Jonny Labey
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2020}}
{{EngvarB|date=February 2020}}
{{short description|British actor}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Jonny Labey
| image = Jonny Labey 2016.jpg
| caption = Labey in 2016
| birth_name =
| birth_place = Jersey, Channel Islands
| occupation = Actor
| years_active = 2010–present
| birth_date = {{birth date and age |df=y|1993|1|15}}
| television = EastEnders (2015–2016)
Hollyoaks (2024–present)
}}
Jonny Labey (born 15 January 1993) is a British actor, known for portraying the role of Paul Coker on the BBC soap opera EastEnders.{{cite web|title=Jonny Labey joins EastEnders as Paul Coker|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/eastenders/entries/b8b1cfee-9e88-4bb8-92a3-15376df5d989?sortBy=Created&sortOrder=Ascending&filter=none|publisher=BBC|accessdate=27 July 2016|date=16 April 2015}}
Early life
Labey is from Grouville, Jersey. He attended Grouville School and Victoria College. He began dancing aged 5 and appeared in his first stage show aged 8 as part of the Jersey Amateur Dramatic Club.{{cite news|url=http://jerseyeveningpost.com/news/2015/04/16/jerseyman-joining-the-cast-of-eastenders/|title=Jerseyman joining the cast of EastEnders|date=16 April 2015|work=Jersey Evening Post|accessdate=28 July 2016}} In 2011, he left Jersey to take a BA course at the Doreen Bird College of Performance in Sidcup, London,{{cite news|url=http://jerseyeveningpost.com/news/2015/06/02/hes-one-of-the-family-champagne-corks-pop-in-grouville-as-jonny-labey-makes-his-eastenders-debut/|title='He's one of the family!' – Champagne corks pop in Grouville as Jonny Labey makes his EastEnders debut|date=2 June 2015|work=Jersey Evening Post|accessdate=28 July 2016}} graduating in 2014. His cousin is fellow actor Philip Labey, known for starring as "Acorn" in various television advertisements for Oak Furnitureland alongside Stephen Critchlow in the mid-2010s.
Career
After graduating, Labey appeared in stage shows including In the Heights and White Christmas. He appeared in Leon Lopez's film Soft Lad. Labey joined the cast of EastEnders in 2015, in the role of Paul Coker, the grandson of Les Coker (Roger Sloman) and Pam Coker (Lin Blakley).{{cite web|last1=Brown|first1=David|title=EastEnders: Ben Mitchell gets up close and personal with newcomer Paul Coker|url=http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2015-05-24/eastenders-ben-mitchell-gets-up-close-and-personal-with-newcomer-paul-coker|work=Radio Times|accessdate=27 July 2016|date=24 May 2015}} The character falls in love with Ben Mitchell (Harry Reid), but was later killed off in a homophobic attack.{{cite web|last1=Welsh|first1=Daniel|title=EastEnders' Viewers React As Paul Coker's Death Revealed To Be Result Of Homophobic Attack|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/eastenders-paul-dead-homopobic-attack_uk_5791cc35e4b0e3583c78eaa4|work=HuffPost|accessdate=27 July 2016|date=22 July 2016}} Labey appeared in EastEnders between 1 June 2015 and 8 September 2016, appearing in 106 episodes. His first role after leaving EastEnders was as the lead character, Rupert Brooke, in the play Verge of Strife, staged in Edinburgh in August 2016.{{cite news|url=http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2016-04-19/eastenders-star-jonny-labey-to-leave-paul-coker-role|title=EastEnders spoilers: Jonny Labey to leave Paul Coker role|last=Brown|first=David|date=19 April 2016|work=Radio Times|accessdate=1 August 2016}} In 2017, he was a contestant on ITV's Dance Dance Dance.
In October 2019, he began competing in The X Factor: Celebrity.{{Cite web|url=https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/tv/when-celebrity-x-factor-on-17074642|title=When is X Factor: Celebrity on? ITV show returns with star lineup|last=Duke|first=Simon|date=12 October 2019|website=Evening Chronicle|access-date=12 October 2019}} He was given a safe seat along with Jenny Ryan and Try Star in week 1, but was eliminated in week 2 after landing in the bottom 2 with Martin Bashir as the result went to deadlock. He finished in tenth place. In 2022, he portrayed Jamie Renton in an episode of the BBC soap opera Doctors.{{cite news |last1=Timblick |first1=Simon |title='Doctors' spoilers: WHY is Zara Carmichael on the warpath? |url=https://www.whattowatch.com/spoilers/doctors-spoilers-why-is-zara-carmichael-on-the-warpath |access-date=27 January 2022 |work=What to Watch |publisher=(Future plc)}}
Labey joined the cast of Hollyoaks in June 2024 as Rex, a gangster and Hannah Ashworth's pimp.{{Cite news |last=Lindsay |first=Duncan |date=4 June 2024 |title="EastEnders star Jonny Labey lands in Hollyoaks as a major villain – with a mega Hannah Ashworth twist" |url=https://metro.co.uk/2024/06/04/eastenders-star-cast-hollyoaks-major-villain-hannah-twist-20968878/ |work=Metro (British newspaper)}}
Filmography
| class="wikitable unsortable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! Notes |
|---|
| 2015
| Soft Lad | David | Film |
| 2015–2016
| Series regular; 106 episodes |
| 2015
| Himself | Performed in "EastEnders Does Top Hat" medley |
| 2017
| Himself | Winner (First of the series) |
| 2017
| Judge | CBBC talent show |
| 2019
| Himself | Contestant |
| 2022
| Doctors | Episode: "Ancient History" |
| 2022
| Dare To Dream | Theo | Short film |
| 2022
| Shakespeare & Hathaway: Private Investigators | Toby Philkes | Episode: "If Music Be the Food of Love" |
| 2024–present
| Series regular |
Discography
=Singles=
==As featured artist==
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" |
| scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:16em;"| Title
! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:1em;"| Year ! scope="col" colspan="2"| Peak chart positions ! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Album |
|---|
| scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:85%;"| UK {{cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/56804/x-factor-celebrities-2019/|title=X Factor Celebrities 2019 {{!}} full Official Chart history|publisher=Official Charts Company|accessdate=7 December 2019}} ! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:85%;"| SCO
|
| scope="row"| "Run" (as part of The X Factor Celebrities 2019) | 2019 | 87 || 3 | {{n/a|Non-album single}} |
Awards and nominations
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{Commonscat}}
- {{IMDb name|6385371|Jonny Labey}}
- {{Twitter|jonnylabey}}
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Labey, Jonny}}
Category:21st-century British male actors
Category:British male soap opera actors
Category:People from Grouville
Category:Alumni of Bird College
Category:People educated at Victoria College, Jersey