| Martin Clunes | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Alexander Martin Clunes |
| Born | 28 November 1961 Wimbledon, London, England
|
| Years active | 1982 – present |
| Spouse(s) | Lucy Aston (divorced)Phillipa Braithwaite |
Martin Clunes (born 28 November 1961 in Wimbledon, South London) is an English actor.
Contents |
Biography
Born Alexander Martin Clunes, he is the son of the classical actor Alec Clunes who died of lung cancer when Martin was eight;[1] while his mother Daphne, now a board member of the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, once worked for Orson Welles.[2] Clunes attended kindergarten with screenwriter Peter Morgan, and was educated at Royal Russell School, Croydon. His cousin, the late actor Jeremy Brett who portrayed Sherlock Holmes in the long running ITV show The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, encouraged Clunes in his acting career.[3]
Career
After attending The Arts Educational Schools in Chiswick, he served his first role in rep at the Mercury Theatre, Colchester.[4] Clunes first television appearance came in the 1980s Doctor Who story Snakedance as the spoiled Lon.[4] But a sporadic career led to him supplementing his income as a photo model for Gilbert and George, and he can be seen in their 1983 work World. He got his first regular role as one of the sons in the BBC sitcom No Place Like Home,[5] and appeared in the 1992 episode of the TV series Inspector Morse. To establish himself, he developed a parallel career as a dramatic actor, starring in films and television shows such as An Evening With Gary Lineker, Staggered, Hunting Venus, William and Mary, The Booze Cruise, Saving Grace, Jeeves and Wooster and the 1997 film The Revengers' Comedies. While appearing on stage at the Hampstead Theatre, Harry Enfield came to see him which developed into a friendship where Clunes played characters in Enfield's sketch shows. Enfield then wrote the role of Gary in the sitcom Men Behaving Badly around Clunes, which initially staring Enfield in the pilot, was moved to the BBC after two series and playing opposite Neil Morrissey who replaced Enfield, brought Clunes his best known role to date, broadcast from 1992 to 1999.[4] As a result of the role, in 1998 he starred as Richard Burbage in the Oscar winning film Shakespeare in Love. In 2002 he played serial killer John George Haigh in A Is for Acid, and took the lead in ITV's production of Goodbye Mr Chips.[6] Clunes was one of the eponymous leads in the 2004 ITV romantic comedy-drama William and Mary, which ran into a second series, and The Man Who Lost His Head for ITV. A regular voice over artist, he is the voice of Kipper on the animated children's series Kipper the Dog. His leading role in the ITV comedy drama series Doc Martin from 2005 marked a change for Clunes, as it is produced by Buffalo, the production company he runs with his wife. In August 2007 he starred in ITV's The Man Who Lost His Head.[7] At the media launch for the third series of Doc Martin in September 2007, Clunes announced that as ITV had not yet commissioned a fourth series, that he planned to take a year's break from work to relax and rediscover his passion for acting, move to the far side of the camera and plans to grow his hair again as he "misses his locks."[8] On Friday 9th November 2007 he was awarded an honorary doctorate from Bournemouth University.[9] In October 2007, Martin filmed a Christmas advert for international welfare charity, Born Free Foundation that he supports.
Personal life
Clunes has married twice:
- The actress Lucy Aston (divorced)
- The television producer Philippa Braithwaite: having been separated from Aston for a while, Clunes met Braithwaite on the film Staggered. They married in 1997, honeymooned on the Eastern and Oriental Express, and have a daughter, Emily (born 2000).[10]
After living in Rotherhithe post his divorce from Aston,[11] the family now have a house in Putney but live mainly at a farm in Beaminster, Dorset.[12]
References
- ^ Chips Off The Old Bloke; He made his name behaving badly - Page1 Sunday Herald - December 15, 2002
- ^ Celebrity interview: Martin Clunes - Page3 SouthwestTrains.com
- ^ Chips Off The Old Bloke; He made his name behaving badly - Page2 Sunday Herald - December 15, 2002
- ^ a b c Between The Sheets - No More Mr Nice Guy National Theatre
- ^ Martin Clunes Playlist itv.com
- ^ Chips Off The Old Bloke; He made his name behaving badly - Page3 Sunday Herald - December 15, 2002
- ^ A close encounter with Martin Clunes Sunday Star Times - 29 August 2007
- ^ http://blogs.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/ianwylie/2007/09/martin_clunes_takes_a_break.html
- ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/dorset/7087967.stm
- ^ Celebrity interview: Martin Clunes - Page2 SouthwestTrains.com
- ^ Time and Place: Martin Clunes The Times - September 16, 2007
- ^ Around Dorset: Martin Clunes BBC Dorset - 11 October, 2004
External links
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Clunes, Martin |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Clunes, Alexander Martin |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Actor |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1961-11-28 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Wimbledon, London, England |
| DATE OF DEATH | |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
