- Max Beesley
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Max Beesley Born Maxton Gig Beesley Jr.
16 April 1971
Burnage, Manchester, EnglandOccupation Television actor, film actor, musician Years active 1983-present Maxton Gig Beesley Jr. (born 16 April 1971), known simply as Max Beesley, is an English actor and musician.
Beesley rose to fame for his role of Andy Simpson in Every Woman, Every Man from 1993 to 1998, and has since appeared in a variety of television shows including Bodies, Hotel Babylon, London Ink, Survivors and Mad Dogs.
He also played the lead in a television adaptation of The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling in 1997.
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Early life and education
Maxton Gig Beesley Jr. was born to Maxton Beesley, Sr., a professional jazz drummer, and a jazz singer mother, who sang under the stage name Chris Marlowe. His parents divorced when he was a baby. His middle name was inspired by the US actor Gig Young. His father was also a regular guest on the Ted Rogers show 3-2-1, doing impressions amidst the sketches. He has a stepbrother, actor Jason Milligan, who is the husband of former Coronation Street and Cutting It actress Angela Griffin.
Music career
Beesley is also a musician, having had a successful career before becoming an actor. He was a Chorister at Manchester Cathedral and studied at Chetham's School of Music.[1] He also studied percussion at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama with soul singer Omar ("There's Nothing Like This") and toured with the Brand New Heavies on keyboards and percussion. He is also a vibraphone player.[2]
He has performed in concert as a percussionist and pianist for Robbie Williams, Take That and The Paul Weller Movement.[1] Beesley played percussion and piano at Robbie Williams's Knebworth gigs of Summer 2003 and at Hyde Park, for Live 8 London. Robbie Williams's first concert of his Close Encounters tour in Perth, Western Australia on November 30, 2006 saw Beesley as percussionist for the second half of the show. He also played drums during the performance of Rudebox at Robbie's second Brisbane concert and during the recent BBC electric proms show. Beesley was also a member of the jazz band Incognito, but after an eight month tour with them, decided to end his music career and start in acting.[2]
On 28 October 2006 Beesley appeared as a special guest playing piano for James Brown during his performance at The Roundhouse in London as part of the BBC's Electric Proms festival.[3]
Acting career
Beesley came to prominence with his first major acting role in The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, a 1997 television mini-series based on the book of the same name.
He has starred in numerous roles both in the United Kingdom and the United States since this breakout role. In 2001, Beesley appeared opposite singer Mariah Carey in the film Glitter, a critical and commercial failure for which he was nominated for a Razzie Award for Worst Supporting Actor and opposite Selma Blair in the film Kill Me Later. In Britain, he is best known as the star of the BBC Three medical drama Bodies, which broadcast from 2004-2007. He also starred in BBC One series Hotel Babylon from 2006 until 2008. He left the show in the episode 'Under Pressure' aired on BBC One on 18 March 2008, 'riding off into the sunset' on a Harley Davidson. He returned for a guest appearance in episode 3 of series 4.
On June 2007, he starred in an ITV four parter called Talk to Me written by Danny Brocklehurst. Beesley also appears opposite Malcolm McDowell in the film Red Roses and Petrol.
Beesley has also appeared in a five-part BBC thriller, The Last Enemy, also starring Robert Carlyle.
In September 2007 Beesley was a guest on ITV's Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway, where he and Jonathan Wilkes were successful against the duo in the lighthearted competition Beat The Boys, narrated by Stuart Hall. In October 2008, he appeared in the remake of the 1970s classic drama Survivors on BBC1 as remorseless former criminal Tom Price. The series consisted of six episodes, with a second series of six episodes transmitted in January 2010.
More recently Beesley starred in the two-part drama The Reckoning on ITV One in April 2011.
Beesley is currently the voice narrator for several TV adverts including NFU Mutual Insurance, Energizer Lithium Batteries, PC World and ITV.[4] He also provided the voice-over for Manchester United's 2008–09 season review DVD.
Filmography
Year Title Role Notes 1983 Last of the Summer Wine Colin's Mate TV Series; one episode-Unnacredited (as Maxton Beesley) 1986 Last of the Summer Wine Passerby TV Series; one episode-Unnacredited (as Maxton Beesley) 1997 The Broker's Man Joe Goodwin TV Series; two episodes The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling Tom Jones/Reverend Summer TV Series; five episodes 1999 Five Seconds to Spare William The Match Wullie Smith 2000 It Was an Accident Mickey Cousins 2001 Kill Me Later Charlie Anders The Last Minute Billy Byrne Hotel Antonio Glitter Julian Dice 2002 Fields of Gold Mark Hurst Direct-to-Television Movie Anita and Me Hairy Neddy 2003 The Emperor's Wife Emperor Red Roses and Petrol Johnny Doyle 2004–2006 Bodies Dr Rob Lake TV Seires; sixteen episodes 2004 Torque Luther The Porter Porter Short Film 2005 Bloodlines DC Jake Bannerman Direct-to-Television Movie Hustle Jake Henry TV Series; one episode Her Name Is Carla Jack 2006–2009 Hotel Babylon Charlie Edwards TV Series; twenty two episodes 2007–2008 London Ink Narrator TV Series; six episodes 2007 Talk to Me Mitch Moore TV Series; four episodes 2008–2010 Survivors Tom Price TV Series; twelve episodes 2008 The Last Enemy Michael Ezard TV Series; five episodes 2010–present Mad Dogs Woody TV Series; four episodes 2011 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Thomas Stewart (Vampire) TV Series; One episode (S11E03) 'Blood Moon' The Reckoning (TV series) Mark Dobson TV Series; two episodes References
- ^ a b "Notable Alumni". Chetham's School of Music. http://www.chethams.com/study/music/notable-alumni. Retrieved 2011-07-21. "Ex-Chets students include [...] actor Max Beesley, who achieved first recognition as percussionist and keyboard player with Jamiroqua, Take That and Robbie Williams"
- ^ a b "Max Beesley Discography at Discogs". Discogs. http://www.discogs.com/artist/Max+Beesley. Retrieved 2011-07-21.
- ^ Dowden, Neil. "James Brown + The Zutons @ Roundhouse, London". musicOMH. http://www.musicomh.com/music/gigs/james-brown_1006.htm. Retrieved 2011-07-21. "...actor/musician Max Beesley played piano for JB to sing Ray Charles' Georgia On My Mind"
- ^ "Press Releases: Julie Graham, Max Beesley, Nikki Amuka-Bird & Paterson Joseph star in Survivors for BBC One". BBC Press Office. 30 May 2007. http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2008/05_may/30/survivors.shtml. Retrieved 7 December 2008.
External links
Categories:- 1971 births
- Alumni of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama
- English rock drummers
- English rock musicians
- English jazz musicians
- English film actors
- English television actors
- Living people
- People from Burnage
- People educated at Chetham's School of Music
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