- Garey Bridges
Garey Bridges (born
11 August 1969 inLondon ,England ) is a Britishactor , best known for playing the role ofLloyd Tavernier in theBBC soap opera "EastEnders ". [" [http://www.bbc.co.uk/eastenders/characters_cast/characters/character_lloyd_t.shtml Lloyd Tavernier] ", "BBC". URL last accessed on2007-10-04 .]Career
He originally trained to be a
dancer and performed withWayne Sleep in "The Hot Show Shoe". However, he was told at fourteen that he was too short and this prompted him to change his profession to acting.cite book |last= Kingsley|first= Hilary|title= The EastEnders Handbook |year=1990|publisher=BBC books|id=ISBN 0685529576]His first notable role came in 1988, when he appeared in an episode of
ITV 's "Dramarama" entitled "Bogeymen". The following year he appeared in the BBC medical television series, Casualty (1989) and the children's drama "Press Gang " (1989), playing Terry. [" [http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/individual/534260?view=credit BRIDGES, Garey] ", "BFI". URL last accessed on2007-10-04 .] [" [http://www.tv.com/garey-bridges/person/162807/summary.html Garey Bridges] ", "TV.com". URL last accessed on2007-10-04 .] In 1990 Bridges secured the role ofLloyd Tavernier in the popular soap opera "EastEnders". The introduction of the Tavernier family heralded the first time that an entire family had joined the programme all at once. Their introduction was also a well-intentioned attempt to portray a wider range of black characters than had previously been achieved on the show.cite book |last=Brake|first= Colin|authorlink= Colin Brake|title= |year=1995|publisher=BBC Books|id=ISBN 0-563-37057-2] Even though he was 21 at the time, Bridges played a 15 year old school boy, who was also thetwin ofMichelle Gayle 's character, Hattie. Bridges wayward character suffered withsickle-cell anaemia , and storylines focused on the problems and restrictions this affliction can have for a young person. His character, along with several other members of the Tavernier family, were written out of the soap in 1992.Bridges went on to appear in the
BBC2 productions "O Mary This London" and "Funky Black Shorts: Home and Away" in 1994, and he later played the part of Billy Price in the 1996 film "Respect", a drama about champion boxer Bobby Carr (played byNick Berry ) who is forced to retire with permanent damage to his eye. The film was directed byTerry Marcel and was based on a screenplay by Richard La Plante. [" [http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/539734 RESPECT] ", "BFI". URL last accessed on2007-10-04 .] [" [http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/individual/695360?view=credit BRIDGES, Garey] ", "BFI". URL last accessed on2007-10-04 .]References
External links
*imdb name|id=0108735|name=Garey Bridges
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