Michael Socha | |
|---|---|
 Socha in 2014 | |
| Born | Michael Robert Socha 1987 (age 37–38) |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 2006–present |
| Children | 1 |
| Relatives | Lauren Socha (sister) |
Michael Robert Socha (born 1987) is an English actor. He is known for his roles in the films This Is England and Summer , and the television series This Is England '86 and its sequels. He also appeared in Being Human , Once Upon a Time in Wonderland , and the second series of the BBC One drama Showtrial .
Michael Robert Socha[ citation needed ] was born in 1987 [1] in Derby, Derbyshire, England, to Kathleen Lyons ("Kath") and Robert Socha. [2] He is the older brother of actress Lauren Socha, star of the Channel 4 comedy-drama Misfits .[ citation needed ]
Socha was brought up in Littleover, a suburb of Derby, [3] though for his secondary education he attended St Benedict Catholic School in the Darley Abbey area of the city. [2] Socha was a rebellious pupil [3] who often skipped school. [4] When he was 12, his mother read 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. [5] 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. [6] He acted in several plays for the group, but did not take acting very seriously. [6]
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. [2] 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. [6] 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. [6]
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] [2] According to Kathleen, [3] the death of his father made her son very independent. [2]
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 and motivated him. [4]
His first job after leaving school was in a factory. [4] He disliked it and quit, and enrolled at Burton & South Derbyshire College, a further education college. [7] 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. [4]
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 . [6]
In 2008, he was cast in Kenneth Glenaan's BAFTA Scotland-award winning film Summer , where he acted opposite Robert Carlyle. [6] The same year, he appeared in Duane Hopkins 's film Better Things and the independent small-budget comedy Dogging: A Love Story. [6] He also appeared in three episodes of the BBC One medical drama Casualty . [6] In February 2009, Socha made his stage debut at Nottingham Playhouse in Glamour, a comedy by Stephen Lowe. [3] [6] 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. [8]
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. [9] 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. [9] 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 [9] as well as the film Bonded by Blood . [8] He also appeared in the This Is England Christmas special, and in a music video with American soul music singer Lauren Pritchard. [8] In 2011, he played William Price in Helen Edmundson's adaptation of Anna of the Five Towns on BBC Radio 4. [10]
Socha appeared in BBC Three 's hit supernatural series Being Human in 2011, receiving good critical notice as the innocent young werewolf Tom McNair. [5] 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. [8] 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. [4] 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. [8]
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. [11] 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. [12]
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 . [13]
In 2017, Socha starred in Double Date [14] and a remake of the 1973 film Papillon , [15] 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 , a biographical story of the footballing life of Bert Trautmann .
In August 2019, 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 . [16]
Socha has a son with former partner Faye. They split sometime before 2016. [17] [18]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | This is England | Bully (Harvey) | |
| Soft | ASBO | Short films | |
| 2007 | Lady Margaret | Danny | |
| 2008 | Better Things | Mike | |
| Summer | Daniel | ||
| 2009 | Public Sex | Jim | Original title: Dogging: A Love Story |
| Jade | Stephen | Short films | |
| Bale | Kyle | ||
| 2010 | Cut | Jimmy / Food Dude | |
| Shank | Craze | ||
| Bonded by Blood | Donny Svenson | ||
| Labour | Henry | Short films | |
| The Good Men of Leicester | Simon | ||
| 2011 | Hit and Run | Michael | |
| 2012 | Twenty8k | Tony Marchetto | |
| Spike Island | Carl | ||
| 2013 | Svengali | Tommy | |
| 2017 | Double Date [14] | Alex | |
| Papillon [15] | Julot | ||
| 2018 | Walk Like a Panther | Ricky Rickson | |
| The Keeper | Bill Twist | ||
| 2019 | Break Clause | Nick | |
| Killers Anonymous | Leandro | ||
| A Guide to Second Date Sex | Dan | ||
| 2020 | Edicius | Jason | Short film |
| As Dead as It Gets | Lee | ||
| Big Boys Don't Cry | Paul 'Jacko' Connolly | ||
| 2021 | Creation Stories | Joe Foster | |
| 2022 | Tales of the Creeping Death | Goose | |
| The Other Me | Giorgi | ||
| Pram Snatcher | Transit Man | Short film | |
| 2023 | Jericho Ridge | Earl Macready | |
| Distressing Images | Ed Collier | Short film | |
| TBA | Go Away! | Kyle Burden | Post-production [19] |
| TBA | 500 Miles | TBA | In production |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008–2009 | Casualty | Ryan Malone | Series 23; 6 episodes |
| 2009 | The Unloved | Michael | Television films |
| Harvest | Yebsley | ||
| Paradox | Zac Henley | Miniseries; Episode 5 | |
| 2010 | Married Single Other | Spud | Episode 3: "Burning Rubber" |
| Dive | Alex | 2-part television film | |
| This Is England '86 | Harvey | Miniseries; Episodes 1–4 | |
| 2011 | This Is England '88 | Miniseries; Episodes 1–3 | |
| 2011–2013 | Being Human | Tom McNair | Series 3–5; 18 episodes |
| 2012 | Homefront | Rob | Episodes 2–4 |
| 2013–2014 | Once Upon a Time in Wonderland | The Knave of Hearts / Will Scarlet | Regular role. Episodes 1–13 |
| 2014 | Silent Witness | David Bennetto | Series 17; Episodes 3 & 4: "Coup de Grace": Parts 1 & 2 |
| Inspector George Gently | Joe Turner | Series 6; Episode 4: "Gently Going Under" | |
| Our World War | Private Andy Andrews | Miniseries; Episode 2: "Pals" | |
| 2014–2015 | Once Upon a Time | Will Scarlet | Regular role. Series 4; Episodes 1–23 |
| 2015 | This Is England '90 | Harvey | Miniseries; Episodes 1–4 |
| 2016 | The Aliens [20] | Lewis Garvey | Miniseries; Episodes 1–6 |
| 2017 | Electric Dreams | Noah | Episode 4: "Crazy Diamond" |
| 2018 | Down the Caravan | Gerwyn | Television film |
| 2019 | Chernobyl | Mikhail | Miniseries; Episodes 1, 2 & 5 |
| 2020 | Adulting | (unknown) | Television film |
| On the Edge | Olly | Miniseries; Series 2; Episode 2: "For You" | |
| 2021 | Time | Kenny Meadows | Series 1; Episode 2 |
| 2022 | Skint | Jambo | Episode 2: "No Grasses No Nonces" |
| 2023 | The Gallows Pole | 'King' David Hartley | Episodes 1–3 |
| Changing Ends | Adam | Episode 4: "Stud" | |
| 2024 | D.I. Ray | Dave Chapman | Series 2; Episodes 1–6 |
| Showtrial | PC Justin Mitchell | Main role. Series 2; Episodes 1–5 |
| Year | Title | Character | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Glamour [21] [3] [6] | Jimmy | Nottingham Playhouse |
| 2016 | This Is Living [22] [23] [24] | Michael | Trafalgar Studios |
| Year | Title | Character | Broadcast On | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Anna of the Five Towns [25] | William Price | BBC Radio 4 | Adaptation by Helen Edmundson |
| 2016 | Northern Lights [26] | Tom | BBC Radio 4 |
| Year | Title | Artist |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | "Stuck" [27] | Lauren Pritchard |
| 2012 | "Bad Lad" [28] | Thee Deadtime Philharmonic |
| 2013 | "Seen It All" | Jake Bugg |
| 2017 | "Ill Ray (The King)" [29] | Kasabian |
| 2019 | "Something About You" [30] | Elderbrook & Rudimental |
Tyler Lee Hoechlin is an American actor. He initially earned recognition for starring as Michael Sullivan Jr. in the 2002 film Road to Perdition. In television, Hoechlin starred as Martin Brewer on 7th Heaven from 2003 to 2007, and also became known for portraying Derek Hale on Teen Wolf, Superman in The CW's Supergirl (2016–2019) and Superman & Lois (2021–2024), and for voicing Sephiroth in the Final Fantasy VII Remake franchise.
Michael Charles Lerner was an American actor. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Jack Lipnick in Barton Fink (1991). Lerner also played Arnold Rothstein in Eight Men Out (1988), Phil Gillman in Amos & Andrew (1993), The Warden in No Escape (1994), Mel Horowitz on the television series Clueless, Jerry Miller in The Beautician and the Beast (1997), Mayor Ebert in Roland Emmerich's Godzilla (1998), Mr. Greenway in Elf (2003), and Senator Brickman in X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014).
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
James Edward Fleet is an English actor of theatre, radio and screen. He is most famous for his roles as the bumbling and well-meaning Tom in the 1994 British romantic comedy film Four Weddings and a Funeral and the dim-witted but kind-hearted Hugo Horton in the BBC sitcom television series The Vicar of Dibley. Since 2020, he has played King George III in the Netflix Bridgerton.
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).
Freema Agyeman is an English actress. She rose to fame with her role as the Doctor's companion Martha Jones in the BBC science fiction series Doctor Who (2007–2010) and its spin-off Torchwood (2008), and received further recognition for playing Crown Prosecutor Alesha Phillips in the ITV crime procedural Law & Order: UK (2009–2012), Amanita Caplan in the Netflix science fiction drama Sense8 (2015–2018) and Dr. Helen Sharpe in the NBC medical drama New Amsterdam (2018–2023).
Alexander Richard Ludwig is a Canadian actor and country musician. He first began his career as a child, and then received recognition as a teenager for starring in the films The Seeker: The Dark Is Rising (2007) and Race to Witch Mountain (2009). He is also known for starring as Cato in The Hunger Games (2012).
Anthony Stewart Head is an English actor and singer. Primarily a performer in musical theatre, he rose to fame in the UK in the 1980s following his role in the Gold Blend couple television advertisements for Nescafé, which led to major roles in several television series. He is best known for his roles as Rupert Giles in Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997–2003), the Prime Minister in Little Britain (2003–2006), Uther Pendragon in Merlin (2008–2012), and Rupert Mannion in Ted Lasso (2020–2023), as well as voicing Herc Shipwright in BBC Radio 4's Cabin Pressure.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Landon Liboiron is a Canadian actor. He is best known for playing Declan Coyne in Degrassi: The Next Generation and his lead role as Peter Rumancek in Netflix's original series Hemlock Grove (2013–15).
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.
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.
Nick Blood is an English actor. He is known for his roles as Lance Hunter in Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Kieran in Trollied.
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.
Richard Rankin is a Scottish film, television and theatre actor. He is best known for the Scottish sketch show Burnistoun, for playing Roger Wakefield MacKenzie in the Starz drama Outlander and for playing the lead role in the 2024 TV series Rebus, adapted from the Inspector Rebus novels by Ian Rankin.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
