George Maguire (actor, born 1985)

Maguire made his first appearance on stage, aged 9, in a small role in a pantomime production of Robin Hood and the Babes in the Wood at Guildford Civic Hall.{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ML0Tcd71VM |title=YouTube |publisher=YouTube |date=2015-02-17 |access-date=2020-05-11}} When he was 10, he attended an open audition that landed him his West End debut in Oliver! at the Palladium.{{Cite web|url=https://www.whatsonstage.com/london-theatre/news/5-minutes-with-george-maguire_40346.html|title=5 minutes with: George Maguire - 'After Sunny Afternoon, I thought, what could follow that?.'|website=Whatsonstage.com|date=4 May 2016 |access-date=11 May 2020}}

While still appearing in Oliver! he began to attend Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts. During his time there he saw the first London production of Rent which proved a great inspiration for him. "It was raw, rocky and real and I remember thinking 'that's the kind of stuff I want to do'."{{Cite web|url=https://www.whatsonstage.com/london-theatre/news/my-top-five-showtunes-george-maguire_42239.html|title=My Top 5 Showtunes: George Maguire |website=Whatsonstage.com|date=12 November 2016 |access-date=11 May 2020}} In 2011, Maguire appeared as Richard Loeb in Thrill Me, first at the Tristan Bates Theatre in London and then at the Charing Cross Theatre.{{cite web|last=Cavendish |first=Dominic |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/theatre-reviews/8458655/Thrill-Me-Tristan-Bates-Theatre-London.html |title=Thrill Me: Tristan Bates Theatre, London |website=Telegraph.co.uk |date=18 April 2011 |access-date=2020-05-11}} This was followed by his first of two stints as 1970s glam rock star Marc Bolan in 20th Century Boy which premiered at the New Wolsey Theatre in Ipswich in September 2011.{{Cite web|url=https://www.20thcenturyboythemusical.co.uk/|title=20th Century Boy - The Musical|website=20thcenturyboythemusical.co.uk|access-date=11 May 2020}}

A planned tour of Hair with Maguire taking the lead role of Berger was cancelled with the exception of a two-week engagement at Deutsches Theater in Munich. A few months later, in July 2012, there was a one-off charity performance of this production at the Piccadilly Theatre in London in aid of Help for Heroes which featured Oliver Tobias, who portrayed Berger at the first London production of Hair in 1968.{{Cite web|url=https://www.whatsonstage.com/west-end-theatre/news/hair-returns-to-the-west-end-for-help-for-heroes-g_4005.html|title=Hair returns to the West End for Help For Heroes gala|website=Whatsonstage.com|date=31 May 2012 |access-date=11 May 2020}} In September of the same year, George returned to 20th Century Boy, this time performing at Belgrade Theatre in Coventry.{{cite web |url=http://www.belgrade.co.uk/event/20th-century-boy |title=20th Century Boy at Belgrade Theatre |website=www.belgrade.co.uk |access-date=17 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120111194751/http://www.belgrade.co.uk/event/20th-century-boy |archive-date=11 January 2012 |url-status=dead}} Early 2013 saw Maguire appear in a production called Lift, where he played a Busker, looking for cash and for the woman that always walks past him smiling every morning. Maguire said about the production: "I have always been passionate about new writing and love the chance to originate a role."{{cite web|url=http://www.perfectpitchmusicals.com/portfolio/lift-2/ |title=Lift • Perfect Pitch |website=Perfectpitchmusicals.com |access-date=2020-05-11}} Maguire then played Dave Davies in the Kinks musical, Sunny Afternoon, on which he commented: "It's quite rare and special to be able to see a piece through from the beginning."{{cite web |url=http://www.theatre.com/buzz/179924/olivier-nominee-george-maguire-on-jamming-in-the-kinks-musical-sunny-afternoon-his-next-rock-god-dream-role/ |title=Olivier Nominee George Maguire on Jamming in the Kinks Musical Sunny Afternoon & His Next Rock God Dream Role | Broadway Buzz | Theatre.com |website=www.theatre.com |access-date=17 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170305115922/http://www.theatre.com/buzz/179924/olivier-nominee-george-maguire-on-jamming-in-the-kinks-musical-sunny-afternoon-his-next-rock-god-dream-role/ |archive-date=5 March 2017 |url-status=dead}} The show opened at the Hampstead Theatre in April 2014 and after a sold-out run of 6 weeks, transferred to the West End's Harold Pinter Theatre where it ran for two years. Maguire left the show in early October 2015.{{Cite web|url=https://www.whatsonstage.com/west-end-theatre/news/sunny-afternoon-new-cast_38580.html|title=New cast announced for Sunny Afternoon|website=Whatsonstage.com|date=21 August 2015 |access-date=11 May 2020}} In April 2015, George Maguire won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actor in Sunny Afternoon, the musical simultaneously picking up three further awards, including Best New Musical.{{Cite web|url=https://officiallondontheatre.com/olivier-awards/galleries/winners-2015/|title=Winners|website=Officiallondontheatre.com|access-date=11 May 2020}}

In 2017, Maguire appeared as a guest character in the BBC One soap opera EastEnders as Felix Moore.{{Cite news|url=http://metro.co.uk/2017/06/25/west-end-star-george-maguire-joins-eastenders-for-guest-role-6732990/|title=West end star George Maguire joins EastEnders for guest role|last=Lindsay|first=Duncan|date=25 June 2017|work=Metro|access-date=16 April 2020}} Then in April 2020, he appeared in an episode of the BBC daytime soap opera Doctors as Greg Taylor-Smith.{{Cite episode|title=Things Fall Apart|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000hbkr|series=Doctors|series-link=Doctors (2000 TV series)|credits=Writer: Henrietta Hardy; Director: Debbie Howard; Producer: Peter Leslie Wild|network=BBC|station=BBC One|airdate=16 April 2020}}

More recently, as well as continuing his acting Career, he has been teaching at Stageworks College in St Neots.

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Category:1985 births

Category:Living people

Category:English male musical theatre actors

Category:English male stage actors

Category:English male singer-songwriters

Category:English singer-songwriters

Category:English rock singers

Category:English rock guitarists

Category:Laurence Olivier Award winners

Category:Alumni of the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts

Category:English male guitarists

Category:Musicians from Guildford