Matt Wilkinson

Last updated

Matt Wilkinson
NationalityBritish
Occupations
  • Actor
  • playwright
  • director
Years active1995–present

Matthew Wilkinson is a British actor, playwright and director.

Contents

Acting

Wilkinson trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and has performed in theatre, film, television and animation.

Early theatre work included Alan Bennett's The Wind in the Willows (Old Vic, 1996) directed by Jeremy Sams, and in 1997 The Warp for Ken Campbell (Barnet), Take Away (Lyric Hammersmith) and The Birds (The Gate). He was also seen in The Gift (BBC) [1] directed by Danny Hiller.

In 1998 he played Torvald in A Doll's House (Harrogate) and performed in Playing Hide and Seek with Jesus by Richard Herring (Pleasance, Edinburgh) directed by Jeremy Herrin. [2] More film work included The Avengers (Warner Bros), [3] The Jolly Boys' Last Stand with Andy Serkis and Sacha Baron Cohen [4] and The Tichborne Claimant directed by David Yates, [5] both with Bigger Picture Company.

In 1999 David Hayman directed him in Harbour Lights II (BBC) [6] and over the next few years Wilkinson took roles in The Mystery of Men (BBC), [7] It's a Girl Thing (Channel 4), Shackleton (Channel 4), Ali G Inda House and About a Boy (both Working Title). [8] [9]

In 2003 he performed in Hideki Noda's play Red Demon (Young Vic, London). [10] Parts followed in V for Vendetta (Warner Bros. 2005), [11] The Message (BBC 2006) [12] and Finkle in Finkle's Odyssey (Large Films, 2006). [13]

In 2011 he played Trigorin in The Seagull at the Arcola Theatre, London with Geraldine James. [14]

Voice

Since 2009, Wilkinson has contributed over 20 characters to Thomas & Friends (HIT Entertainment) including Rocky, Spencer, Kevin, Charlie, Stanley, Scruff, Cranky, Butch and Farmer McColl in the UK dub as well as Rusty, Diesel 10, Merrick, Winston and Ben (since Season 22) in both dubs. [15]

His first animation was playing Weasel on Watership Down (CITV, 1999). [16] Other work includes Empire Square (Channel 4, 2006) [17] created and directed by Dave Rowntree from Blur, The Adventures of Bottle Top Bill and His Best Friend Corky (Channel 5, 2007), [18] Boris, Zed et al. in 64 Zoo Lane (CBBC, 2009), [19] Bunny Maloney in Bunny Maloney (MoonScoop, 2009), [20] Trust Me I'm A Genie (Millimages, 2011), [21] Justin and the Knights of Valor (Kandor, 2013), [22] rude-boy Stevie in The Unbeatables (Universal, 2014) and Mr. Fuzzy in 101 Dalmatian Street (Disney, 2018). [23]

He has narrated Cops With Cameras (ITV) [24] and voiced Scott in Blizzard: Race to the Pole (BBC, 2006). [25]

Wilkinson is probably best known to gamers as Murmur in EA's Hellgate:London , Frida in LittleBigPlanet (PS4), Alexander the Great in Total War: Arena and Felix and Gor-Rok in Total War: Warhammer II (both Creative Assembly).

Wilkinson's break in the ad world came when he signed to voice the Be The Best army campaigns of the late 1990s. Since then he has voiced numerous commercials for TV and radio including the iconic If Carlsberg did... [26]

Writing

In 2002 Wilkinson wrote and directed his first play Sun is Shining [27] about a turbulent love affair between a British Chinese city boy and a Glaswegian painter. A sell-out at the Kings Head Theatre, London and BAC Time Out Critics' Choice season (2003), it transferred to the Brits Off Broadway Festival at 59E59 Theaters in New York City in 2004. [28]

In 2003 Wilkinson co-adapted physical theatre piece Red Demon for Japanese performer auteur Hideki Noda. It played at the Young Vic and Theatre Cocoon, Tokyo. [29]

In 2005 he directed Jake Broder in His Royal Hipness Lord Buckley at the Zam Zam Room, Broder's tribute to the legendary swing imposter (PizzaExpress Jazz Club, London).

In 2006 he wrote and directed a short film Lion which screened at festivals in Berlin, Paris and Nashville. [30]

Red Sea Fish (Brighton Dome Studio Theatre and Brits Off Broadway, 59E59 Theaters, New York) was staged in 2009 [31] and a female monologue Just Let Go (Chisenhale Dance Space) in 2012.

In 2015 he wrote and directed My Eyes Went Dark at the Finborough Theatre. [32] Starring Cal MacAninch and Thusitha Jayasundera it was nominated for three Off West End Awards including Best Play. The production transferred to the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh 2016 and 59E59 Theaters New York 2017. [33] [34]

In 2021 he wrote and directed Psychodrama as a pop-up in North London co-produced with Pádraig Cusack. Nominated for OffWestEnd Awards for Lead Performance in a Play: Emily Bruni and Sound Design: Gareth Fry. [35] Psychodrama transferred to the Traverse Theatre for the Edinburgh Fringe 2022. Nominated for an OffFest Award for Best Theatre.

Related Research Articles

Matthew Kelly is an English actor and television presenter. Having been trained as a theatre actor, he first came to public prominence as a television sitcom actor, game-show panellist and television presenter of ITV light entertainment shows such as Game for a Laugh, You Bet! and Stars in Their Eyes. In the 2000s he returned to acting, appearing in several West End productions and playing television roles.

Henry James Naylor is a British comedy writer, director and performer. He is also a playwright.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matthew Warchus</span> British director and dramatist

Matthew Warchus is an English theatre director, filmmaker and dramaturg. He has been the Artistic Director of London's The Old Vic since September 2015.

Robert Cuccioli is an American actor and singer. He is best known for originating the lead dual title roles in the musical Jekyll & Hyde, for which he received a Tony Award nomination and won the Joseph Jefferson Award, the Outer Critics Circle Award, the Drama Desk Award, and the Fany Award for outstanding actor in a musical.

Kay Adshead is a poet, playwright, theatremaker, actress and producer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Allan Corduner</span> British actor

Allan Corduner is a British actor. Born in Stockholm to a German mother and a Russo-Finnish father, Corduner grew up in a secular Jewish home in London. After earning a BA (Hons) in English and Drama at Bristol University he trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. He has worked extensively on stage, TV, and film, both in the UK and in the United States. His voice is familiar from many BBC radio plays, audio books and TV documentaries.

Patrick Myles is an Irish actor, filmmaker and producer.

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

Sean Gerard Mathias is a Welsh actor, director, and writer. He is known for directing the film Bent and for directing highly acclaimed theatre productions in London, New York City, Cape Town, Los Angeles and Sydney.

The Shawl is a four-act play by David Mamet. It premiered at the Goodman Theatre New Theatre Company in Chicago in 1985. The play concerns two men, John and Charles, who plan on defrauding Miss A out of her inheritance. The play scams and deceives to the very end, while emphasising the truth repeatedly.

Paul Keating is an English actor. He has been nominated twice for an Olivier Award for his performances on the West End stage. He began acting at the age of 12, appearing as Gavroche in Les Misérables at The Palace Theatre for 10 months.

Dan Gordon is an actor, director and playwright from Belfast, Northern Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nathan Stewart-Jarrett</span> English film, television, and theater actor

Nathan Lloyd Stewart-Jarrett is a British actor. He starred as Curtis Donovan in the E4 series Misfits (2009–2012) and Ian in the Channel 4 series Utopia (2013–2014). He is also known for his theatre work, earning a WhatsOnStage Award nomination for his performance in Angels in America. His films include The Comedian (2012), War Book (2014), Mope (2019), Candyman (2021), and Femme (2023), the latter of which won him a British Independent Film Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Juliet Rylance</span> English actress and producer (born 1979)

Juliet van Kampen Rylance is an English actress and producer, known for her roles in The Knick, McMafia and Perry Mason.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack Thorne</span> English screenwriter and playwright

Jack Thorne FRSL is a British playwright, television writer, screenwriter, and producer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">59E59 Theaters</span> Off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway theatres in Midtown Manhattan

59E59 Theaters is a curated rental venue located in New York City that consists of three theater spaces or stages. It shows both off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway plays. The complex is owned and operated by the Elysabeth Kleinhans Theatrical Foundation, a not-for-profit foundation.

Teunkie Van Der Sluijs is a Dutch-British theatre director, translator of plays, and playwright working predominantly in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, and sporadically in the United States. Born in the Netherlands in 1981, Van Der Sluijs studied Drama at the University of Amsterdam before studying directing at London's Rose Bruford College and training at the National Film and Television School.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michelle Beck</span> American actress based in New York City

Michelle Beck is an American actress based in New York City known for her performances in Shakespeare plays and other stage works. She has also appeared in film and television.

Seth Numrich is an American stage, television, and film actor.

Snapdragon Productions is a London theatre company run by producer Sarah Loader and director Eleanor Rhode.

Operation Crucible is a play by Kieran Knowles about the Sheffield Blitz, the German Luftwaffe bombing of Sheffield, England, during the Second World War. The drama focuses on a group of four (fictional) steelworkers trapped inside the cellar of the Marples Hotel, in the city's Fitzalan Square, which was destroyed during bombing on 12 December 1940.

References

  1. "The Gift". IMDb . 5 July 1998.
  2. "Downloads" . Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  3. "The Avengers (1998) - IMDb". IMDb .
  4. "The Jolly Boys' Last Stand". 21 August 2000.
  5. "Matthew Wilkinson - BFI Filmography". Archived from the original on 21 June 2019.
  6. "West Bay, Bridport, Dorset - Events and Information".
  7. "The Mystery of Men (TV Movie 1999) - IMDb". IMDb .
  8. "Matthew Wilkinson - BFI Filmography". Archived from the original on 21 June 2019.
  9. "Ali G Indahouse (2002) - IMDb". IMDb .
  10. "Red Demon, Young Vic, London". TheGuardian.com . 4 February 2003.
  11. "Matthew Wilkinson". Archived from the original on 7 November 2017. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
  12. "The Message[21/06/2006] (2006)". Archived from the original on 21 June 2019.
  13. "British Council Film: Finkle's Odyssey".
  14. ""The Seagull" at the Arcola Theatre". 5 November 2014.
  15. "Matt Wilkinson (Visual voices guide)".
  16. "Watership Down". IMDb . 28 September 1999.
  17. "Empire Square". IMDb .
  18. "The Adventures of Bottle Top Bill and His Best Friend Corky".
  19. "64 Zoo Lane (TV Series 1999–2013) - IMDb". IMDb .
  20. "Bunny Maloney Episode Guide -Moonscoop @ BCDB".[ dead link ]
  21. "Trust Me I'm a Genie". IMDb . 2 May 2011.
  22. "Justin and the Knights of Valour (2013) - IMDb". IMDb .
  23. "101 Dalmatian Street (TV Series 2018–2020) - IMDb". IMDb .
  24. "Cops with Cameras Season 2". Archived from the original on 21 June 2019. Retrieved 21 June 2019.
  25. "Blizzard: Race to the Pole". IMDb .
  26. "'If Carlsberg did haircuts' TV spot continues beer brand's fantasy meme" . Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  27. Thorpe, Ashley; Yeh, Diana (9 July 2018). Contesting 'British Chinese' Culture. Springer. ISBN   9783319711591.
  28. "'Brits off Broadway' Festival is Rare Glimpse at New Work from UK, Continuing in NYC to July 4". 9 April 2004.
  29. "Red Demon, Young Vic, London". TheGuardian.com . 4 February 2003.
  30. "Error Occurred".
  31. "RED SEA FISH Kicks off the 2009 BRITS OFF BROADWAY Festival at 59E59 Theaters 11/3".
  32. "My Eyes Went Dark review – unleashing the power of vengeance". September 2015.[ dead link ]
  33. "My Eyes Went Dark". 28 August 2015.
  34. "My Eyes Went Dark, theatre review: High-octane acting transcends its stage". 10 September 2015.
  35. "Review: Psychodrama, Never for Ever (Formerly Pizza East)".