" and ranked four out of five stars by The Daily Telegraph . [19] In 2023, Kempner impersonated various celebrities in the ITV2 comedy series Deep Fake Neighbour Wars, before it was announced he would be appearing in the West End production of Les Misérables as Thénardier. [20] [21] [22]
Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2009 | Fathers of Girls | Simon | Film | [5] " |
2010 | Fly Trap | Jack | Film | [6] |
2015 | Luke Kempner's Impression of 2015 | Various | Sketch show | [7] |
2016 | Drunk History | Dr. William Beatty | 1 episode | [9] |
2016 | Newzoids | Various | 1 episode | [10] |
2016–2018 | Big Brother's Bit on the Side | Himself | Regular guest | [11] |
2016–2018 | Celebrity Big Brother's Bit on the Side | Himself | Regular guest | [12] |
2017 | Tracey Ullman's Show | Various | Sketch show | [14] |
2017 | Episodes | TV writer | 1 episode | [23] |
2017 | Murder in Successville | Various | Sketch show | [13] |
2019 | Singletown | Himself | Narrator | [15] |
2020–2021 | Spitting Image | Various | Sketch show | [17] |
2020 | Celebrity Karaoke Club | Himself | Contestant | [16] |
2021 | The Last Leg | Various | One Episode | [18] |
2023 | Deep Fake Neighbour Wars | Various | Sketch show | [20] |
2023 | Pointless Celebrities | Himself | Contestant | [24] |
Jonathan Peter Culshaw is an English actor, comedian and impressionist. He is best known for his work on the radio comedy Dead Ringers since 2000.
An impressionist or a mimic is a performer whose act consists of imitating sounds, voices and mannerisms of celebrities and cartoon characters. The word usually refers to a professional comedian/entertainer who specializes in such performances and has developed a wide repertoire of impressions, including adding to them, often to keep pace with current events. Impressionist performances are a classic casino entertainment genre.
Deborah Lee Duffield, known professionally as Debra Stephenson, is an English actress, comedian, impressionist and singer, best known for her roles as Diane Powell in Playing the Field (1999–2000), Shell Dockley in Bad Girls and as Frankie Baldwin in Coronation Street (2004–2006).
Daniel Renton Skinner is an English actor and comedy writer, working in stage, film and television. Skinner often performs as the character Angelos Epithemiou, and is also one half of the Brian and Roger podcast.
Joanna Neary is a British comedian, writer and actress. Her solo, character-based stage shows include Youth Club and Joanna Neary Is Not Feeling Herself, which received a Perrier Best Newcomer award nomination in 2004. She has also appeared in the TV shows Time Trumpet, Angelo's, That Mitchell and Webb Look, Skins, Dogface, Man Down and Ideal. Radio credits include acting as an ensemble member of the cast in the first series of the Count Arthur Strong Radio Show, as well as appearing in numerous series of the Radio 4 show Out to Lunch.
Russell Kane is an English writer, comedian, and actor. He has four times been nominated at the Edinburgh Comedy Awards, winning the Best Comedy Show award in 2010. Although known mainly for stand-up comedy, for television, he has presented Big Brother's Big Mouth (2007), I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here - Now (2009-2011), Freak Like Me (2010), Geordie Shore: The Reunion and Britain Unzipped (2012), Live at the Electric (2013), Stupid Man, Smart Phone (2016), and hosted the BBC Radio 4 series Evil Genius in 2018 as well as a television show by the same name on Sky History in 2023.
Marek Ryan Larwood is an English comedian, actor and YouTuber. He is best known for the BBC Three sketch show Rush Hour and for being one third of the comedy trio We Are Klang.
Jess Robinson is an English comedy actress, singer, impressionist, voice artist and comedian.
Iain Andrew Stirling is a Scottish comedian, writer, television presenter, narrator and Twitch streamer from Edinburgh, Scotland.
Emily Jane Atack is an English actress, comedian, and television personality. She is best known for playing Charlotte Hinchcliffe on the E4 comedy series The Inbetweeners (2008–2010), and for her roles in Keith Lemon shows, such as Lemon La Vida Loca, The Keith Lemon Sketch Show, and The Keith & Paddy Picture Show.
Suzanna Maria Kempner is an English stand-up comedian, actress and singer.
Katie Cariad Lloyd is a British comedian, actress, writer, and podcaster. She is a member of the improvisational comedy group Austentatious, the host and creator of Griefcast, and an improv teacher.
Robert Anthony Beckett is an English comedian, actor, and presenter. He was a co-host on the ITV2 spin-off show I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! NOW! from 2012 to 2014. Since 2016, Beckett has been a team captain on the E4 panel show 8 Out of 10 Cats and the narrator of the reality series Celebs Go Dating. He presented BBC One entertainment series Wedding Day Winners and All Together Now.
Matthew Jeffrey Richardson is an English comedian and broadcaster, known as a co-presenter on the ITV2 spin-off show The Xtra Factor with Caroline Flack in 2013. In 2016, Richardson became the drive time presenter on the digital radio station Virgin Radio UK. Richardson has also co-presented Celebrity Haunted Hotel Live and Celebrity Haunted Mansion with Christine Lampard on UKTV's W channel, and he competed in the thirteenth series of Dancing on Ice, as a replacement for Rufus Hound and was the 3rd contestant to be eliminated.
Joel Patrick Dommett is an English comedian, television presenter and actor. After beginning his career as an actor, and appearing in various television shows including Casualty and Skins, he embarked on stand-up comedy and television presenting and became known for his television roles in Live in Chelsea (2011–2012) and Impractical Jokers UK (2012–2014).
Jason Forbes is an English actor, writer, comedian, impressionist, and TV presenter. He is best known for the CITV series Horrible Science; The Mash Report on BBC Two; as PC Peasey in the Professor Branestawm television films on BBC One; and as a member of the award-winning sketch trio 'Daphne'.
Tracey Ullman's Show is a British sketch comedy television series starring Tracey Ullman. Tracey Ullman's Show premiered on BBC One on 11 January 2016. The programme marks her first project for the broadcaster in over 30 years, and her first original project for British television in 22 years.
The Gaffer Tapes are a comedy fantasy football brand, group of authors and a podcast.
Rachel Sarah Parris is an English comedian, musician, actress and presenter. She hosted the satirical news show Late Night Mash.
John-Luke Roberts is a British stand-up comedian, writer, actor and performer.