Abdul Salis
Encyclopedia
Abdul Salis is a British
actor
, probably most notable for his role as a paramedic
Curtis Cooper on the longest-running medical drama
Casualty
broadcast in the UK.
He is a son of Ghana
ian parents who moved to London
in 1975.
Salis has appeared in numerous television roles, including The Hidden City (2002), aforementioned Casualty
(2008-2009), Trevor's World of Sport
(2003) and an episode
of Doctor Who
(2006). His cinema films include Love Actually
(2003), Sahara
(2005), Welcome Home (2004) and Animal (2004). He was also in an episode of cbbc's M.I. High as Ben Lacy (a footballer).
On stage he starred in Blood Wedding and The Road at the Orange Tree Theatre
theatre as well as Joe Guy at Tiata Fahodzi
. He was in the 2006 production of The Exonerated in London's Riverside Studios
. In 2010 he appeared in the stage production of War Horse at the New London Theatre.
In 2006, the movie Flyboys (film) loosely portrayed aviation pioneer Eugene Jacques Bullard
and his comrades from the Lafayette Flying Corps
. The film features digital dogfights, and Salis portrayed Eugene Skinner, a character based on Bullard. Interviewed by the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer
(Columbus, Georgia
), Salis discussed the notion of doing an entire movie about this famed figure:
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, probably most notable for his role as a paramedic
Paramedic
A paramedic is a healthcare professional that works in emergency medical situations. Paramedics provide advanced levels of care for medical emergencies and trauma. The majority of paramedics are based in the field in ambulances, emergency response vehicles, or in specialist mobile units such as...
Curtis Cooper on the longest-running medical drama
Medical drama
A medical drama is a television program, in which events center upon a hospital, an ambulance staff, or any medical environment.In the United States, most medical episodes are one hour long and, more often than not, are set in a hospital. Most current medical Dramatic programming go beyond the...
Casualty
Casualty (TV series)
Casualty, stylised as Casual+y, is a British weekly television show broadcast on BBC One, and the longest-running emergency medical drama television series in the world. Created by Jeremy Brock and Paul Unwin, it was first broadcast on 6 September 1986, and transmitted in the UK on BBC One. The...
broadcast in the UK.
He is a son of Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
ian parents who moved to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in 1975.
Salis has appeared in numerous television roles, including The Hidden City (2002), aforementioned Casualty
Casualty (TV series)
Casualty, stylised as Casual+y, is a British weekly television show broadcast on BBC One, and the longest-running emergency medical drama television series in the world. Created by Jeremy Brock and Paul Unwin, it was first broadcast on 6 September 1986, and transmitted in the UK on BBC One. The...
(2008-2009), Trevor's World of Sport
Trevor's World of Sport
Trevor's World of Sport began as a 2003 BBC television sitcom written and directed by Andy Hamilton and starring Neil Pearson as Trevor. Only one television series was made, and Hamilton felt mistreated by the BBC over the scheduling of the show. The first episode attracted an average of 3.4...
(2003) and an episode
Fear Her
"Fear Her" is an episode of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was first broadcast on 24 June 2006.The episode takes part on the day of the opening ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, almost exclusively on a fictitious cul-de-sac named after the British athlete...
of Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
(2006). His cinema films include Love Actually
Love Actually
Love Actually is a 2003 British romantic comedy film written and directed by Richard Curtis. The screenplay delves into different aspects of love as shown through ten separate stories involving a wide variety of individuals, many of whom are shown to be interlinked as their tales progress...
(2003), Sahara
Sahara (2005 film)
Sahara is a 2005 action-comedy adventure film directed by Breck Eisner and based on the best-selling book of the same name by Clive Cussler...
(2005), Welcome Home (2004) and Animal (2004). He was also in an episode of cbbc's M.I. High as Ben Lacy (a footballer).
On stage he starred in Blood Wedding and The Road at the Orange Tree Theatre
Orange Tree Theatre
The Orange Tree Theatre is a 172-seat theatre at 1 Clarence Street, Richmond in south west London, built specifically as a theatre in the round....
theatre as well as Joe Guy at Tiata Fahodzi
Tiata Fahodzi
Tiata Fahodzi is a British-African theatre company, founded in 1997 by actor-director Femi Elufowoju, Jr. After 13 years of distinguished service, Elefowoju, Jr left the company in April 2010...
. He was in the 2006 production of The Exonerated in London's Riverside Studios
Riverside Studios
Riverside Studios is a production studio, theatre and independent cinema on the banks of the River Thames in Hammersmith, London, England. It plays host to contemporary and international dramatic and dance performance, film, visual art exhibitions and television production.-History:In 1933, the...
. In 2010 he appeared in the stage production of War Horse at the New London Theatre.
In 2006, the movie Flyboys (film) loosely portrayed aviation pioneer Eugene Jacques Bullard
Eugene Bullard
Eugene Jacques Bullard was the first black military pilot and the only black pilot in World War I along with Ahmet Ali .-Early life:...
and his comrades from the Lafayette Flying Corps
Lafayette Flying Corps
The Lafayette Flying Corps is a name used to describe the American volunteer pilots who flew for the French during World War I. It includes the pilots who flew with the bona fide Lafayette Escadrille squadron. The estimations of number of pilots range from 180 to over 300. The generally accepted...
. The film features digital dogfights, and Salis portrayed Eugene Skinner, a character based on Bullard. Interviewed by the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer
Columbus Ledger-Enquirer
The Ledger-Enquirer is a McClatchy newspaper headquartered in Downtown Columbus, Georgia, in the United States. It was founded in 1828 as the Columbus Enquirer by Mirabeau B. Lamar, who later played a pivotal role in the founding of the Republic of Texas and served as its third President...
(Columbus, Georgia
Columbus, Georgia
Columbus is a city in and the county seat of Muscogee County, Georgia, United States, with which it is consolidated. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 189,885. It is the principal city of the Columbus, Georgia metropolitan area, which, in 2009, had an estimated population of 292,795...
), Salis discussed the notion of doing an entire movie about this famed figure:
- You know what, that's exactly what Dean DevlinDean DevlinDean Devlin is an American screenwriter, producer, television director and former actor. He is the founder of the production company Electric Entertainment.-Personal life:...
said on the shoot... He said that this story, of the characters, Eugene's story alone is the only one worth a film in its entirety, outright. He said that maybe if he'd had his way, it would have been all about Eugene Bullard... If you look at it, with these flyboys, having made it, you talk about a great moment when he's growing up, his dad's a slave.... He gets to be a boxerBoxingBoxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
in FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, wins a championship. He goes to the warWarWar is a state of organized, armed, and often prolonged conflict carried on between states, nations, or other parties typified by extreme aggression, social disruption, and usually high mortality. War should be understood as an actual, intentional and widespread armed conflict between political...
, the Lafayette EscadrilleLafayette EscadrilleThe Lafayette Escadrille , was an escadrille of the French Air Service, the Aéronautique militaire, during World War I composed largely of American volunteer pilots flying fighters.-History:Dr. Edmund L...
, fighting for the French. The AmericaUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
ns join in. He becomes a spySPYSPY is a three-letter acronym that may refer to:* SPY , ticker symbol for Standard & Poor's Depositary Receipts* SPY , a satirical monthly, trademarked all-caps* SPY , airport code for San Pédro, Côte d'Ivoire...
. There's the jazzJazzJazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
bar. And he dies alone, an elevatorElevatorAn elevator is a type of vertical transport equipment that efficiently moves people or goods between floors of a building, vessel or other structures...
operator. It's fantastic... It'd be nicer for me, I think, just to keep it real, just to play an homage or to play a friend or something and really kind of disguise myself a bit. I don't know if I would be happy as an outsider watching a character from another film then go on to be... unless these guys, Dean Devlin and these guys did it -- or maybe as a TV movie or something -- I don't think I'd feel comfortable with me doing it. Does that make sense? But I wouldn't say no. Of course not.