Garey Bridges
Encyclopedia
Garey Bridges is a British
actor
, best known for playing the role of Lloyd Tavernier in the BBC
soap opera
EastEnders
.
in The Hot Show Shoe. However, he was told at fourteen that he was too short and this prompted him to change his profession to acting.
His first notable role came in 1988, when he appeared in an episode of ITV
's Dramarama
entitled Bogeymen. The following year he appeared in the BBC medical television series, Casualty (1989) and the children's drama Press Gang
(1989), playing Terry. In 1990 Bridges secured the role of Lloyd Tavernier in the popular soap opera EastEnders. The introduction of the Tavernier family heralded the first time that an entire family had joined the programme all at once. Their introduction was also a well-intentioned attempt to portray a wider range of black
characters than had previously been achieved on the show. Even though he was 21 at the time, Bridges played a 15 year old school boy, who was also the twin
of Michelle Gayle
's character, Hattie
. Bridges wayward character suffered with sickle-cell anaemia, and storylines focused on the problems and restrictions this affliction can have for a young person. His character, along with several other members of the Tavernier family, were written out of the soap in 1992.
Bridges went on to appear in the BBC2 productions O Mary This London and Funky Black Shorts: Home and Away in 1994, and he later played the part of Billy Price in the 1996 film Respect, a drama about champion boxer Bobby Carr (played by Nick Berry
) who is forced to retire with permanent damage to his eye. The film was directed by Terry Marcel
and was based on a screenplay by Richard La Plante.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
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...
, best known for playing the role of Lloyd Tavernier in the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
EastEnders
EastEnders
EastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...
.
Career
He originally trained to be a dancer and performed with Wayne SleepWayne Sleep
Wayne Philip Colin Sleep OBE is a British dancer, director, choreographer and panelist. He was a Principal Dancer with the Royal Ballet and has appeared as a Guest Artist with several other ballet companies.-Early life:...
in The Hot Show Shoe. However, he was told at fourteen that he was too short and this prompted him to change his profession to acting.
His first notable role came in 1988, when he appeared in an episode of ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
's Dramarama
Dramarama (TV series)
Dramarama is the name of a British children's' anthology series broadcast on ITV between 1983 and 1989. It tended to feature drama of a science fiction or supernatural bent. The programme was administered by Tyne Tees Television in Newcastle, who had a track-record for organising cross-franchise...
entitled Bogeymen. The following year he appeared in the BBC medical television series, Casualty (1989) and the children's drama Press Gang
Press Gang
Press Gang is a British children's television comedy-drama consisting of forty-three episodes across five series that were broadcast from 1989 to 1993...
(1989), playing Terry. In 1990 Bridges secured the role of Lloyd Tavernier in the popular soap opera EastEnders. The introduction of the Tavernier family heralded the first time that an entire family had joined the programme all at once. Their introduction was also a well-intentioned attempt to portray a wider range of black
Black people
The term black people is used in systems of racial classification for humans of a dark skinned phenotype, relative to other racial groups.Different societies apply different criteria regarding who is classified as "black", and often social variables such as class, socio-economic status also plays a...
characters than had previously been achieved on the show. Even though he was 21 at the time, Bridges played a 15 year old school boy, who was also the twin
Twin
A twin is one of two offspring produced in the same pregnancy. Twins can either be monozygotic , meaning that they develop from one zygote that splits and forms two embryos, or dizygotic because they develop from two separate eggs that are fertilized by two separate sperm.In contrast, a fetus...
of Michelle Gayle
Michelle Gayle
Michelle Patricia Gayle is a British recording artist, actress and author. Gayle had success as a Soul and R&B singer in the 1990s. She achieved seven Top 40 singles in the UK Singles Chart, her two biggest hits to date being "Sweetness" and "Do You Know"...
's character, Hattie
Hattie Tavernier
Hattie Tavernier is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Michelle Gayle between 1990 and 1993. Hattie and her family were introduced in July 1990 by producer Michael Ferguson. The Taverniers were the first collective black family to join the soap at the same time...
. Bridges wayward character suffered with sickle-cell anaemia, and storylines focused on the problems and restrictions this affliction can have for a young person. His character, along with several other members of the Tavernier family, were written out of the soap in 1992.
Bridges went on to appear in the BBC2 productions O Mary This London and Funky Black Shorts: Home and Away in 1994, and he later played the part of Billy Price in the 1996 film Respect, a drama about champion boxer Bobby Carr (played by Nick Berry
Nick Berry
Nicholas "Nick" Berry is a British television actor and musician. He is best known for his roles as Simon Wicks in the British soap opera EastEnders from 1985 to 1990 and as PC Nick Rowan in the British drama television series Heartbeat from 1992 to 1998.-Career:Berry started acting at the age of...
) who is forced to retire with permanent damage to his eye. The film was directed by Terry Marcel
Terry Marcel
Terry Marcel is a British film director, perhaps best known for the cult film Hawk the Slayer which he co-created with producer Harry Robertson....
and was based on a screenplay by Richard La Plante.