Cris Cole

Born in Wallingford, England, Cole grew up in London and attended Elliott School in Roehampton. After leaving the Elliott School, he worked as a professional guitarist and bass player for the next 15 years,{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/jimmy-the-hoover-mn0001008985/biography|title=Jimmy The Hoover|work=All Music}} playing in bands including Jimmy the Hoover, The Directions and The Hollywood Killers.

Cole turned to writing and wrote a pilot for Tiger Aspect/BBC, called Embassy, starring Robert Daws. He has multiple other TV credits, including episodes of Night and Day, Twisted Tales and The Bill, feature film credits, including Lovebite (Ecosse Films, 2012) and Pelican Blood{{cite web|author=Ray Bennett|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/pelican-blood-film-review-29728|title=Pelican Blood – Film Review|work=The Hollywood Reporter|agency=Associated Press|date=14 October 2010|accessdate=20 May 2017}} (Ecosse Films, 2010), as well as the TV movie The Good Times Are Killing Me (Shaftesbury Films, 2009).{{cite web|url=https://marillawex.com/2009/10/the-good-times-are-killing-me|title=The Good Times Are Killing Me|date=October 2009}} He wrote and executive produced the film Ana, released in January 2020, starring Andy Garcia and Dafne Keen.

Cole may be best known as the creator of the award-winning{{cite web|url=http://www.broadcastingpressguild.org/2012/03/30/rev-wins-4-prizes-broadcasting-press-guild-tv-and-radio-awards|title=Broadcasting Press Guild TV and Radio Awards 2012|website=Broadcastingpressguild.org|date=30 March 2012|accessdate=30 August 2017}} and the BAFTA nominated{{cite web|url=https://www.leftbankpictures.co.uk/2011/03/mad-dogs-nominated-for-bafta|title=Mallorca based drama, Mad Dogs, nominated for BAFTA|website=Leftbankpictures.co.uk|date=27 April 2011|accessdate=9 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160810070108/https://www.leftbankpictures.co.uk/2011/03/mad-dogs-nominated-for-bafta/|archive-date=10 August 2016|url-status=dead}} British TV series Mad Dogs, starring Marc Warren, Max Beesley, John Simm and Phil Glenister. He was the sole writer of all 14 episodes for the four UK seasons for Sky TV, produced by Left Bank Pictures.{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2011/may/11/mad-dogs-second-series|title=Mad Dogs: should a second series be unleashed?|author=Ben Marshall|date=11 May 2011|work=The Guardian|access-date=20 May 2017}}

Cole was the executive producer and showrunner on the Mad Dogs U.S. television series made by Amazon Studios/Sony Pictures Television.{{Cite web|url=https://www.inverse.com/article/10701-amazon-s-new-series-mad-dogs-is-unexpected-weird-and-hilarious|title=Amazon's New Series 'Mad Dogs' Is Unexpected, Weird, and Hilarious|website=Inverse.com|date=27 January 2016 |access-date=30 August 2017}} The show was streamed on Amazon in the US, Germany and the UK. Sony sold Mad Dogs to 140 other territories. The series starred Ben Chaplin, Michael Imperioli, Romany Malco, Steve Zahn and Billy Zane.{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2016/tv/global/sony-pictures-television-mad-dogs-1201685331/|title=Sony Pictures Television Sells U.S. Drama 'Mad Dogs' to More Than 140 Countries|author=Leo Barraclough|date=21 January 2016|work=Variety|access-date=30 August 2017}}{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2016/01/mad-dogs-donald-trump-tony-blair-michael-jackson-mask-shawn-ryan-tca-1201680373/|title=Amazon's 'Mad Dogs' Mulled Donald Trump Mask For Killer – TCA|author=Lisa de Moraes|date=11 January 2016|website=Deadline Hollywood|publisher=|access-date=2017-05-20}}

Cole has been an advocate of Ethiopian choreographer Meseret Yirga for over 20 years. In 2019 he headed a fundraising campaign to build a community dance centre in Addis Ababa. Once the money was in place, the Meseret Yirga Dance Centre{{cite web|url=https://www.thestage.co.uk/features/features/choreographer-meseret-yirga-my-new-centre-is-using-dance-to-transform-lives|title=Choreographer Meseret Yirga: 'My new centre is using dance to transform lives'|author=Jane Coyle|date=11 January 2021|work=The Stage|access-date=3 March 2021}} was built, is now open, and serves people from low income backgrounds and the disabled in the community.

In 2022 Cole created, wrote and exec-produced ‘Rose & Layla’,{{Citation |title=Rose & Layla |date=2022-12-30 |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt20596758/ |type=Action, Comedy |access-date=2023-11-23 |others=Hasan Abul-Roos, Raghad Alfaisal, Tayam Amar |publisher=MBC Studios}}{{Cite web |last=Vivarelli |first=Nick |date=2022-12-05 |title=Egyptian Superstar Yousra on Working With a British Director and Co-Star Nelly Karim on Oddball Female Detective Duo Series ‘Rose & Layla’ (EXCLUSIVE) |url=https://variety.com/2022/film/global/egyptian-superstar-yousra-british-director-co-star-nelly-karim-rose-layla-1235449946/ |access-date=2023-11-23 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2022-04-22 |title=MBC Studios starts production of Arabic TV series ‘Rose & Layla’ |url=https://www.broadcastprome.com/news/mbc-studios-starts-production-of-arabic-tv-series-rose-layla/ |access-date=2023-11-23 |website=BroadcastPro ME |language=en-US}} a ten part TV comedy drama serial for [https://www.mbcstudios.com/home/ MBC Studios], starring Egyptian TV and movie icon Yousra and Nelly Karim as two Cairo based private detectives. Shot in Cairo and directed by Adrian Shergold the show was written in English and translated and made in Arabic.

Cole is the son of the actor George Cole and actress Eileen Moore.{{Cite web|url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/george-cole-couldnt-heal-45-6215309|title=George Cole couldn't heal 45-year rift|work=Daily Mirror|date=7 August 2015|access-date=25 December 2017}} He is married to Christine St. John.{{Cite web |title=Interview: Cris Cole & Christine St. John – Mad Dogs Writer & Actress |url=https://sonofastag.com/en-us/blogs/features/interview-cris-cole-christine-st-john-mad-dogs-writer-star |access-date=2023-01-08 |website=Son of a Stag |language=en}}

• Embassy (1997)
• Night & Day (2001)
• Spine Chillers (2003)
• The Bill, 2 episodes (2004–2005)
• Twisted Tales, 1 episode (2005)
• The Good Times Are Killing Me (2009)
• Pelican Blood (2010)
• Mad Dogs (UK) (2011–2013)
• Love Bite (2012)
• Mad Dogs (U.S.) (2015){{cite web |author=James Poniewozik |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/21/arts/television/tv-review-mad-dogs-amazon.html |title=Review: On 'Mad Dogs,' an Amazon Series, Male Bellicosity Rules |work=The New York Times |date=20 January 2016 |access-date=2017-05-20}}
• Ana (2020)
• Rose & Layla (2022)

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• {{IMDb name|1659841}}

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Category:Year of birth missing (living people)

Category:Living people

Category:British male screenwriters

Category:British rock guitarists

Category:British male guitarists

Category:People from Wallingford, Oxfordshire

Category:British male television writers