Zak Ford-Williams

Last updated

Zak Ford-Williams
Born
Ramsbottom, England
Alma mater Manchester School of Theatre
OccupationActor
Years active2021–present

Zak Ford-Williams is an English stage and television actor, best known for his role as Lord Remington in the Netflix series Bridgerton.

Contents

Early life

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.

Career

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]

Personal life

He has cerebral palsy. [16]

Filmography

YearTitleRoleNotes
2021 Wolfe Tyler1 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 Davies5 episodes
2023MobilitySonnieTV short
2023Battery [21] [22] EliotTV Short
2023 Midsomer Murders Ludo Trask1 episode [23]
2024 Bridgerton Lord Remington2 episodes [24] [25]
2024 The Hardacres Harry Hardacre3 episodes

Theatre

YearTitleRoleVenueDirector
2016The Factory [26] Felix The Royal Exchange rehearsal studio, Swan Street in Manchester Matt Hassall
2017Nothing [27] FredrickThe Royal Exchange Studio Theatre, ManchesterBryony Shanahan
2017We Were Told There Was Dancing [28] ArtyomSub basements under The Royal Exchange in ManchesterMatt Hassall
2019DYSTOPIA987 [29] PerformerSite specific, Manchester International Festival Matthew Dunster
2019Attempts on Her Life [30] Cast Home Theatre in ManchesterSebastian Harcombe
2019Duchess of Malfi [31] GrisolanHome Theatre in Manchester David Salter
2020Coram Boy [32] Meshak GardinerHome Theatre in ManchesterStefan Escreet
2021/22A Christmas Carol: A Ghost StoryTiny Tim, young Marley and Mr Topper Nottingham Playhouse and Alexandra Palace Theatre in LondonAdam Penford
2023The Real & Imagined History of The Elephant Man Joseph Merrick Nottingham Playhouse, Blackpool Grand Theatre and Coventry Belgrade Theatre.Stephen Bailey
2024The Tragedy of Richard III [33] Richard III (Alternate) Lyric Theatre Belfast Oisín Kearney

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References

  1. ↑ "Zak Ford-Williams – Manchester School of Theatre". www.theatre.mmu.ac.uk. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
  2. ↑ Thomas, Sophie (16 September 2021). "Mark Gatiss to adapt and star in 'A Christmas Carol' at Alexandra Palace". London Theatre. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
  3. ↑ "Review: A Christmas Carol – A Ghost Story at Nottingham Playhouse – 'Remarkable debuts'". The Stage. Retrieved 23 August 2024. Mark Gatiss adaptation of the Dickens' classic for Nottingham Playhouse features remarkable debuts from Zak Ford-Williams and Aoife Gaston
  4. ↑ Ansor, John (15 October 2023). "Elephant Man story has been 'terrifying challenge' for star". Lancashire Telegraph. Retrieved 19 August 2024. 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.
  5. ↑ Douglas, Ian (21 September 2023). "Theatre Review: The Real and Imagined History of the Elephant Man". Left Lion. Zak Ford-Williams, as Jospeh Merrick, was simply sublime.
  6. ↑ philiplowe (21 September 2023). "Review: The Real and Imagined History of The Elephant Man. Nottingham Playhouse". East Midlands Theatre. Retrieved 23 August 2024. 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.
  7. ↑ Fisher, Mark (21 September 2023). "The Real & Imagined History of the Elephant Man review – vigorous call for inclusivity". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 August 2024. 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.
  8. ↑ "REVIEW | The Real & Imagined History of the Elephant Man, Nottingham Playhouse". Theatre & Tonic. Retrieved 22 August 2024. 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.
  9. ↑ Smart, Becca (13 February 2023). "BBC's new show Better premiers in Leeds". Yorkshire Bylines. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
  10. ↑ Cormack, Morgan (14 February 2023). "Better cast – who stars in the BBC thriller?". Radio Times. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
  11. ↑ Meeda, Akaash (26 May 2023), Mobility (Short, Comedy, Drama), Jack Carroll, Zak Ford-Williams, Ruben Reuter, Tiger Aspect Productions, retrieved 22 August 2024
  12. ↑ 2024 BAFTA Television Award for Short Form
  13. ↑ "'Bridgerton' season 3 captures disability, neurodiversity in regency era". abcnews. 13 June 2024. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
  14. ↑ "The Podcast | The Wheelchair Activist". Wheelchair Activist. Retrieved 22 August 2024. 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.
  15. ↑ Creamer, Joe (14 December 2023). "Casting announced for C5's The Hardacres". Televisual. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
  16. ↑ Jamison, Tom (16 September 2023). "Interview - Zak Ford-Williams - Taking on the Elephant Man". Ablemagazine. Retrieved 19 August 2024. 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."
  17. ↑ Shergold, Adrian (10 September 2021), Episode #1.4, Wolfe, Babou Ceesay, Natalia Tena, Amanda Abbington, retrieved 22 August 2024
  18. ↑ Powster. "A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story | Official Website | 27 November 2022". A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story | Official Website | 27 November 2022. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
  19. ↑ "BBC Four - A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story". BBC. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
  20. ↑ "Interview with Zak Ford-Williams who plays Owen in Better". Pressparty. Retrieved 23 August 2024. 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.
  21. ↑ Marshall, Ewan (14 October 2023), Battery (Short, Drama), Cathy Conneff, Zak Ford-Williams, Jackie Hagan, 104 Films, Film4, retrieved 22 August 2024
  22. ↑ Film4 (18 May 2024). Battery (2023) written by Tom Wentworth and directed by Ewan Marshall | Film4 4Love Shorts . Retrieved 22 August 2024– via YouTube.{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  23. ↑ Wilkinson, Gill (11 December 2023), Book of the Dead, Midsomer Murders, Neil Dudgeon, Nick Hendrix, Fiona Dolman, retrieved 22 August 2024
  24. ↑ Brock, Tricia (16 May 2024), How Bright the Moon, Bridgerton, Adjoa Andoh, Lorraine Ashbourne, Joanna Bobin, retrieved 22 August 2024
  25. ↑ Ahn, Andrew (16 May 2024), Forces of Nature, Bridgerton, Victor Alli, Adjoa Andoh, Lorraine Ashbourne, retrieved 22 August 2024
  26. ↑ Web, UK Theatre. "Tour archive for The Factory (Play). 25th August 2016-27th August 2016 [PLAY]". UK Theatre Web. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
  27. ↑ "Theatre Writing". Amanda Dalton. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
  28. ↑ Circles&stalls (17 August 2017). "We Were Told There Was Dancing". Circles & Stalls. Retrieved 22 August 2024. 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.
  29. ↑ "DYSTOPIA987". MIF t/a Factory International. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
  30. ↑ "Attempts On Her Life (2019)". Manchester School of Theatre. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
  31. ↑ "The Duchess of Malfi (2019)". Manchester School of Theatre. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
  32. ↑ "Coram Boy (2020)". Manchester School of Theatre. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
  33. ↑ "The Tragedy of Richard III". Lyric Theatre Belfast. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
  1. ↑ "Advice for disabled actors from Zak Ford-Williams, from the Actors' & Performers' Yearbook 2024 | Actors and Performers". 10 November 2023. Retrieved 23 August 2024. 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.
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