Steve John Shepherd

Last updated

Steve John Shepherd
Born
Stephen John Shepherd

1 August 1973
Plaistow, London, England, United Kingdom
Occupation Actor
Years active1996–present
Spouse Anna Wilson-Jones
Children3

Stephen John Shepherd (born in 1973) is an English actor. He is known for his portrayals of Jo in the TV drama This Life and Michael Moon in the soap opera EastEnders from 2010 to 2013.

Contents

Early life and education

Shepherd was born in London in 1973, and grew up first in the East End of London, and then Essex. His mother is of English and Burmese ancestry, and his father is of English and Chinese ancestry. [1]

He attended St Bonaventure's Catholic School, where he first discovered an interest in acting.[ citation needed ] He first went to ballet school but was not a good dancer, and after that attended drama school. [1]

Career

Shepherd's first well-known role was in 1996 in This Life . He remained in the role for two series (1996–1997). Other credits include The Best Man (2005), [2] The One That Got Away (1996), Maisie Raine (1998), Virtual Sexuality (1999), G:MT - Greenwich Mean Time (1999), Forgive and Forget (2000), Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002), Boudica (2003), Layer Cake (2004), The Last Chancers (2004), Too Much Too Young (2005), and Dalziel and Pascoe . He played Paul in Channel 4's Plus One (2007) and appeared in Piaf at the Donmar Warehouse until 20 September 2008.[ citation needed ]

Shepherd appeared in BBC Three sitcom Lunch Monkeys as Charlie Brierson. On 17 January 2010, he appeared in the second episode of the second series of Being Human as Carl, a gay vampire. In 2011 he played the role of child abductor Max "Bag Man" Harding in the BBC series Waking the Dead .[ citation needed ]

In July 2010, Shepherd's casting as Michael Moon, the cousin of Alfie Moon, in EastEnders was announced. [3] He made his first appearance on 1 October 2010. In May 2011, Shepherd was nominated in the Best Soap Newcomer category at the 2011 TV Choice Awards for his portrayal of Michael. [4] In March 2013, Shepherd announced that he would be leaving EastEnders later that year. [5] Shepherd's final storyline surrounded Michael's plan to murder his wife Janine Butcher. Michael's last episode was on 1 November 2013, when he was killed by Janine. Shepherd left the show to explore new roles. [6]

Personal life

As of April 2014 Shepherd was living in west London with his wife Anna Wilson-Jones and their three children. [7]

Filmography

YearTitleRoleNotes
1996 The One That Got Away Small BobTV movie
1996 This Life JoTV drama
1998 Maisie Raine DC George Kyprianou
1998 RPM Rudy
1999 Virtual Sexuality Jason, Narcissus Guy
1999 G:MT – Greenwich Mean Time Sam
2000 Forgive and Forget David O'NeilTV movie
2001 Me Without You Carl
2001 From Hell Special Branch Constable
2002 Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones Naboo lieutenant
2003 Boudica Catus
2004 Layer Cake Tiptoes
2004 The Last Chancers PaulTV series; 2 episodes
2005 The Best Man James
2006 Dalziel and Pascoe Steve PittEpisode: "A Death in the Family"
2007Too Much Too YoungVic Chambers
2009 Plus One Paul
2010–2013 EastEnders Michael Moon TV series; 304 episodes
2015 Christmas Eve Glen
2019 Hetty Feather AmbroseTV series; 9 episodes
2020London Kills Adrian Cook1 episode
2020 Shakespeare & Hathaway: Private Investigators Gerald FitzAllanEpisode: "The Sticking Place"
2022 Karen Pirie Simon Lees

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jessie Wallace</span> English actress (born 1971)

Karen Jane Wallace, known professionally as Jessie Wallace, is an English actress. She made her acting debut in the television police series The Bill and rose to prominence for her role as Kat Slater on the BBC soap opera EastEnders. For her portrayal of Kat, she has won seventeen awards including Most Popular Newcomer at the National Television Awards and the British Soap Award for Best Newcomer in 2001, Most Popular Actress at the National Television Awards in 2003 and the British Soap Award for Best Actress in 2011. She also portrayed the role of Pat Phoenix in the BBC Four television film The Road to Coronation Street, for which she was nominated for the 2011 BAFTA TV Award for Best Supporting Actress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shane Richie</span> British actor, singer (b. 1964)

Shane Patrick Paul Roche, known as Shane Richie, is an English actor, comedian, television presenter and singer. Following initial success as a stage and screen performer, he became best known for his portrayal of the character Alfie Moon in the BBC One soap opera EastEnders and then in its spin-off RTÉ Drama Redwater in 2017. In 2020, he appeared on the twentieth series of I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here and finished in fourth place.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nana Moon</span> Fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders

Victoria "Nana" Moon is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Hilda Braid. In a special episode, Kate Colgrave Pope played her as a 24-year-old in a flashback episode from 1944. She was introduced alongside her grandsons, Alfie and Spencer Moon, and made her first appearance on 3 December 2002. She was introduced by executive producer Louise Berridge in 2002, and a decision was made to kill off the character in 2005 following the announced departures of her on-screen family, and made her last appearance on 16 December 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alfie Moon</span> Fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders

Alfie Moon is a fictional character from the BBC drama EastEnders, played by Shane Richie. He made his first appearance on 21 November 2002, and left on 25 December 2005. He returned on 21 September 2010, following the return of his on-screen wife, Kat Slater, two episodes previously, and they continued to feature until 22 May 2015. Alfie appeared in a guest stint between 26 December 2015 and 25 January 2016, before starring in the six-part drama spin-off series Kat & Alfie: Redwater in 2017. Richie returned for two short stints in 2018, concluding with his exit on 22 January 2019. Richie then made a virtual cameo appearance on 12 July 2022, followed by a permanent return from 12 September 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kat Slater</span> Fictional character from EastEnders

Kathleen "Kat" Mitchell is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Jessie Wallace. She was also played by Kate Peck in a flashback in 2001 and Sumar-Elise Sandford in a flashback in 2018. Kat is the second eldest Slater family sister and first appeared on 18 September 2000. Kat's usual dress is very short skirts and leopard-print tops, with much make-up and heavy fake tan. Her initial stint saw her involved in many storylines, most significantly in a plot twist that sees her supposedly sister Zoe Slater, revealed to be her daughter after she was raped by her uncle Harry Slater as a child. Kat and Zoe's relationship is tested several times, and a feud forms when they compete against each other for the affection of Anthony Trueman. Another key aspect to the character's storylines is her marriage to Alfie Moon, prior to which she became briefly engaged to Andy Hunter ; after Kat jilted Andy on their wedding day, he blackmailed her into sleeping with him in his revenge bid against Alfie and Kat. Kat was absent between November 2004 and May 2005 following Wallace's maternity leave, and Kat later left the soap on 25 December 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Janine Butcher</span> Fictional character from EastEnders

Janine Carter is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, introduced in 1989. The character was played by Rebecca Michael from 1989 to 1993, Alexia Demetriou from 1993 to 1996, and Charlie Brooks from 1999 to 2022. Brooks initially departed on 7 May 2004. She returned for a three episode guest stint in April 2008 before returning permanently on 18 December of that year. Brooks later took a break from September 2012 until April 2013, then departed again on 20 March 2014. In April 2021, it was announced that Brooks would reprise the role once again and return later in the year. She returned on 6 September 2021. It was announced on 24 September 2022 that Brooks had only agreed to reprise the role for 12 months and would depart again at the conclusion of her storyline, with her final scenes airing on 26 December 2022. The character has been described as a "super-bitch" and a "classic villainess". She has proven popular with critics and fans of the show. Her storylines typically involve her in an antagonistic role. She has been married five times: to Barry Evans whom she killed on New Year's Day 2004, David, Ryan Malloy, Michael Moon and Mick Carter. Her feuds include a long-standing conflict with former stepmothers Pat Butcher and Peggy Mitchell, Sonia Fowler, Lynne Hobbs, Laura Beale, Kat Slater, Zoe Slater, Stacey Slater, Sharon Watts and Linda Carter. Her initial departure saw Janine being wrongfully charged for the death of Laura Beale. Upon her return, Janine is caught forging a wedding to a wealthy, old-age pensioner, that ends with her new husband abruptly dying of a fatal heart attack upon discovering her false identity. She later accidentally kills local resident Danielle Jones by running her down in her car; conspires with Peggy's husband Archie to defraud the Mitchell family from their ownership of The Queen Victoria public house; and becomes a prime suspect in Archie's murder investigation. Janine later becomes involved in a love triangle with her third husband Ryan and his baby's mother, Stacey. All of this results in Janine framing Stacey for her attempted murder and also attempting to kill Ryan by poisoning him. Janine later gives birth to a daughter, Scarlett, with her fourth husband Michael, and they become embroiled in a custody battle over Scarlett, which leads to Janine murdering Michael, leading to her third departure from the show.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jean Slater</span> UK soap opera character, created 2004

Jean Slater is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Gillian Wright. Her first appearance is in the episode first broadcast in the United Kingdom on 16 December 2004. Having only been introduced for one episode, Wright was reintroduced for four more episodes the following year and became more of a regular character in the following two years. The character is introduced as the mother of Stacey Slater who suffers with bipolar disorder. Her disorder strains her relationship with her children, Stacey and Sean Slater. Wright researched the disorder to prepare for the role. In April 2010, it was announced that Jean would be written out of the series, however, Wright was awarded a reprieve in late 2010. Jean departed on 13 January 2011 and returned on 29 March 2011. Wright announced her intentions to leave the series in July 2013, and Jean departed on 17 September 2013. Following her departure, Wright reprised the role for 15 episodes between 2014 and 2017. In December 2017, it was announced that Jean would be reintroduced as a regular character, along with Kat Slater and Mo Harris. She returned on 20 March 2018. On 11 December 2023, Wright appeared in her 1,000th episode as Jean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roxy Mitchell</span> UK soap opera character, created 2007

Roxanne Lizette "Roxy" Mitchell is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, portrayed by Rita Simons. Roxy arrived in Walford with her sister Ronnie on 24 July 2007 and decides to move permanently to Walford from Ibiza where they ran a bar together. Roxy is the younger of the two sisters. She is described as the "fire", as opposed to Ronnie's "ice". Simons took a temporary hiatus in 2016, with Roxy off screen from 1 January until 4 May 2016. Following the announcement that Womack would be leaving the series, Simons' departure was also announced. Roxy departed the series in scenes broadcast on 1 January 2017, when she drowned in a hotel swimming pool along with Ronnie. Simons returned in 2019 to record a voiceover as Roxy, which was broadcast on 3 May 2019. A younger version of Roxy, played by Elodie de Rohan Willner, appeared in a flashback episode broadcast on 5 September 2022, which focuses on the Mitchell family in the 1970s. Simons reprised her role on 27 April 2023 for a one-off appearance as a hallucination to her daughter, Amy Mitchell.

Michael Moon (<i>EastEnders</i>) UK soap opera character, created 2010

Michael Moon is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Steve John Shepherd. The character is a second cousin once removed of Alfie Moon, and first appears on 1 October 2010 after Alfie's return. He is also the father to Tommy Moon, whose mother is Alfie's wife Kat Moon. Michael is later joined by his father Eddie Moon and half brothers Tyler Moon and Anthony Moon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eddie Moon</span> UK soap opera character, created 2011

Eddie Moon is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by David Essex. Eddie is the father of Michael Moon, Tyler Moon and Anthony Moon. Along with his children, Eddie was introduced to bring a "new generation" of the Moon family to the programme. Essex began filming in April 2011 and first appeared on screen on 3 June 2011. His initial contract ended in August, and Essex hoped he would be able to return to the role. The character has been described as cheeky, likeable and charismatic, and has a dark past. Through the series' narrative, it is revealed that there is a rift between Michael and Eddie, because Michael blames his father for the death of his mother, who killed herself when Michael was left alone with her. Eddie is also a love interest for Carol Jackson and Vanessa Gold.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anthony Moon</span> UK soap opera character, created 2011

Anthony Moon is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Matt Lapinskas. He was introduced on 25 July 2011, as an extension to the Moon family. The son of Eddie Moon, half brother of Michael Moon and brother of Tyler Moon, his storylines have focused on the friendship between him and Tyler, and his relationships with Poppy Meadow, Jodie Gold, Amira Masood and Alice Branning.

Tony Discipline is an English actor. He is best known for playing Tyler Moon in the BBC soap opera EastEnders between 2011 and 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tyler Moon</span> UK soap opera character, created 2011

Tyler Moon is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Tony Discipline. Tyler is the son of Eddie Moon, half brother of Michael and Craig Moon, brother of Anthony Moon and cousin of Alfie Moon. He made his first appearance in the episode broadcast on 27 June 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Derek Branning</span> UK soap opera character, created 1996

Derek Branning is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Terence Beesley in 1996 and then Jamie Foreman from 2011 to 2012. Derek is the eldest child of Jim Branning and Reenie Branning. He first appears in episode 1282, which was first broadcast in the United Kingdom on 29 April 1996, for his sister April Branning's wedding and departed on 2 May. The character returned as a regular in the episode broadcast on 24 November 2011, played by Foreman. In October 2012, it was announced that Foreman would be leaving EastEnders in December 2012 as part of a Christmas storyline. On 20 December 2012, it is revealed that Derek was the person who Kat Moon had an affair with. The character died of a heart attack in the episode broadcast on 25 December 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alice Branning</span> UK soap opera character, created 2012

Alice Branning is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Jasmyn Banks. Alice is the daughter of Derek Branning. She made her first appearance on 10 May 2012. The character and casting was announced on 14 April 2012 with executive producer Lorraine Newman stating that Alice will allow the audience to see a softer side to Derek. Banks also stated that Alice will allow viewers to see a "lovely" side to Derek. The Daily Mirror praised the character for revealing herself as Derek's daughter on her first appearance, comparing her to Danielle Jones after she kept her identity to her mother Ronnie Mitchell a secret for months and then dying minutes after revealing herself. Another critic from the Daily Mirror said that Alice has had a "colossal impact" on Derek. In September 2013, it was announced that Banks would be leaving the show as part of Michael Moon's exit storyline. She departed on 24 December 2013, after being wrongly arrested for Michael's murder.

In July 2012, a storyline began in the British soap opera EastEnders in which the character Kat Moon, played by Jessie Wallace, embarks on an affair behind her husband Alfie Moon's back, with an unknown person. The suspects named were Ray Dixon, Michael Moon, Max Branning, Derek Branning and Jack Branning. Ray was the first suspect to be eliminated, on 7 August, followed by Michael on 14 September. The mystery man was revealed as Derek in the 20 December episode. Richie dubbed the storyline "Who's Been Sleeping with Kat?", while critics referred to it is "the who-copped-off-with-Kat saga", "Who Banged Kat?", "Who Shagged Kat?" and the "Kat Mystery Lover storyline".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mick Carter</span> Fictional character from EastEnders

Mick Carter is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders played by Danny Dyer, making his first appearance in the show in the episode originally broadcast in the United Kingdom on 25 December 2013. Dyer's casting was announced on 1 October 2013 with that of his on-screen partner, Linda Carter, played by Kellie Bright. He is the son of established character Shirley Carter and is a member of the Carter family. Mick immediately becomes the new landlord of The Queen Victoria public house, bringing Linda, their son Johnny Carter and pet bulldog Lady Di with him. They are later joined by daughter Nancy Carter, son Lee Carter and other members of the extended family. In January 2022, it was announced that Dyer had quit the show after nine years in the role of Mick, and his final scenes aired on 25 December 2022.

Slater family (<i>EastEnders</i>) UK soap opera family, created 2000

The Slater family are a fictional family from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, that have appeared since Episode 1,997, first broadcast in September 2000. The family are introduced as a central family unit, originally consisting of father Charlie Slater, grandmother Mo Harris, Charlie's daughters, Kat Slater, Lynne Slater, Little Mo Morgan and Kat's teenage daughter Zoe Slater, and Lynne's partner Garry Hobbs. A fifth sister, Belinda Peacock, was introduced one year later. The family were the eighth to be introduced in the soap's history, replacing the di Marco family who departed during the previous month. The Slaters were created by Tony Jordan and introduced by John Yorke. The Slater sisters were cast in an improvisation session. In their first years on the show, the family were involved in storylines about child sexual abuse and domestic violence.

References

  1. 1 2 Fanshawe, Simon (10 April 2012). "There's more to me than Martine". Evening Standard. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  2. IMDb profile for The Best Man
  3. Kilkelly, Daniel (28 July 2010). "Alfie Moon's cousin to arrive in 'Enders". Digital Spy . Retrieved 27 July 2010.
  4. Wightman, Catriona (18 May 2011). "In Full: TV Choice Awards 2011 – Nominees". Digital Spy . Retrieved 26 May 2011.
  5. Christian, Tobin (13 March 2013). "'EastEnders' exit for Michael Moon actor Steve John Shepherd – EastEnders News – Soaps – Digital Spy". Digital Spy . Retrieved 13 March 2013.
  6. Christian, Tobin (13 March 2013). "'EastEnders' exit for Michael Moon actor Steve John Shepherd". Digital Spy . Retrieved 13 March 2013.
  7. Standard, Evening (2 April 2014). "It took a long time to get Michael Moon out of my system: EastEnders". Evening Standard. Retrieved 14 January 2024.