Bio
A character actor and model with the looks of someone that you would not wish to meet in a dark alley!…but with all the professionalism that comes with over 25 years experience in TV, film, photographic, and stage work.
The Story Begins
In 1988 I formed FABenvironclown, this was to be my introduction into children’s entertainment. It consisted of Dr Bragpuss [a half-man/half-lion magician], and Aardvark [a Shakespearean badger who performed mimes to the song ‘Puff the Magic Dragon’ and the nonsense poem ‘Jabberwocky’: the mime for the latter would become my ‘audition’ piece], and Fritz [going into schools as myself to talk about ‘Environmental Matters & Green Issues’].
The Story Progresses
For five years I plied my trade as a Children’s Entertainer, doing 5 magic shows a week. During this period I also worked freelance for various environmental groups by adapting my ‘magic’ to a more GREEN themed show.
I also started to do SKINWORK (dressing up as environmental mascots) especially Grubbage [a litter monster], Captain Clean [an intergalactic litter inspector], Tae Dackus [an ancient and wise rainforest tree], and Environmental Ed [a friendly ‘green’ minded Teddy Bear]. These characters I would take to various fetes and fairs, and even onto television.
It was during this period that I honed my performing skills by attending both Acting and Mime courses [the latter of which was complimented by my attending Ballet and martial art classes]
All this tuition helped me greatly when I appeared in various comedy sketches, and plays specially commissioned for the National Physical Laboratory Amateur Dramatic Society. It also gave me the confidence to help write some of the sketches that we performed.
Whilst at an Acting Class, a friend took me to an {unsuccessful} audition for the 1993 film Frankenstein through an agency called Ex-Casting.
The scene called for ‘respectable victorian looking doctors’ so I was not too surprised that I was not chosen; however they said that they would like to keep me ‘on record’ in case anything suitable turned up.
Meanwhile, having got a ‘feel’ for the audition processes, I joined Screenlites [a TV agency], and embarked on a twenty year odyssey with them and the TV series The Bill.
It was during 1994 that two major events occurred, firstly, I got my septum pierced which set me apart from everyone else on TV at that time, and also Ex-Casting ‘remembered’ me, and got in contact concerning a forthcoming film called Judge Dredd. They needed some scruffy, dirty, and mean looking biker punks, and, apparently, they thought that I would fit the brief!
Thus I was now in the ranks of both TV and the film industry.
The Story Unfolds
My roles at this time were predominately Down & Outs, and, due to my piercing, New Age Travellers and Road Protesters.
By 1995 I had gained a reputation for my acting, versatility, and reliability; it was through the last of these that production companies started to employ me for wider roles, eg sword wielding barbarians, vicious pirates, and angry bikers.
I believe that Ex-Casting summed up my suitability with the statement ~ “You’re nothing like the person that you look like!”
The above statement helped tremendously with my ‘casting’ for background jobs where a photograph of what I ‘LOOKED’ like fitted the industry’s essential stereotypical low-life thug image ( I use the word ESSENTIAL here as the media has often only a brief glimpse to portray a character or situation, and this is predominantly more so with Background and supporting artistes ) but it also [serendipitously] helped me get employed within the sphere of ‘Live TV’…and it was here that my years of working directly with a LIVE audience, through my Skinwork and being a children’s entertainer, came into its own!
I was now asked to do auditions for Supporting Roles [featured background] and one or two acting jobs a year.
It was because of the experience and positive reputation that I gained through my work that I achieved the next string to my bow (actually it was nothing more than my willingness to do LIVE NAKED TV at a time when it was still heavily censored and frowned upon…but that is our little secret !?).
That STRING was Comedy.
They say that the SECRET to comedy is TIMING…well, the above STRING came at just the right time !
My LOOK as a Down & Out was going out of vogue, as TV started to realise most homeless people were, and looked like, Big Issue sellers, and my LOOK was ‘out’…except within comedic programmes where I became a pastiche of ‘traditional’ street life.
And now, my many years of studying MIME & MOVEMENT over a decade ago, started to come into its own as I once again became a clown…albeit the tragic tramp with pantomime pathos !
The Story Unfolded
Although this bearded and bedraggled LOOK was no longer in vogue, it meant that there were fewer of us for AD’s to choose from when the part needed it…also as my look had not changed it gave bookers, costume, make-up, and AD’s that I worked with regularly a preconception as to how and WHAT to do with me (and the beard) on camera.
Right up until 2010 I was not only regularly employed, but, because my LOOK had become even more of a pastiche, even my deep background work was usually ‘upgraded’ as I stood out so much.
The Story Going Forward
From 2010 until 2015 the jobs got fewer, and my roles were less varied [inevitably it would only be for a Down and Out]…until it ground to a halt in 2020!
So what now?
What does the future hold for the Aardvark-Bragpuss ?