Adrian Lester

Infobox actor


imagesize = 150px
birthdate = Birth date and age|1968|8|14|mf=y
birthplace = Birmingham, England

Adrian Lester (born 14 August 1968) is a British actor.

Biography

Personal life

Lester was born in Birmingham, England, the son of Jamaican immigrants Monica, a medical secretary, and Reginald, a manager for a contract cleaning company.cite news|last=|first=|coauthors=|title=Touch of Color takes Brum star Adrian to Hollywood.|pages=|publisher=Sunday Mercury|date=1998-10-11|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-60742360.html|accessdate=2007-12-10] cite news|last=MacDonald|first=Marianne|coauthors=|title=The player; Not only is Adrian Lester the National Theatre's Henry V, he's also the chief con man in Hustle. It's a sparkling career forged on a penniless childhood with an absent father and a struggling mother. Marianne Macdonald meets a man driven to succeed.|pages=|publisher=The Evening Standard|date=2006-02-03|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-141647359.html|accessdate=2007-12-10] cite news|last=Leitch|first=Luke|coauthors=|title=NATIONAL'S NEW CHIEF CATS BLACK ACTOR AS HENRY V.|pages=|publisher=The Evening Standard|date=2002-08-16|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-90433843.html|accessdate=2007-12-10] He began performing in youth choirs at the age of ten. [ [http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1800024074/bio Adrian Lester Biography - Yahoo! Movies ] ] He began acting with the Birmingham Youth Theatre, attended Joseph Chamberlain VI Form College and trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London. Lester is married to actress Lolita Chakrabarti. They live in South East London with their two daughters, Lila and Jasmine.

Career

Lester is known in the United Kingdom as the character of a big-time con artist Michael "Mickey Bricks" Stone in the first three series BBC TV series "Hustle" between 2004 and 2006. The character was written out of the fourth series and replaced by Ashley Walters, although he is returning in the fifth series which is presently being filmed. In the United States, he played campaign manager Henry Burton in Mike Nichols's 1998 film "Primary Colors", based on the novel by Anonymous (Joe Klein). His character is believed to represent George Stephanopoulos. This part earned him a Chicago Film Critics Association award nomination for "Most Promising Actor".

Lester appeared in Kenneth Branagh's "Love's Labour's Lost", an adaptation of the William Shakespeare play, set in the 1930s. The film itself was poorly received, but Lester received a British Independent Film Awards nomination for his performance.

He has appeared on stage in the musical Company, in the title role of Hamlet and as Rosalind in Cheek by Jowl's 1991 production of "As You Like It". Also, in "The Day After Tomorrow", Lester has a minor role as Simon, one of the three researchers who drink a toast of "Twelve-year-old Scotch" shortly before freezing to death. Lester also appeared as Ellis in the hit sitcom "Girlfriends" from 2002 to 2003. He played a movie star who dated Tracee Ellis Ross' character, Joan.

In late 2005, Lester had a major guest starring role in Channel 4's hard hitting police drama, "The Ghost Squad". Lester also filmed scenes for 2007's "Spider-Man 3", as a research scientist who is sought after by the Sandman (Thomas Haden Church) to find a cure for his ailing daughter. He was seen in one teaser trailer for the movie; however, his scenes were cut from the final theatrical version.

He is currently interested in becoming the first black doctor on the popular TV programme Doctor Who [cite news|url=http://www.walesonline.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/2008/05/11/i-want-to-be-first-black-doctor-who-91466-20891191/|date=2008-05-11|accessdate=2008-08-15|title=I want to be first black Doctor Who|work=WalesOnline] .

He is also currently starring in the BBC drama Bonekickers, a programme focusing on a team of archaeologists.

Filmography

*"Bonekickers" (2008)
*"Doomsday" (2008)
*"Being Human" (2008)
*"Case 39" (2007)
*"Starting Out in the Evening" (2007)
*"Scenes of a Sexual Nature" (2006)
*"As You Like It" (2006)
*"Hustle" (2004-2006, 2009-) as Mickey
*"The Day After Tomorrow" (2004)
*"The Final Curtain" (2002)
*"The Tragedy of Hamlet" (2002)
*"Dust" (2001)
*"Born Romantic" (2000)
*"Maybe Baby" (2000)
*"Jason and the Argonauts" (2000)
*"Best" (2000)
*"Love's Labour's Lost" (2000)
*"Storm Damage" (1999)
*"Primary Colours" (1998)
*"Les Soeurs Soleil" (1997)
*" [Up On the Roof" (1997)
*"Company" (1996)
*"The Affair" (1995)
*"Touch and Die" (1991)

References

External links

*imdb name|id=0504412|name=Adrian Lester