Zak Ford-Williams | |
---|---|
Born | Ramsbottom, England |
Alma mater | Manchester School of Theatre |
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 2021–present |
Zak Ford-Williams is an English stage and television actor, best known for his role as Lord Remington in the Netflix series Bridgerton.
Born in Ramsbottom, he was educated at Woodhey High School and Holy Cross College in Bury, and attended Manchester School of Theatre [1] . He graduated in 2020.
Prior to 2017 he was a member of the Young Company at Summerseat Players' Theatre Royal in Smithy Street, Ramsbottom and then a member of The Young Company at The Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester.
In 2021, he appeared in the Sky Max television series Wolfe . He played Tiny Tim on stage in Mark Gatiss adaptation of A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story at Nottingham Playhouse. [2] [3]
On the stage in he played Joseph Merrick [4] in the critically acclaimed touring production of The Real and Imagined History of the Elephant Man in 2023. [5] [6] [7] [8] The same year he appeared in BBC One crime drama series Better [9] [10] and he also appeared in the BBC Three television comedy short Mobility [11] with Ruben Reuter and Jack Carroll which won the 2024 BAFTA Television Award for Short Form. [12]
In 2024 he appeared as Lord Remington in series three of the period drama Bridgerton, a role that has been upheld as an example on incidental disability portrayal in the US [13] [14] . In 2023, he was cast in the Paramount+ and Channel 5 historical drama series The Hardacres . [15]
He has cerebral palsy. [16]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2021 | Wolfe | Tyler | 1 episode [17] |
2021/22 | A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story [18] | Tiny Tim, young Marley, Mr Topper and ensemble. | International Cinema Release, BBC Four and BBC iPlayer [19] |
2023 | Better [20] | Owen Davies | 5 episodes |
2023 | Mobility | Sonnie | TV short |
2023 | Battery [21] [22] | Eliot | TV Short |
2023 | Midsomer Murders | Ludo Trask | 1 episode [23] |
2024 | Bridgerton | Lord Remington | 2 episodes [24] [25] |
2024 | The Hardacres | Harry Hardacre | 3 episodes |
Year | Title | Role | Venue | Director |
---|---|---|---|---|
2016 | The Factory [26] | Felix | The Royal Exchange rehearsal studio, Swan Street in Manchester | Matt Hassall |
2017 | Nothing [27] | Fredrick | The Royal Exchange Studio Theatre, Manchester | Bryony Shanahan |
2017 | We Were Told There Was Dancing [28] | Artyom | Sub basements under The Royal Exchange in Manchester | Matt Hassall |
2019 | DYSTOPIA987 [29] | Performer | Site specific, Manchester International Festival | Matthew Dunster |
2019 | Attempts on Her Life [30] | Cast | Home Theatre in Manchester | Sebastian Harcombe |
2019 | Duchess of Malfi [31] | Grisolan | Home Theatre in Manchester | David Salter |
2020 | Coram Boy [32] | Meshak Gardiner | Home Theatre in Manchester | Stefan Escreet |
2021/22 | A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story | Tiny Tim, young Marley and Mr Topper | Nottingham Playhouse and Alexandra Palace Theatre in London | Adam Penford |
2023 | The Real & Imagined History of The Elephant Man | Joseph Merrick | Nottingham Playhouse, Blackpool Grand Theatre and Coventry Belgrade Theatre. | Stephen Bailey |
2024 | The Tragedy of Richard III [33] | Richard III (Alternate) | Lyric Theatre Belfast | Oisín Kearney |
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Mark Gatiss adaptation of the Dickens' classic for Nottingham Playhouse features remarkable debuts from Zak Ford-Williams and Aoife Gaston
In rehearsals it struck me that I was moving as Joseph on on stage in a way that not even my parents or closest friends have seen. It is quite raw but it needs to be because he was so exposed. For me to to back off would be a disservice to him.
Zak Ford-Williams, as Jospeh Merrick, was simply sublime.
Zak Ford Williams as Joseph Merrick is a stunning physical actor and through his deft interpretation we don't need to see Merrick's grossly malformed body and head shape on stage; it is simply supplied through our collaborative actor/audience imaginations and Ford Williams's sense of other being in his body language. His Merrick proves, as one would hope, to be a very sympathetic person but not without strong outbursts of frustration and anger at his situation but more to do with the way he is treated and maltreated.
Zak Ford-Williams makes it easy for us to empathise. In the lead role, he radiates sweet nature without being ingratiating, and yet argues with a righteous fury at the hypocrisy of those who seem to care for him. It is a performance at once heartening and sad.
Special credit must be given to Zak Ford-Williams who takes his character on a challenging journey, culminating in an astounding and captivating final monologue which emphasises the humanity and personality of Merrick.
When people in power have grown up disabled, or get things like age related disability and become disabled, they still have power. They still retain money and influence. And I think there's a lot of that in Lord Remington.
Zak, "I think there's a slight advantage, because I'm so used to being very aware and having to control my body and my mouth. When I have to change my physicality or my voice I have, I feel, a great awareness to begin with."
Speaking from my own experience, I had quite a similar health scare when I was his age and it changed me quite physically, and when you're that age it can pull you back into yourself, and you can get this desperate feeling of wanting to hide yourself away and because you're not sure who you are and what you're perceived as, there can be a huge disconnect between the way you see yourself and the way you are. You can go, "this isn't me", but that's the thing, it is you, and there's a lot that comes with the perception of disability, and Owen is more accepting of that than his parents are.
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: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)As is often the case in immersive theatre, one of the most powerful performances was also the most intimate. Zak Ford-Williams involved a small group of us in his excited preparations for a date and then led us to somewhere darker and distressing.
We are perfectly placed to create environments in which to do our best work. The energy that the presence of disability creates within a production is a resource of creative potential... I feel amidst the advances being made embedding D/deaf, neurodivergent and disability equality within our industry, a disabled person on a stage or screen is still a political act. The presence of marginalised groups can bring about social and political change: the normalised presence of marginalised groups cements it. The rest is celebration.