Gary Beadle

Beadle was raised as one of five children in Bermondsey, South London, where he was baptised a Roman Catholic. As children, he and his elder brother Rikki produced a version of the 1976 youth musical-gangster film Bugsy Malone for Southwark London Borough Council. Directed by Rikki who starred as Talula, Gary played janitor Fizzy. Rikki tried to invite the original film's director Alan Parker to the performance, but his assistant did come, and used her connections to get Rikki, Gary and their younger sister into the community-based Anna Scher Theatre School.

After developing a love of hip hop, and especially Run-D.M.C. and the Sugarhill Gang, Beadle moved to New York City in his early twenties. On his return to London, using the moniker 'Pretty Boy Gee', he formed a rap group called The City Limits Crew alongside 'Little Stevie Bee'. In 1985, the duo released two 12" singles, "Keep It On" (w/ "The Mutant Rockers") and "Fresher Than Ever" on the independent record label Survival Records.{{cite web |url=https://www.discogs.com/artist/227223-The-City-Limits-Crew |title=The City Limits Crew |website=Discogs}}{{cite web |url=https://www.survivalrecords.co.uk/index.htm |title=Survival Records}} Also that year, the crew recorded a session on BBC Radio 1 for John Peel{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/johnpeel/sessions/1980s/1985/Jan15citylimitscrewth/ |title=BBC - Radio 1 - Keeping It Peel - 15/01/1985 City Limits Crew & the Mutant Rockers}} and performed at Electro Rock, an international hip hop event at the Hippodrome.{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHVls3r-3rk |title=Electro Rock - A 1985 Bboy Event from London (1Of7) |website=YouTube}}

He also worked as a comedian but started to work as an actor, and appeared in The Young Ones (BBC 1984);[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4wERjMwFto The Young Ones - Time episode - Captain Blood Radio scene] the 1986 film Absolute Beginners; Jerusalem, the 1987 short film starring the Style Council pop group; Making Out in 1989–91 as Simon; the BBC sitcom Absolutely Fabulous, where he played the gay lover of Eddie's (Jennifer Saunders) ex-husband Justin; the TV series Born to Run in 1997; the ITV police drama The Bill and BBC medical drama Casualty (2001).

In 2001, he started in the role of Paul Trueman in EastEnders. A loveable rogue, Beadle left the role when his contract was due to terminate - as he had not appreciated the director and script writers wanting his character to become a drug dealer. He therefore departed from the show and his exit featured the character being killed off by his gangland boss Andy Hunter (Michael Higgs).{{cite web|url=https://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/a17533/eastenders-star-quothatesquot-exit-storyline/|work=Digital Spy|first=Neil|last=Wilkes|title='EastEnders' star "hates" exit storyline|access-date=2 April 2020|date=10 April 2004}}

Immediately after completing filming of EastEnders, Beadle playing the Evil Queen's henchman in the Qdos Entertainment production of Snow White at the Cliffs Pavilion in Southend-on-Sea, opposite Linda Lusardi. Since leaving EastEnders, Beadle has had roles in Holby City (2005), Doctors (2006) and the Jean-Claude Van Damme film Until Death, released in 2007.

In 2007, he appeared in BBC Three comedy Thieves Like Us. In 2008, he appeared in The Sarah Jane Adventures series 2 as Clyde Langer's father, Paul.{{cite web |url=http://www.gallifreyone.com/news.php#newsitemEkEVyEEEEZymNATHqo |title=The Doctor Who News Page |publisher=Gallifreyone.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080327105740/http://www.gallifreyone.com/news.php#newsitemEkEVyEEEEZymNATHqo |archive-date=27 March 2008}} In 2009, he appeared in Malice in Wonderland as DJ Felix Chester, a Cheshire Cat allusion. In 2010, he appeared in the Royal Court Theatre's Sucker Punch by Roy Williams.

In 2012, he appeared in Hustle as a police officer.{{cite web |url=http://www.hustlefans.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=78&t=5&start=10 |title=Series 8 Guests |website=Hustle Fans Forum |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140305010129/http://www.hustlefans.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=78&t=5&start=10

|archive-date=5 March 2014}} In 2015, he played Docker in BBC One drama The Interceptor{{cite web |url=http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/news/a554550/david-gyasi-eastenders-star-jo-joyner-for-bbc-ones-the-interceptor/ |first=Morgan |last=Jeffery |title=David Gyasi, EastEnders star Jo Joyner for BBC One's The Interceptor |website=Digital Spy |date=28 February 2014 |access-date=10 September 2017}} and also featured in the Ron Howard-directed film In the Heart of the Sea which was released in December 2015.{{cite magazine |url=http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2015-12-21/in-the-heart-of-the-sea-review-a-gruelling-voyage-for-all-concerned |title=In the Heart of the Sea review: 'a gruelling voyage for all concerned' |first=Tom |last=Folley |date=21 December 2015 |magazine=Radio Times |access-date=10 September 2017}}

In 2016, he performed as Abioseh, an ex-tribesman in the Royal National Theatre's production of Les Blancs.{{cite web |url=http://www.afridiziak.com/theatrenews/interviews/april2016/gary-beadle.html |title=Gary Beadle, Les Blancs by Lorraine Hansberry – interview, National Theatre |date=12 April 2016 |first=Gillian |last=Fisher |website=Afridiziak Theatre News |access-date=10 September 2017}}{{cite web |url=http://www.whatsonstage.com/london-theatre/news/5-minutes-with-gary-beadle_40019.html |title=5 minutes with: Gary Beadle – 'When I did EastEnders people said you'll never work again' |first=Emily |last=Cole |date=30 March 2016 |website=What's on Stage |access-date=10 September 2017}} He also starred as a Detective Chief Inspector in an episode of Silent Witness.

In 2017, Beadle appeared as Archdeacon Gabriel Atubo, Rev. Sidney Chambers's boss in series 3 of Grantchester.{{cite web |title=Grantchester returns to ITV for a third series |url=http://www.itv.com/presscentre/press-releases/grantchester-returns-itv-third-series |date=19 August 2016 |website=ITV Press Centre |access-date=6 August 2017}}{{cite magazine |title=Meet the cast of Grantchester series three |url=http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2017-08-04/meet-the-cast-of-grantchester-series-three |first=Sarah |last=Doran |date=4 August 2017 |magazine=Radio Times |access-date=6 August 2017}}

{{Reflist}}

• {{IMDb name|name=Gary Beadle|id=0063542}}
• {{cite web |url=http://www.britishhiphop.co.uk/features/interviews/gary_beadle.html |title=Gary Beadle |website=British Hip Hop |date=28 April 2008}}

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Category:1965 births

Category:Living people

Category:English people of Jamaican descent

Category:Male actors from London

Category:Actors from the London Borough of Southwark

Category:Alumni of the Anna Scher Theatre School

Category:English male soap opera actors

Category:English male film actors

Category:English male television actors

Category:English male voice actors

Category:Black British male actors

Category:20th-century English male actors

Category:21st-century English male actors

Category:English Roman Catholics

Category:People from Bermondsey