Advanced search

British actor Clive Owen is one of a handful of stars who, though he is best known for his art house films, can handle more mainstream films with equal measures of grace and skill. Owen is typically cast as characters whose primary traits are a balance of physical strength, intellect, conflicting soul but forceful will. He is best known to film audiences for his work in Children of Men (2006), Closer (2004) and his breakout part in Croupier (1998).

Born in Coventry, in England's West Midlands county, on 3 October 1964, Owen is the fourth of five brothers. He is the son of Pamela (Cotton) and Jess Owen, a country and western singer. His father abandoned the family when he was three years old, and Owen was subsequently raised by his mother and stepfather. He attended Binley Park Comprehensive School and joined the youth theater at 13 after playing the scene-stealing role of the Artful Dodger in a production of "Oliver!"

Acting was not his first choice as a profession, but he changed his mind and went on to graduate from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in 1987. Owen proceeded to join the Young Vic Theatre Company, where he honed his craft while performing in a number of Shakespearean productions.

Clive made his film debut in the British-made Vroom (1990) co-starring with David Thewlis as two fellows who restore a classic American car and take off on the road. Within two years, Clive became a full-fledged TV star playing devilish rogue Stephen Crane in Chancer (1990). However, the now-sought-after Clive abandoned the star-making part at the height of the show's popularity because of unwanted invasion of privacy and his fear of typecasting. His next project raised more than a few eyebrows when he filmed Close My Eyes (1991) in which he played a brother who acts on his incestuous desires for his older sister. Clive's reputation as a lovable shyster was completely shattered and he lost profitable commercial endorsements following the film's release. Offers fell off for the next two years as a result. But the persistent Clive carried on with stage work, including the role of a bisexual in a production of Noël Coward's "Design For Living." He returned to TV at that time as well and played a number of roles in both mini-movies and series.

In 1997, Clive had a huge hit on the London stage with "Closer," a cynical, contemporary ensemble piece about relationships. Controversy surrounded him again in the film role of Max in Bent (1997) playing a brash, reckless homosexual lothario in decadent pre-war Germany who finds unconditional love while interned in a Nazi war camp. His biggest film break, however, was in Mike Hodges' Croupier (1998), as a struggling writer-turned-casino employee who gets in over his head with a femme fatale scam artist. English audiences stayed away in droves but the U.S. embraced the film and Hollywood took notice of Clive, who was virtually unknown outside of England. Despite playing detective Ross Tanner in a series of successful "Second Sight" mini-movies and finding critical acclaim on stage with "The Day in the Death of Joe Egg" in 2001, Clive has focused primarily on film, including the offbeat Brit romantic comedy Greenfingers (2000), the classy and popular Robert Altman period piece Gosford Park (2001), the Matt Damon star-vehicle The Bourne Identity (2002), and the title role in King Arthur (2004). He has since reached the top rungs of the Hollywood ladder with the film version of his stage smash Closer (2004), in which he received an Academy Award nomination and won both the Golden Globe and BAFTA awards for "Supporting Actor." He also had noteworthy roles opposite Denzel Washington in Inside Man (2006); and Julianne Moore and Michael Caine in Children of Men (2006), as well as handling a few biopics, playing Sir Walter Raleigh opposite Cate Blanchett's Elizabeth I in the film Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007) and Ernest Hemingway (Emmy nomination) in Hemingway & Gellhorn (2012) also starring Nicole Kidman.

More recent films include starring roles in The International (2009), Duplicity (2009), The Boys Are Back (2009), Trust (2010), Intruders (2011), Blood Ties (2013), Last Knights (2015), The Confirmation (2016) and Anon (2018). He also played Claudius in a retelling of "Hamlet" per Ophelia's perspective in Ophelia (2018); and played in support to Will Smith in the sci-fi thriller Gemini Man (2019).

Owen is married to former actress Sarah-Jane Fenton, who played Juliet to his Romeo at the Young Vic in 1998. The couple has two daughters.

Tamla Kari Cummins was born in Coventry in the English West Midlands on July 27 1988 and whilst she attended ordinary local schools she began to learn dancing from the age of four. Whilst at secondary school Tamla was part of a local drama group Finbarr's Youth Arts with whom she appeared at the Belgrade Theatre in Coventry in a production of 'The Wedding'. Moving to London Tamla studied acting at the Drama Centre, being released during her final year to appear in 'The Inbetweeners Movie' though she returned to complete her course, gaining 1st class BA Honours in Drama in 2011. Since then she has been seen in several television series, including sitcoms 'Cuckoo' and 'The Job Lot' as well as the costume drama 'The Musketeers' as love interest for the leading character D'Artagnan.

Billie was born in Coventry but taken to Bradford as a child and raised there and later joined the theatre school at the Civic Playhouse. She first played little boy parts on radio at BBC Manchester before moving into plays on television, On stage she appeared at the National Theatre but is mainly remembered for her 25 years association with the Irish playwright Samuel Beckett. in films she was twice cast with Albert Finney in Charlie Bubbles(1969) and Gumshoe (1995)

Jennie Jacques is an English actress. Her first major role was as Annie Miller in Desperate Romantics (2009), a six-part BBC Two television drama serial about the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood that was broadcast in July and August 2009. From 2013-2014 she played the lead role of WPC Gina Dawson on the BBC television series WPC 56. From 2015 to 2019 Jacques has played the recurring role of Saxon Queen Judith on the television series Vikings.

Jefferson Hall was born on 6 December 1977 in Coventry, West Midlands, England, UK. He is an actor and producer, known for Oppenheimer (2023), Tenet (2020) and Halloween (2018).

Ellise Chappell was born on 21 March 1992 in Coventry, West Midlands, England, UK. She is an actress, known for Yesterday (2019), Poldark (2015) and Deliver Us Mars (2023).

Alice Eva Lowe is an English actress and writer, mainly in comedy. She is best known for her roles as Madeline Wool/Liz Asher in Garth Marenghi's Darkplace and as Tina in the 2012 film Sightseers, which she also co-wrote.

Lowe was born in Coventry, West Midlands, England. She attended Kenilworth School and graduated from King's College, Cambridge.

Lowe began her career co-devising and performing in surreal experimental theatre shows such as City Haunts, Snowbound and Progress in Flying Machines with David Mitchell and Robert Webb under the directorship of Paul King, who has since directed her in The Mighty Boosh and Garth Marenghi's Darkplace. She was part of the cast in Garth Marenghi's Fright Knight alongside fellow Cambridge graduates Richard Ayoade and Matt Holness and they were nominated for the Perrier Award at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2000. In 2001, she won that award for performing in the sequel to Fright Knight, Garth Marenghi's Netherhead. In 2005 she returned to the Fringe with MoonJourney, a sci-fi themed Kate Bush spoof. In 2009, Lowe appeared with Steve Coogan on his Alan Partridge and Other Less Successful Characters tour. She played one of the supporting actors, filling in between Coogan's character changes and playing some of the support characters in sketches.

Her television credits include Channel 4's spoof horror comedy Garth Marenghi's Darkplace, Beth in the BBC comedy series My Life in Film, David Bowie in the BBC series Snuff Box, and a recurring role in Rob Brydon's Annually Retentive. She was part of the all female comedy show Beehive along with Sarah Kendall, Barunka O'Shaughnessy and Clare Thomson which was aired on E4, and was a regular cast member of the CBBC show Horrible Histories during the second and third seasons. Her BBC Three pilot "LifeSpam: My Child Is French" was broadcast in 2009, and she co-wrote and starred in Channel 4's Orcadia. In February 2010, she appeared in and script-edited the pilot for a "sort-of-sketch-show" called Missing Scene.

She has also guest starred in a number of television shows including as Monkey in "The Priest and the Beast" episode of The Mighty Boosh, as Patricia in the "Fifty-Fifty" episode of The IT Crowd, a solicitor in the "Travel Writer" episode of Black Books, Madonna in an episode of Channel 4's Star Stories, as well as episodes of Little Britain, Come Fly with Me, Ruddy Hell! It's Harry and Paul, Beautiful People and This is Jinsy. She appeared in the music video for "Bastardo" by Charlotte Hatherley, directed by Edgar Wright.

Lowe co-wrote and starred in the short film Stiffy, directed by Jacqueline Wright, which premiered at Cannes in 2005 as part of the Kodak Straight 8 competition. Her self-penned short film Sticks and Balls was screened at Cannes in 2007. In 2010 together with Wright she founded the production company Jackal Films, making a short film each month of that year.

Lowe appeared in the action comedy film Hot Fuzz, and took a lead role in the 2012 film Sightseers, the third production from director Ben Wheatley. Sightseers was written by Lowe with Steve Oram, with additional material by Amy Jump. Lowe had a role in the Edgar Wright-directed film The World's End.

Lowe was pregnant while filming Prevenge and later gave birth to her daughter, Della.

Sinead Matthews was born in 1980 in Coventry, West Midlands, England, UK. She is an actress, known for Pride & Prejudice (2005), The Boat That Rocked (2009) and Vera Drake (2004).

Widely regarded as one of the greatest stage and screen actors both in his native UK and internationally, the unparalleled Nigel Hawthorne was born in Coventry, England on 5 April 1929, raised in South Africa and returned to the UK in the 1950s with his extensive work as a great gentleman of acting following during the decade as well as in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. His portrayal of 'Sir Humphrey Appleby' in the BBC comedy Yes Minister (1980) won him international acclaim in the 1980s. In 1992, he was awarded the Laurence Olivier Theatre Award for his sublime interpretation of 'George III' in Alan Bennett's hit stage play, "The Madness of King George III" and he was also nominated for an Academy Award of Best Actor in a Leading Role in its brilliant film adaptation The Madness of King George (1994), both of them exquisitely directed by Nicholas Hytner.

Emma Fryer was born in Coventry, England, UK. She is known for Kill List (2011), In the Dark (2017) and Home Time (2009).

Jordan Bolger was born on 9 November 1994 in Radford, Coventry, West Midlands, England, UK. He is an actor and director, known for The Crow (2024), Tom & Jerry (2021) and The Woman King (2022).

Manjinder was born in Coventry, to a car factory worker and his wife who had come to England from the Punjab. Manjinder describes her parents as " very liberal" - her father was involved in the Indian Workers Association - bringing herself and her sister up "like boys " - she has a brother - as well as being massively into the arts and encouraging of her acting ambitions. She began acting at the Belgrade Youth Theatre in Coventry before becoming an artistic director of Pangran Dance Theatre and going on to study contemporary dance at De Montfort University, Leicester.. She made her television debut in 1999 in 'Holby City' and has made her fair share of performances in medically-themed dramas - 'Monroe', 'Call the Midwife', 'Doctors' and the sitcom 'Green Wing' before, in 2015, becoming the new pathologist in the long-running 'Midsomer Murders' . Away from the small screen Manjinder was nominated for best actress for the film 'The Arbor' and was also named one of Screen International's Stars of tomorrow in 2007, the same year that she met her husband writer/director Neil Biswas, with whom she has two children. She is herself an acclaimed writer, in 2003 penning the play 'Glow' about a female boxer, for the touring company 'Theatre Centre'. In 2008 she wrote and directed a short film 'Forgive', following this up in 2012 with another film 'Out of Darkness' starring Tom Hiddleston. In 2016 she completed another short film 'With Love from Calais' about the refugee crisis.

Born in 1986 in Coventry, England as Ghulam Dustgir Khan he is a British comedian, impressionist, and actor, best known for his comedy-drama series Man Like Mobeen (2017). He is of Pakistani descent and grew up in Coventry; he has two older sisters. After graduation from Coventry University he worked as a teacher. His career in comedy took off when he started publishing YouTube videos in 2014 and the following year he performed his stand-up for the first time. In the same year, a video of Khan performing as his character Mobeen and feigning an outrage at a scene from Jurassic World (2015) went viral and he gained popularity and recognition, prompting Khan to quit his job as a teacher and focus on his comedy career full-time. In 2017, Man Like Mobeen debuted on BBC iPlayer to much critical acclaim. Since then, he's appeared on game shows such as Taskmaster (2015), Would I Lie to You? (2007) and QI (2003), scripted shows such as Four Weddings and a Funeral (2019) and Our Flag Means Death (2022) and movies such as Army of Thieves (2021) and The Bubble (2022). He lives in the West Midlands with his wife and their four children.

English stage and screen character actor, born in Coventry, the son of Charles Beckingham Piff and his wife Frances (née Petty). He was educated at Warwick School and Birmingham University and first studied dental surgery before joining RADA. He graduated in 1957 and made his stage debut the following year with the Belgrade Theatre Company in Coventry. In 1963, he joined the Royal Shakespeare Company, where his key portrayals included Octavius in Julius Caesar, the Duke of Clarence in Richard III, Shylock's comical servant Launcelot Gobbo in The Merchant of Venice and Pyotr Dobchinsky in The Government Inspector. From 1969 to 1971, Kay was engaged at the Old Vic in London, and, subsequently, acted in the West End and at Birmingham Rep. He declared his favorite theatrical role (in 1975) to have been that of playboy Lord Fancourt 'Babbs' Babberly in the farce Charley's Aunt. In 1986, Kay won a Clarence Derwent Award as Best Male Actor in a Supporting Role for his performance as Tory MP Sir Charles Canteloupe in Waste.

On screen from 1958, Kay has essayed a long gallery of academics, judges and barristers, lords and princes, senior police officers, high ranking clergy, diplomats and politicians. As perhaps befitting a classically-trained thespian, he has tended to gravitate towards period drama. In addition to recreating his stage role as the Duke of Clarence for the mini-series The Wars of the Roses (1965), he appeared as Prince of Aragon in The Merchant of Venice (1973), Tsar Nicholas II in the excellent Fall of Eagles (1974), the parliamentarian general Sir Thomas Fairfax in the anthology series Churchill's People (1974), Roman senator Gaius Asinius Gallus in I, Claudius (1976), French King Louis VII in The Devil's Crown (1978), Count Franz Orsini-Rosenberg in Amadeus (1984) and the Archbishop of Canterbury in Kenneth Branagh's Henry V (1989) .

Diverse other roles of note have been in mainstream TV dramas like Bergerac (1981), Crown Court (1972), Minder (1979) , Rumpole of the Bailey (1978), The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes (1991), The Darling Buds of May (1991), The Bill (1984), Midsomer Murders (1997) and Marple (2004).

Kay retired from acting in 2013.

Gillian Barber was born on 22 February 1958 in Coventry, West Midlands, England, UK. She is an actress, known for The Romeo Section (2015), Chesapeake Shores (2016) and The Man in the High Castle (2015).

Bally Gill was born on July 28th, 1992 in Coventry, United Kingdom. He graduated from Rose Bruford College in 2015. Gill is an actor, known for RSC Live: Romeo and Juliet (2018), Royal Shakespeare Company: Macbeth (2018) and Wanderlust (2018). He also won the 2018 Ian Charleson Award for his portrayal of Romeo in the RSC version of Romeo and Juliet.

Kiran is a comedian who starred on the NBC/Hulu comedy Sunnyside, in addition to other shows like How to Get Away with Murder and Modern Family. She's a co-host on Crooked Media's Hysteria podcast and a touring stand-up comedian who headlined the NY Comedy Festival, the Kennedy Center, and more. As a writer/director, Kiran has made films for HBO and Sundance, been nominated for an Emmy, and shortlisted for an Academy Award. She loves naps and ice cream.

Martin John Marquez was born on October 8th 1963 in Coventry to Anglo-Spanish parents, his English mother having met her husband whilst on holiday in Spain. Younger brother John Marquez is also an actor, the pair performing as comedy duo the Brothers Marquez as well as appearing together in 'East Enders' and Martin making a guest appearance in 'Doc Martin', where John plays dim constable Penhale. Of Martin's five children his daughter Ramona was an established comedic actress at age six through sitcom 'Outnumbered' and she and her brother Raoul featured in the film 'The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel'. Martin grew up in Coventry, attending King Henry VIII school and, having taken over his father's chip shop and also worked as a personal trainer and hotel barman Martin admits to getting the acting bug after a friend persuaded him to participate in a youth theatre group. From the 1990s he has built up an impressive stage career, performing in 'Private Lives', Jude the Obscure', 'Flesh and Blood' and 'Method and Madness' at the Lyric, Hammersmith., in the National Theatre's version of musical 'Anything Goes', both in London and on tour, 'The Iceman Cometh' at the Almeida, 'The Front Page' at the Donmar Warehouse and in the 2013 national tour of 'Abigail's Party'. On television he is perhaps best known as Gino the barman in 'Hotel Babylon' - in which John made a one-off appearance - and as fussy security guard Paul in the sitcom 'The Job Lot'.

Lisa Dillon was born in 1979 in Coventry, England, UK. She is an actress, known for Suffragette (2015), Hawking (2004) and Bright Young Things (2003).

Dominic Jephcott was born on 28 July 1957 in Coventry, West Midlands, England, UK. He is an actor and writer, known for Paradise Postponed (1986), Napoleon and Josephine: A Love Story (1987) and Emmerdale Farm (1972).

Clinton Darryl Mansell is an English singer, musician and film composer known for his collaborations with Darren Aronofsky. He composed Pi, Requiem for a Dream, The Fountain, Black Swan, The Wrestler, Noah, Ghost in the Shell, Peacemaker, Doom Patrol, Loving Vincent, Mass Effect 3, Titans, World Traveler, Smokin' Aces, Doom, The Hole, and Definitely, Maybe.

Jo Neary was born in 1972 in Coventry, West Midlands, England, UK. She is an actress and writer, known for Darkest Hour (2017), Suffragette (2015) and Ideal (2005).

Jassa Ahluwalia is a British actor, writer, filmmaker and trade unionist. Born in Coventry to a white English mum and a brown Punjabi dad in 1990, he attended school in Leicester and was raised in an extended family environment. He spoke English in the playground, Punjabi with his grandparents, and spent various summer holidays in India. He came to prominence as Rocky in the hit BBC Three series Some Girls, followed by starring roles in Unforgotten, Ripper Street, and Peaky Blinders.

Jassa created the hashtag #BothNotHalf to explore mixed identity in light of his own British-Indian heritage. His TEDx talk on 'How Language Shapes Identity' has clocked up over 200k views and his BBC One documentary Am I English? won an Asian Media Award in 2022.

In May 2024, Jassa published his first book, Both Not Half: A Radical New Approach to Mixed Heritage Identity.

Graeme Hawley was born in 1973 in Coventry, Warwickshire, England, UK. He is an actor, known for The Phantom of the Open (2021), Kappatoo (1990) and The Forsyte Saga (2002). He has been married to Elianne Byrne since 2008. They have two children.

Ian Marter left university in 1969 and joined the Bristol Old Vic as an acting stage manager. In 1970, producer Barry Letts considered him for the role of Captain Mike Yates in Terror of the Autons: Episode One (1971), but it ultimately went to Richard Franklin. However, Letts remembered him and two years later cast him as John Andrews in Carnival of Monsters: Episode One (1973).

When Jon Pertwee decided to leave the series during the following year, Letts considered casting an older actor in the part of the Doctor. This meant that any physical action sequences might have to be performed by a younger actor (in the role of a companion to the Doctor) and Marter was thus cast as Surgeon Lieutenant Harry Sullivan. When 40-year-old Tom Baker landed the role of the Doctor, Marter became surplus to requirements and was written out in Baker's second season by the new production team of Philip Hinchcliffe and Robert Holmes, who felt the Doctor only needed one companion.

Marter spent much of the rest of his life novelising Doctor Who (1963) stories for Target Books. He died suddenly and prematurely in 1986.