Todd Carty
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| Born | August 31, 1963 Limerick City, Munster, Ireland |
Todd Carty (born 31 August 1963, Limerick City, Munster, Republic of Ireland, is an Irish-born British-based actor and director, who has grown up on television screens in a variety of roles in the UK. His stage work has varied from pantomime to serious drama, as well as radio plays, voice overs, commercials and narrations.
He is best known for his roles as schoolboy Tucker Jenkins (Peter Tucker Jenkins) in Grange Hill, market trader Mark Fowler in EastEnders and villainous policeman Gabriel Kent in The Bill.
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[edit] Personal life
Born in Limerick City, Munster, Republic of Ireland in 1963, his family emigrated to England, Todd Carty spent his early years in Kilburn, North London, England. His first television appearance in the UK was in an advertisement for Woolworths at the age of four. He also had other advertising roles, including one with Doctor Who actor Jon Pertwee and the "Green Cross Code".
Carty currently lives in North London with his childhood sweetheart and business partner, actress/writer and film producer Dina Clarkin and their two sons James and Thomas. In an interview with Daily Mirror, Carty explained how he first met Clarkin when she was a child actress, through their parents. Carty describes Dina as his soul mate and that they have been through everything together.
He is a West Ham United supporter, the West Ham team were guests on This is Your Life tribute to Todd Carty in the year 2000. Todd follows the fortunes of the Republic of Ireland, along with the Ireland rugby team team and of course the Munster Rugby team.
It was reported on BBC World News on Saturday 16th February 2008, followed by various newspaper reports in the following days, that Todd Carty had collapsed on stage while performing in "The Business of Murder", at "The Gordon Craig Theatre Stevenage". It was thought by some that he had suffered from a heart attack, though his agent had strenuously denied this on BBC News and claimed the collapse was caused by a middle ear infection and that the actor had run out of medication, which lead to what happened on stage during his performance.
[edit] Acting career
[edit] Stage, film and television
He made his first stage appearance at the New London Theatre, Drury Lane as the young Lionel in Lionel Bart's autobiographical musical Lionel; however, his television career in his youth was mostly defined by his role as Tucker Jenkins in the popular BBC drama, Grange Hill, created by Phil Redmond, and the subsequent spin off series Tucker's Luck. The movie of Grange Hill starring Todd Carty has been announced in the press and presently is in the early stages of development.
Todd has also appeared in Z Cars, Our Mutual Friend, Drummer, Headmaster all for the BBC. And for German TV, Focus on Britain, and The Idle Bunch. His film work at the time included Professor Popper's Problems and Please Sir!. Todd voices many popular[citation needed] commercials both on radio and TV and in cinemas.
Todd also starred in the BAFTA Award science fiction film The kiddy Show, in the role of Randy andy. Throughout his career Todd was a special guest on popular TV shows such as Jim'll Fix It, Multicoloured Swap Shop, Saturday Superstore, Pebble Mill at One, Live & Kicking, "GMTV", This Morning, An Audience With The Bee Gees, Des O'Connor Tonight, Des and Mel, Ben and Eubank, The Best of Enemies Show, An Audience with Tom Jones, Grange Hill's 21st Birthday, The 100 Greatest Kids TV Shows, ITV 50 Greatest Shows, TV Heartthrobs, The Bill Uncovered: Kerry's Story, Harry Hill's TV Show, Celebrity Ready Steady Cook, The Weakest Link, Eastenders Special, Jonathan Ross Interview Show, Eastenders Revealed, Blue Peter, Loose Women, The Paul O'Grady Show, BBC Breakfast and many more.
In 1983 he landed the role of Oswyn in the fantasy film Krull opposite Ken Marshall, Lysette Anthony, Liam Neeson, and Alun Armstrong amongst others. Directed by Peter Yates. In an appearance on the children's TV show Live & Kicking, Carty told of his ambition to star in action flims like Mad Max
[edit] Radio
Todd's radio work includes such dramas as Les Misérables. The Three Loves of Ida Bliss, We Are Happy, Wavelength, Midweek, Jonathan Ross Show, Jellybones, The Johnny Vaughn Show, The London Particulars, The Chocolate Frigate and many more. Narration work includes the highly popular Paddington Green and such as the story of the New York subway's Guardian Angels Scene in New York. The Fame Game, Driving Mum Crazy, Snapshot-Eddie Kidd, The Jungle Creatures and many more.
[edit] Additional work
Around this period, Todd played Ali Baba in the BBC Christmas pantomime Aladdin and later starred with Barbara Windsor in which he played the captain's mate in Dick Whittington at The Orchard Theatre, Dartford.
Todd also starred as Tucker in the musical stage version of the TV series Grange Hill; Grange Hill: Tucker's Return at the Queen's Theatre, Hornchurch.
[edit] EastEnders
Carty took over the role of Mark Fowler in EastEnders in 1990, following the departure of the original actor, David Scarboro.
In the year 2000, Todd was honoured with a This Is Your Life show, being surprised on the set of EastEnders by Michael Aspel with the big red book. Guests included his partner Dina Clarkin, sons James and Thomas, Dina Clarkin's dad, actor Tony Clarkin (actor). Todd's friends Wendy Richard, Norman Wisdom and Nick Berry.
During his time in EastEnders, Todd starred with his friend Nick Berry on location in London and South Africa in the Victorian period adventure film The Black Velvet Band, a spaghetti western style drama.
Todd decided to move on from EastEnders and went on to play PC Gabriel Kent in The Bill, a character whose "bad guy" persona was a major departure from the "nice guy" Mark Fowler.
After leaving The Bill in 2005, Todd returned to the big screen as the aristocrat Harvey Van Bollingbroke in the movie The Treasure of Albion, and in the Charlotte Church Show, in a comedy sketch in which Todd played Doctor Who.
Todd also starred as "King Rat", with Basil Brush in the pantomime Dick Whittington at The Wycombe Swan Theatre. And after completing his latest film The School That Roared starring as the eccentric Mr. Haig, Todd also worked on the film as second unit director on The School That Roared film production.
Todd has recently starred on tour in the Richard Harris murder mystery play The Business of Murder as Police Detective Hallett, presently back on tour around the UK.
Todd has been a guest star playing the role of Ray Hallam, in the Christmas special of the TV series Heartbeat. Todd was also a guest star in the TV series Holby City, as villain Cameron Cooke. Todd won Celebrity Mastermind, choosing as his first subject, his long time friend Norman Wisdom and his 12 films for the Rank Organisation Pinewood Studios.
Todd and his partner Dina Clarkin have set up a film production company, Swordfish Productions, and are presently working on the early stages of a film written and produced by Dina Clarkin, 10 Minutes Too Late, to be directed by Carty. The film Three Wishes, also written by Clarkin, is another movie presently in the pipeline.[citation needed] Todd Carty also made an appearance on the British Soap Awards presenting the Lifetime Achievement award to Wendy Richard.
More recently in July 2007, Carty made his directorial debut as director of several episodes of the BBC's daytime soap opera, Doctors (BBC). Carty has appeared on the same show Doctors, as guest star, in the part of Kev Blake and has been doing the rounds with the creator of Grange Hill, Phil Redmond on radio and television interviews, discussing his character Tucker Jenkins and the release of the first four series of Grange Hill on to DVD.
Carty completed filming in the latest Grange Hill series to be shown in January 2008, once again as Tucker, in a one-off special episode to celebrate the 30th birthday of the long-running BBC TV show. Carty has just completed playing King Rat in a new version of Dick Whittington, at The Capital Theatre, Horsham, which ran from 13 December 2007 to 6 January 2008.
Todd Carty is presently on tour with "The Business of Murder", continued from last year, at various Theatre venues throughout the UK. On 16 February 2008, he was rushed to the hospital after collapsing on stage at a matinee performance. And on the BBC World News, his agent commented that it had been caused by an ear infection and that Todd was well on the way to full recovery, according to his partner Dina Clarkin. On Loose Women, (Wednesday, 27 February), Carty guested and related the story of his ear infection which led to his collapse on stage, and discounting the heart attack headlines in some newspapers. He planned to direct more episodes of Doctors, and to direct his first feature film. He and his partner Dina Clarkin have a film company, Swordfish Productions.
Todd Carty and Wendy Richard presented "50 Greatest Families" Sky One on Saturday the 22nd March 2008.
Todd Carty is also in line to star as the Russian Sergeant Major in the upcoming feature film Night Witches to be produced by Poseidon Films.
