Michael Socha

Last updated

Michael Socha
Michael Socha 2014 (cropped).jpg
Socha in 2014
Born
Michael Robert Socha

(1987-12-13) 13 December 1987 (age 36) [1]
Littleover, Derby, Derbyshire, England
NationalityBritish
OccupationActor
Years active2006–present
Children1
Relatives Lauren Socha (sister)

Michael Robert Socha (born 13 December 1987) [2] is an English actor, known for his roles in the films This Is England and Summer , [3] and the television series This Is England '86 , '88 , '90 , Being Human , [4] Once Upon a Time in Wonderland and the BBC Three miniseries Our World War . He is the godson of magician’s assistant Debbie McGee.

Contents

Early life

Socha was born in Derby, Derbyshire, England, to Kathleen Lyons ("Kath") and Robert Socha, on 13 December 1987. [5] He is the older brother of actress Lauren Socha, star of the Channel 4 comedy-drama Misfits . Socha was brought up in Littleover, a suburb of Derby, [3] and attended St Benedict Catholic School. [5] Socha was a rebellious pupil. [3] He often skipped school, but when forced to attend he tried to make it fun by doing the things he was most interested in. [6] When Socha was 12, his mother read in a local newspaper about a play being cast by the Chellaston Youth Players. She asked her son and daughter if they wanted to try out for it, and both did. [7] Socha's motivation for auditioning was his anger at being denied a role in the musical and his desire to prove his teachers wrong about his acting skills. [3] He won the lead role of Bugsy Malone in the play. [8] He acted in several plays for the group, but by his own admission did not take acting very seriously. [8]

Through teachers at Socha's school the family learned about the Central Junior Television Workshop, a free actors' workshop for young people from the Nottingham area. [5] He enrolled in the course when he was 14, [3] but was almost refused admission as he had failed to learn the monologue for his audition and was put in the "reserve group". His second audition went the same way, but the programme relented and allowed him in after a time. [3] Socha says the workshop had a strong impact on him, and he began working hard at acting. [8] His first professional role came when he was cast in a small part in a short film. [3] He was quickly cast in several small parts subsequently, and hired an agent. [8]

Socha's father had a long history of alcohol abuse, and his parents separated. [3] In 2004, Robert Socha died of an alcohol-related heart attack. [3] [5] According to Kathleen, [3] the death of his father made her son very independent. "Michael was walking the streets of London at 16 going to auditions. He had to because I was working. He'd go off with a map and Tube fare." [5]

Socha liked drama, English and history courses, however, and received his GCSEs in those three subjects. [3] He credits his teacher, Mrs Urquhart-Hughes, as someone who watched over him, motivated him, and got him to do his homework after school. [6]

His first job after leaving school was in a factory. [6] He disliked it and quit, and enrolled at Burton & South Derbyshire College, a further education college. [9] He worked at two other factories after leaving school, as well as at a car wash. He also worked as a labourer for his uncle's bricklaying firm, mixing mortar for the bricklayers, but as he was constantly taking time off work at the last moment to attend auditions he quit working full-time and dedicated himself to acting. [6]

Career

Socha's breakthrough role came early in his acting career. In 2006, he was cast as school bully Harvey in Shane Meadows 's skinhead subculture film, This Is England . [8]

In 2008, he was cast in Kenneth Glenaan's BAFTA Scotland-award winning film Summer , where he acted opposite Robert Carlyle. [8] The same year, he appeared in Duane Hopkins 's film Better Things and the independent small-budget comedy Dogging: A Love Story. [8] He also appeared in three episodes of the BBC One medical drama Casualty . [8] In February 2009, Socha made his stage debut at Nottingham Playhouse in Glamour, a comedy by Stephen Lowe. [3] [8] The same year, he appeared in an episode of the science fiction police drama Paradox on BBC One and in the made-for-television film The Unloved for Channel 4. [10]

Despite his initial success, Socha was "penniless" and "waiting for work" for much of 2009 and early 2010, sitting at home and watching daytime television. [4] His next big break came when Shane Meadows asked him to reprise the role of Harvey the bully for a four-part television series for Channel 4. [4] The series, This Is England '86 , follows the lives of the film's characters three years after the events originally depicted. It aired in September 2010. That same year, Socha appeared in an episode of the television comedy Married Single Other [4] as well as the film Bonded by Blood . [10] He also appeared in the This Is England Christmas special, and in a music video with American soul music singer Lauren Pritchard. [10] In 2011, he played William Price in Helen Edmundson's adaptation of Anna of the Five Towns on BBC Radio 4. [11]

Socha appeared in BBC Three 's hit supernatural series Being Human in 2011, receiving good critical notice as the innocent young werewolf Tom McNair. [7] He almost did not appear on the show. He missed his audition after a taxicab hit him and fled the scene while he was helping a friend move furniture across a road in Normanton. Although only bruised, he missed his audition and had to plead for a second chance. [10] He won the role of Tom, a young werewolf who has been brought up in the wild by his father and taught to hunt vampires. [6] During his time on Being Human, Socha says he became good friends with Russell Tovey and co-star Robson Green. Socha has admitted that he can get carried away while performing some of his more physically demanding scenes. On another occasion, acting out a werewolf transformation in a metal cage, he almost injured himself after his physical acting became too extreme. He has received at least seven minor injuries requiring medical treatment and reporting to authorities. [10]

Socha was upgraded from a recurring role to the main cast for the fourth series of Being Human, after the previous main cast, including Tovey, left the show. The fourth series started airing in February 2012. [12] He also appeared in the music video to the Jake Bugg song "Seen It All" and in the music video to the Lauren Pritchard song "Stuck".

In 2013, Socha portrayed the Knave of Hearts in Once Upon a Time in Wonderland , a spin-off to the ABC fantasy series Once Upon a Time . He also starred in Chris Coghill's film Spike Island, based upon The Stone Roses gig of the same name. After Once Upon a Time in Wonderland's cancellation, it was confirmed that Socha would be a main cast member in the fourth season of Once Upon A Time. [13]

He also starred in the film Svengali in which he played a guitarist in a band and in the film Twenty8k in which he played a drug dealer.

2016 saw Socha take the lead in the E4 series The Aliens . [14]

In 2017, Socha starred in Double Date [15] and a remake of the 1973 film Papillon , [16] as well as playing King Richard III in the music video titled 'ill Ray (the king)' by British Indie rock group Kasabian.

In 2018 he played Bill Twist, the St Helens Town F.C. captain, in the film The Keeper (2018 film) , a biographical story of the footballing life of Bert Trautmann .

In 2019 August, Socha played the main cast in the music videos titled “something about you” - which was written by Elderbrook and Rudimental. In which he played a member of a therapy group, which highlights struggles between males and showing the other side of masculinity to one another.

In 2021, the BBC announced that Socha had been cast as "King" David Hartley, leader of the Cragg Vale Coiners, in Shane Meadows' period drama, The Gallows Pole . [17]

Personal life

Socha has a son with his then girlfriend, Faye. In an interview with the Evening Standard in 2016, Faye was mentioned as his ex-partner and it is not publicly known whether they have reconciled. [18] [19] [20]

Filmography

Film and television

YearTitleRoleNotes
2006 This is England Bully (Harvey)
2007Lady MargaretDanny
2008 Better Things Mike
Summer Daniel
2008–2009 Casualty Ryan6 episodes
2009 Dogging: A Love Story Jim
The Unloved MichaelTelevision film
HarvestYebsleyTelevision film
Paradox Zac Henley Miniseries; 1 episode
2010CutJimmy/Food Dude
Married Single Other Spud1 episode
Shank Craze
Bonded by Blood Donny Svenson
Dive AlexTelevision miniseries
This Is England '86 Harvey4 episodes
2011 This Is England '88 Harvey3 episodes
2011–2013 Being Human Tom McNair 18 episodes
2012 Twenty8k Tony Marchetto
2013 Svengali Tommy
Spike Island CarlFilm
2013–2014 Once Upon a Time in Wonderland Will Scarlet/The Knave of Hearts Season 1 (series regular; 13 episodes)
2014 Silent Witness David BennettoEpisode: "Coup de Grace" (2 parts)
Inspector George Gently Joe TurnerSeries 6, episode 4 – "Gently Going Under"
Our World War Private Andy AndrewsEpisode 2 – "Pals"
2014–2015 Once Upon a Time Will Scarlett/The Knave of HeartsSeason 4 (series regular; 15 episodes)
2015 This Is England '90 Harvey
2016 The Aliens [21] Lewis Garvey
2017Double Date [15] Alex
2017 Papillon [16] Julot
2017 Electric Dreams NoahEpisode:Crazy Diamond
2018 Walk Like a Panther Ricky Rickson
2018 The Keeper Bill TwistFilm
2019 Killers Anonymous Leandro
2019 Chernobyl Mikhail3 episodes
2019Break ClauseNick
2019A Guide to Second Date SexDanFilm
2021 Time Kenny Meadows3 part series
2020Big Boys Don't CryPaul 'Jacko' ConollyFilm
2022SkintJamboEpisode 2
2023 The Gallows Pole "King" David HartleyTelevision series
2023 Changing Ends AdamTelevision series
TBA Jericho Ridge †Post-production [22]

Stage

YearTitleCharacterVenue
2009Glamour [23] [3] [8] Jimmy Nottingham Playhouse
2016This Is Living [24] [25] [26] Michael Trafalgar Studios

Radio

YearTitleCharacterBroadcast OnNotes
2016Northern Lights [27] Tom BBC Radio 4
2011Anna of the Five Towns [28] William Price BBC Radio 4 Adaptation by Helen Edmundson

Music video

YearTitleArtist
2011 "Stuck" [29] Lauren Pritchard
2012"Bad Lad" [30] Thee Deadtime Philharmonic
2013"Seen It All" Jake Bugg
2017 "Ill Ray (The King)" [31] Kasabian
2019 "Something About You" [32] Elderbrook & Rudimental

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Hurt</span> English actor (1940–2017)

Sir John Vincent Hurt was an English actor whose career spanned over five decades. Hurt was regarded as one of Britain's finest actors. Director David Lynch described him as "simply the greatest actor in the world". He possessed what was described as the "most distinctive voice in Britain". He received numerous awards including the BAFTA Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema Award in 2012 and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2015 for his services to drama.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adam Brody</span> American actor

Adam Jared Brody is an American actor. His breakout role was as Seth Cohen on the Fox television series The O.C. (2003–2007). Brody appeared in films including Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005), Thank You for Smoking (2005), In the Land of Women (2007), and Jennifer's Body (2009).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Simm</span> English actor, director and musician

John Ronald Simm is an English actor, director, and musician. He is best known for playing Sam Tyler in Life on Mars, the Master in Doctor Who, and DS Roy Grace in Grace. His other television credits include State of Play, The Lakes, Crime and Punishment, Exile, Prey, and Cracker. His film roles include Wonderland, Everyday, Boston Kickout, Human Traffic and 24 Hour Party People. He has twice been nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor and the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sean Harris</span> British actor

Sean Harris is an English actor. He played Ian Curtis in 24 Hour Party People (2002), Micheletto Corella in The Borgias (2011–2013), Fifield in Prometheus (2012), Solomon Lane in Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015) and Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018), Philip in Possum (2018), William Gascoigne in The King (2019) and Henry Peter Teague / Peter Morley in The Stranger (2022).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack O'Connell (actor)</span> English/Irish actor

Jack O'Connell is an English actor. He first gained recognition for playing James Cook in the British television series Skins. He is also known for his roles in This Is England (2006), the slasher film Eden Lake (2009), the television dramas Dive (2010) and United (2011), and the Netflix wild west miniseries Godless (2017), for which he received a Critics' Choice Television Award nomination.

<i>Being Human</i> (British TV series) British supernatural drama television series

Being Human is a British supernatural comedy-drama television series created and written by Toby Whithouse and first broadcast on BBC Three in 2009. The show blends elements of flatshare comedy and horror drama. The pilot episode starred Andrea Riseborough as Annie Sawyer, Russell Tovey as George Sands, and Guy Flanagan as John Mitchell – all of whom are sharing accommodation and attempting as well as they can to live a "normal" life and blend in with the ordinary humans around them, striving to fit in more.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chaske Spencer</span> American actor (born 1975)

Chaske Spencer is an American actor. He gained prominence through his role as Sam Uley in the Twilight films (2009–2012). For his performance in the BBC and Amazon Prime series The English (2022), he was nominated for a British Academy Television Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Janet Montgomery</span> British actress (born 1985)

Janet Ruth Montgomery is an English film and TV actress. She first gained attention for her role as Ames in the second season of the television series Human Target (2010–11), and also for her appearance in the 2009 straight-to-DVD film The Hills Run Red. She played the lead character in the television drama Made in Jersey (2012), cancelled after eight episodes. From 2014 to 2017, she starred as the lead character, Mary Sibley, in the series Salem. From 2018 to 2023, Montgomery played the role of Lauren Bloom on the medical drama television series New Amsterdam.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lauren Socha</span> English actress

Lauren Marie Socha is an English actress. She rose to prominence during her role as Kelly Bailey in the E4 comedy-drama television series Misfits, for which she won a BAFTA TV Award in the Best Supporting Actress category. She is also known for her role as Lauren in the Channel 4 television film The Unloved.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sam Claflin</span> British actor (born 1986)

Samuel George Claflin is a British actor. After graduating from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art in 2009, he began his acting career on television and had his first film role as Philip Swift in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liam Garrigan</span> English actor

Liam Garrigan is an English actor. As a youth, he attended classes at Kingston upon Hull's Northern Theatre Company and was a student at Wyke College, Kingston upon Hull. His first television role was as Nic Yorke in the BBC continuing drama series Holby City. He is best known for his roles as Ian Al-Harazi on the Fox series 24: Live Another Day, as King Arthur in the ABC series Once Upon a Time and the film Transformers: The Last Knight, and as Thomas Jopson on AMC's The Terror. He also provides the voice for Captain Kurt in the role-playing game GreedFall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Craig Parkinson</span> British actor

Craig Parkinson is an English actor and podcaster. He has played Shaun in the E4 series Misfits, twins Jimmy and Johnny Kray in the ITV series Whitechapel, and DI Matthew "Dot" Cottan in Line of Duty. He has also acted in several independent films, including Control, Soulboy, The Unloved and Four Lions.

Nina Pickering is a fictional character in the comedy-drama TV series Being Human, portrayed by Sinéad Keenan. Nina Pickering was a recurring character in the first two series of the show and a main character in the third series of the show. She appeared in 19 episodes of the drama.

Alexander Arnold is an English actor, singer, and musician, best known for his role as Rich Hardbeck in the E4 teen drama Skins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Isaac Hempstead Wright</span> British actor

Isaac Hempstead Wright is a British actor. He is best known for his role as Bran Stark in the HBO television series Game of Thrones (2011–2019), which earned him a Young Artist Award nomination as Best Young Supporting Actor in a TV Series. He also voiced Eggs in the 2014 animated film The Boxtrolls.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dylan O'Brien</span> American actor (born 1991)

Dylan Rhodes O'Brien is an American actor. His first major role was Stiles Stilinski on the MTV supernatural drama Teen Wolf (2011–2017), where he was a series regular during all six seasons. He achieved further prominence for his lead role of Thomas in the Maze Runner science fiction film trilogy (2014–2018), which led to more film appearances. He played Deepwater Horizon explosion survivor Caleb Holloway in the disaster film Deepwater Horizon (2016), fictional counterterrorist Mitch Rapp in the action thriller American Assassin (2017), and title character in the Transformers installment Bumblebee (2018). He also played the lead in the adventure film Love and Monsters (2020).

Thomas "Tom" McNair is a fictional werewolf in the comedy-drama TV series Being Human, portrayed by Michael Socha. Tom McNair was a recurring character in the third series of the show and became a main character in the two last series of the show. He appeared in 18 episodes of the drama.

Hal Yorke is a fictional vampire in the comedy-drama TV series Being Human, portrayed by Damien Molony. The male lead for the duration of the show's last two series appeared in 14 episodes of the drama.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Rankin</span> Scottish actor

Richard Rankin is a Scottish film, television and theatre actor. He is best known for the Scottish sketch show Burnistoun and as Roger Wakefield MacKenzie in the Starz drama Outlander.

References

  1. ↑ "Better Things | Cast – Page 6 : Joel | Mike". betterthingsthefilm.co.uk. Archived from the original on 25 June 2013. Retrieved 1 April 2012.
  2. ↑ England and Wales births. Retrieved 12 October 2015
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Scott, Jennifer (5 February 2009). "Michael Socha, Glamour, Nottingham Playhouse". This is Nottingham. Archived from the original on 13 September 2012. Retrieved 1 April 2012.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "ACTOR Michael Socha has revealed that he was broke and sitting at home watching the Jeremy Kyle Show when he got a call that would make 2010 his best year yet". This is Derbyshire. 4 September 2010. Archived from the original on 1 October 2012. Retrieved 1 April 2012.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 "Our family had to conquer heartbreak on the road to stardom". This is Derbyshire. 27 May 2011. Archived from the original on 18 June 2011. Retrieved 1 April 2012.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 "Hot new star of Being Human: Michael Socha – In This Issue". GayTimes. 30 June 2011. Archived from the original on 28 March 2012. Retrieved 1 April 2012.
  7. 1 2 "Do you fancy being in a play? How Lauren and Michael caught the acting bug". This is Derbyshire. 27 May 2011. Retrieved 1 April 2012.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "A touch of Glamour". This is Derbyshire. 13 February 2009. Retrieved 1 April 2012.
  9. ↑ Merry, Louise (6 July 2011). "Burton and South Derbyshire College guide". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 1 April 2012.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 "LIFE will never be the same for Michael Socha. Every time there's a full moon, whether he's shopping in Asda or drinking in a pub in Friar Gate, he gets an irresistible urge – to transform into a werewolf". This is Derbyshire. 30 April 2011. Archived from the original on 1 October 2012. Retrieved 1 April 2012.
  11. ↑ "BBC Radio 4 - Classic Serial, Arnold Bennett - Anna of the Five Towns, Episode 1". Archived from the original on 28 October 2014. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  12. ↑ Rebecca Denton. "Being Human Blog: Toby's Blog is Back". BBC. Retrieved 1 April 2012.
  13. ↑ "'Once Upon a Time' to Add 'Wonderland' Star as Series Regular". The Hollywood Reporter . 1 April 2014. Archived from the original on 8 June 2014. Retrieved 1 April 2014.
  14. ↑ Socha, Michael; Howick, Jim; Coel, Michaela; Gravelle, Trystan (8 March 2016), The Aliens , retrieved 28 December 2016
  15. 1 2 Double Date (2016) , retrieved 19 October 2016
  16. 1 2 Papillon (2017) , retrieved 28 December 2016
  17. ↑ "Star studded cast for Shane Meadow's new Yorkshire drama series is announced". www.yorkshirepost.co.uk. 8 September 2021. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
  18. ↑ Razaq, Rashid (16 March 2016). "This Is England actor Michael Socha puts US plans on hold for his son". www.standard.co.uk. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  19. ↑ "onceuponatimeinwonderland.com". Archived from the original on 28 September 2013.
  20. ↑ "Luckily I've had some amazing people on my side". Western Daily Press.[ permanent dead link ]
  21. ↑ "The Aliens (TV Series 2016–?)". IMDb. 8 March 2016. Retrieved 28 April 2017.
  22. ↑ "Brilliant Pictures acquires survival thriller 'Jericho Ridge' as production wraps". Screen Daily.
  23. ↑ "Glamour Boy Michael's amazing acting journey". 5 February 2009. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
  24. ↑ "Michael Socha and Tamla Kari to star in This is Living at Trafalgar Studios" . Retrieved 27 August 2016.
  25. ↑ "Review: This is Living, Trafalgar Studios – A Younger Theatre". 22 May 2016. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
  26. ↑ Marlowe, Sam. "Theatre: This Is Living at Trafalgar Studios, SW1" . Retrieved 27 August 2016.
  27. ↑ "Northern Lights, Drama – BBC Radio 4". BBC. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
  28. ↑ "Arnold Bennett - Anna of the Five Towns". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  29. ↑ "Video Spotlight: Lauren Pritchard *Stuck* | Music :: Dropout UK" . Retrieved 27 August 2016.
  30. ↑ "The Hairy Dog Events – Thee Deadtime Philharmonic | The Hairy Dog – Live music in Derby". The Hairy Dog Events – Thee Deadtime Philharmonic | The Hairy Dog – Live music in Derby. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
  31. ↑ "Watch Kasabian's Ill Ray (The King) Video With GOT's Lena Headey" . Retrieved 30 August 2017.
  32. ↑ "Watch Elderbrook & Rudimental - Something About You (Official Video)". YouTube . Retrieved 9 August 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.