Jack O'Connell (actor)
Encyclopedia
Jack O'Connell is a British
actor
, from Alvaston
, Derby
, England
. He went to St Benedict Catholic School and Performing Arts College. He is perhaps most recognisable for playing Pukey Nicholls in This Is England
(2006), Marky in Harry Brown
(2009), and as James Cook
in the E4
teen drama
Skins
.
soap opera
Doctors, along with four episodes as character Ross Trecot in The Bill
. In 2006 O'Connell made his film debut in This Is England
, a story about a boy growing up in 1980s England.
During 2007 O'Connell made several minor television appearances in Waterloo Road
, Holby City
, and Wire in the Blood
. He would also go on to star in the play Scarborough, performed at the Edinburgh Festival
, for which he later reprised the following year upon its transfer to the Royal Court Theatre
, London
. In October of that same year, O'Connell starred in an educational DVD, Between You and Me, produced by Derbyshire Constabulary
, in which his character Alfie Gilchrist encounters a range of issues including underage drinking, fake ID, peer pressure, and car theft. Youth Work Now
magazine described his performance as "outstanding".
O'Connell appeared in the horror
/thriller Eden Lake
(2008) as the film villain Brett, the ITV
television serial of Wuthering Heights
(2009), and as James Cook in the third/fourth installment of the E4 Series Skins
, which premiered in January 2009/10.
O'Connell appears in the British crime thriller Harry Brown
(2009) with Michael Caine
, playing the role of Marky. Subsequently, O'Connell featured in the music video of End Credits
by UK Drum and Bass
act Chase & Status
, which was the official song released from the movie's soundtrack
.
In July 2010, O'Connell starred along side Aisling Loftus
in the BBC Two two-part drama Dive as the programme's lead male character, Robert, where a young teenage couple must come to terms with an unexpected pregnancy. His performance was described by The Observer
reviewer Euan Ferguson as "a performance that is of an actor twice his years: mesmerising, comedic and soulful"
O'Connell won the best actor award at the 2010 TV Choice awards for his role as Skins character James Cook.
O'Connell was in a movie in early 2011 called Weekender.
O'Connell also features briefly in Chase and Status's (ft. Plan B
) song: "End Credits
".
In April 2011 he appeared as the young Sir Bobby Charlton in the BBC2 film "United
", about the Busby Babes
and the Munich air crash, which claimed the lives of eight Manchester United players in 1958.
He plays Eamonn in Sky's six-parter The Runaway
, adapted from Martina Cole
's novel, which started on 31 March 2011.
In March, he appeared in a short WWII film called 'Shelter' about British Paras behind enemy lines in the Oosterbeek Perimeter during Operation Market Garden.
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
Acting
Acting is the work of an actor or actress, which is a person in theatre, television, film, or any other storytelling medium who tells the story by portraying a character and, usually, speaking or singing the written text or play....
, from Alvaston
Alvaston
Alvaston is a suburb and ward of Derby, England. Alvaston is situated on the A6, three miles south-east of Derby city centre. It is bordered to the north by the wards of Derwent, Chaddesden and Spondon, to the east is the City Centre, to the south are Sinfin and Chellaston and to the west the...
, Derby
Derby
Derby , is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands region of England. It lies upon the banks of the River Derwent and is located in the south of the ceremonial county of Derbyshire. In the 2001 census, the population of the city was 233,700, whilst that of the Derby Urban Area was 229,407...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. He went to St Benedict Catholic School and Performing Arts College. He is perhaps most recognisable for playing Pukey Nicholls in This Is England
This Is England
-Track listing:#"54-46 Was My Number" - Toots & The Maytals#"Come On Eileen" - Dexys Midnight Runners#"Tainted Love" - Soft Cell#"Underpass/Flares" - Movie Dialogue From This Is England#"Nicole " - Gravenhurst...
(2006), Marky in Harry Brown
Harry Brown (film)
Harry Brown is a 2009 British action drama film directed by Daniel Barber and starring Michael Caine, Emily Mortimer, Jack O'Connell, and Liam Cunningham....
(2009), and as James Cook
James Cook (Skins character)
James Cook is a fictional character from the British television series Skins. He is portrayed by Jack O'Connell. In the third series he is considered very anti-heroic. His actions often cause trouble and create havoc, affecting those around him...
in the E4
E4 (TV)
E4 is a channel on British digital television, launched as a pay-TV companion to Channel 4 on 18 January 2001. The "E" stands for entertainment, and the channel is mainly aimed at the lucrative 15–35 age group...
teen drama
Teen drama
A teen drama is a dramatic television series with a major focus on teenage characters. The genre was relatively non-existent for the first 45 years of television; it came into prominence in the early 1990s...
Skins
Skins (TV series)
Skins is a BAFTA award-winning British teen drama that follows a group of teenagers in Bristol, South West England, through the two years of college. The controversial plot line explores issues such as dysfunctional families, mental illness , adolescent sexuality, substance abuse and death...
.
Career
O'Connell made his acting debut in 2005 appearing in an episode of the BritishUnited 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...
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,...
Doctors, along with four episodes as character Ross Trecot in The Bill
The Bill
The Bill is a police procedural television series that ran from October 1984 to August 2010. It focused on the lives and work of one shift of police officers, rather than on any particular aspect of police work...
. In 2006 O'Connell made his film debut in This Is England
This Is England
-Track listing:#"54-46 Was My Number" - Toots & The Maytals#"Come On Eileen" - Dexys Midnight Runners#"Tainted Love" - Soft Cell#"Underpass/Flares" - Movie Dialogue From This Is England#"Nicole " - Gravenhurst...
, a story about a boy growing up in 1980s England.
During 2007 O'Connell made several minor television appearances in Waterloo Road
Waterloo Road (TV series)
Waterloo Road is an award-winning British television drama series, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 9 March 2006. Set in a troubled comprehensive school in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, the series focuses on the lives of the school's teacher and students, and confronts social...
, Holby City
Holby City
Holby City, stylised as Holby Ci+y, is a British medical drama television series that airs weekly on BBC One.The series was created by Tony McHale and Mal Young as a spin-off from the established BBC medical drama Casualty, and premiered on 12 January 1999...
, and Wire in the Blood
Wire in the Blood
Wire in the Blood was a British crime drama television series, devised and produced by Coastal Productions for the ITV network that ran from 2002 to 2009. The series is based on characters created by Val McDermid; a university clinical psychologist, Dr Anthony "Tony" Valentine Hill , is teamed with...
. He would also go on to star in the play Scarborough, performed at the Edinburgh Festival
Edinburgh Festival
The Edinburgh Festival is a collective term for many arts and cultural festivals that take place in Edinburgh, Scotland each summer, mostly in August...
, for which he later reprised the following year upon its transfer to the Royal Court Theatre
Royal Court Theatre
The Royal Court Theatre is a non-commercial theatre on Sloane Square, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is noted for its contributions to modern theatre...
, 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 October of that same year, O'Connell starred in an educational DVD, Between You and Me, produced by Derbyshire Constabulary
Derbyshire Constabulary
Derbyshire Constabulary is the territorial police force responsible for policing the county of Derbyshire, England. The force covers an area of over with a population of just under one million.-Organisation and structure:...
, in which his character Alfie Gilchrist encounters a range of issues including underage drinking, fake ID, peer pressure, and car theft. Youth Work Now
Children & Young People Now
Children & Young People Now is a weekly magazine covering issues relating to children and young people in the United Kingdom.Children & Young People Now is the result of the merging of Children Now, produced in association with the National Children's Bureau, and sister magazine Young People Now,...
magazine described his performance as "outstanding".
O'Connell appeared in the horror
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
/thriller Eden Lake
Eden Lake
Eden Lake is a 2008 British horror film, written and directed by James Watkins and starring Kelly Reilly, Michael Fassbender and Jack O'Connell.-Plot synopsis:...
(2008) as the film villain Brett, the 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...
television serial of Wuthering Heights
Wuthering Heights (2009 television serial)
Wuthering Heights is a two-part ITV television serial adaptation of the novel Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë. The episodes were adapted for the screen by Peter Bowker and directed by Coky Giedroyc...
(2009), and as James Cook in the third/fourth installment of the E4 Series Skins
Skins (TV series)
Skins is a BAFTA award-winning British teen drama that follows a group of teenagers in Bristol, South West England, through the two years of college. The controversial plot line explores issues such as dysfunctional families, mental illness , adolescent sexuality, substance abuse and death...
, which premiered in January 2009/10.
O'Connell appears in the British crime thriller Harry Brown
Harry Brown (film)
Harry Brown is a 2009 British action drama film directed by Daniel Barber and starring Michael Caine, Emily Mortimer, Jack O'Connell, and Liam Cunningham....
(2009) with Michael Caine
Michael Caine
Sir Michael Caine, CBE is an English actor. He won Academy Awards for best supporting actor in both Hannah and Her Sisters and The Cider House Rules ....
, playing the role of Marky. Subsequently, O'Connell featured in the music video of End Credits
End Credits
"End Credits" is the first single from Drum and Bass duo Chase & Status' second studio album No More Idols. The single was co-written, co-produced and features vocals from Plan B and was released on 29 October 2009, reaching a peak position of No. 9 in the UK Singles Chart...
by UK Drum and Bass
Drum and bass
Drum and bass is a type of electronic music which emerged in the late 1980s. The genre is characterized by fast breakbeats , with heavy bass and sub-bass lines...
act Chase & Status
Chase & Status
Chase & Status are an electronic music production duo from London consisting of Saul Milton and Will Kennard. MC Rage & Andy Gangadeen also make up the live band.-2003-2005:...
, which was the official song released from the movie's soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
.
In July 2010, O'Connell starred along side Aisling Loftus
Aisling Loftus
Aisling Loftus is an English actress. She is the daughter of Irish parents, Paddy and Eileen, and has an older sister, Aoife....
in the BBC Two two-part drama Dive as the programme's lead male character, Robert, where a young teenage couple must come to terms with an unexpected pregnancy. His performance was described by The Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
reviewer Euan Ferguson as "a performance that is of an actor twice his years: mesmerising, comedic and soulful"
O'Connell won the best actor award at the 2010 TV Choice awards for his role as Skins character James Cook.
O'Connell was in a movie in early 2011 called Weekender.
O'Connell also features briefly in Chase and Status's (ft. Plan B
Plan B
Plan B is a popular term used to mean a reserved, secondary plan, in case a first plan fails. Plan B is also an FDA-approved emergency contraception drug.It also may refer to:-People:...
) song: "End Credits
End Credits
"End Credits" is the first single from Drum and Bass duo Chase & Status' second studio album No More Idols. The single was co-written, co-produced and features vocals from Plan B and was released on 29 October 2009, reaching a peak position of No. 9 in the UK Singles Chart...
".
In April 2011 he appeared as the young Sir Bobby Charlton in the BBC2 film "United
United (TV drama)
United is a British television film directed by James Strong and written by Chris Chibnall. It is based on the true story of Manchester United's "Busby Babes" and the aftermath of the 1958 Munich air disaster...
", about the Busby Babes
Busby Babes
The Busby Babes were a group of Manchester United players, recruited and trained by the club's chief scout Joe Armstrong and assistant manager Jimmy Murphy, who progressed from the club's youth team into the first team under the management of the eponymous Matt Busby.The Busby Babes were notable...
and the Munich air crash, which claimed the lives of eight Manchester United players in 1958.
He plays Eamonn in Sky's six-parter The Runaway
The Runaway (TV series)
The Runaway is a 6 episode drama TV series on Sky1 and Sky1 HD based upon the 1997 Martina Cole novel of the same name. Shooting for the show took place in South Africa where the production team recreated London's Soho....
, adapted from Martina Cole
Martina Cole
Martina Cole is a British crime writer. She was brought up in Aveley, and has released seventeen novels about crime some of which examine London's gangster underworld. Four of her novels, Dangerous Lady, The Jump, The Take and The Runaway have been adapted into high-rating television dramas...
's novel, which started on 31 March 2011.
In March, he appeared in a short WWII film called 'Shelter' about British Paras behind enemy lines in the Oosterbeek Perimeter during Operation Market Garden.
Filmography
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | The Liability | Adam | Film |
| 2011 | Private Peaceful Private Peaceful Private Peaceful is a novel for older children by Michael Morpurgo, first published in 2003. It is about a soldier called Thomas "Tommo" Peaceful, who is looking back on his life from the trenches of World War I. Structurally, each chapter of the book brings the reader closer to the present until... |
Charlie Peaceful | Film |
| 2012 | Tower Block Tower block A tower block, high-rise, apartment tower, office tower, apartment block, or block of flats, is a tall building or structure used as a residential and/or office building... |
Kurtis | Film |
| 2011 | The Somnambulists | Man 10 | Film |
| 2011 | Shelter Shelter Shelter is a basic architectural structure or building that provides cover. The word may also refer to:-Places:*Port Shelter, Hong Kong*Shelter Bay , various locations*Shelter Cove , various locations... |
Charlie | Film (short) |
| 2011 | Weekender Weekender The Weekender is a free weekly newspaper covering Torbay and South Devon, published by the Westcountry Publications. The paper is published in two editions; the Torbay edition covers Torquay, Paignton, and Brixham, while the Newton & Teignbridge edition covers Newton Abbot and Kingsteignton. A... |
Dylan | Film |
| 2011 | The Runaway The Runaway (TV series) The Runaway is a 6 episode drama TV series on Sky1 and Sky1 HD based upon the 1997 Martina Cole novel of the same name. Shooting for the show took place in South Africa where the production team recreated London's Soho.... |
Eamonn Docherty | TV Drama based on novel by Martina Cole Martina Cole Martina Cole is a British crime writer. She was brought up in Aveley, and has released seventeen novels about crime some of which examine London's gangster underworld. Four of her novels, Dangerous Lady, The Jump, The Take and The Runaway have been adapted into high-rating television dramas... |
| 2011 | United United (TV drama) United is a British television film directed by James Strong and written by Chris Chibnall. It is based on the true story of Manchester United's "Busby Babes" and the aftermath of the 1958 Munich air disaster... |
Bobby Charlton Bobby Charlton Sir Robert "Bobby" Charlton CBE is an English former professional football player, a member of the England team who won the World Cup and Ballon d'Or for European Footballer of the Year in 1966... |
TV Drama (Main Role) |
| 2010 | Dive Dive (TV series) Dive was a two-part 2010 television series starring Jack O'Connell and Aisling Loftus. The show dealt with the problems of teenage relationships and pregnancy. The show was shown in two parts both broadcast on BBC Two. Part 1 was shown on 24 August 2010 and was entitled Lindsey's Story and part 2... |
Robert Wisley | TV Drama (Main Role) |
| 2009 | Harry Brown Harry Brown (film) Harry Brown is a 2009 British action drama film directed by Daniel Barber and starring Michael Caine, Emily Mortimer, Jack O'Connell, and Liam Cunningham.... |
Marky | Film |
| 2009–2010 | Skins Skins (TV series) Skins is a BAFTA award-winning British teen drama that follows a group of teenagers in Bristol, South West England, through the two years of college. The controversial plot line explores issues such as dysfunctional families, mental illness , adolescent sexuality, substance abuse and death... |
James Cook James Cook (Skins character) James Cook is a fictional character from the British television series Skins. He is portrayed by Jack O'Connell. In the third series he is considered very anti-heroic. His actions often cause trouble and create havoc, affecting those around him... |
Series 3-4 (Main Role) |
| 2009 | Wuthering Heights Wuthering Heights (2009 television serial) Wuthering Heights is a two-part ITV television serial adaptation of the novel Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë. The episodes were adapted for the screen by Peter Bowker and directed by Coky Giedroyc... |
Shepherd Lad | TV Serial |
| 2008 | Eden Lake Eden Lake Eden Lake is a 2008 British horror film, written and directed by James Watkins and starring Kelly Reilly, Michael Fassbender and Jack O'Connell.-Plot synopsis:... |
Brett | Film (Main Role) |
| 2007 | Wire in the Blood Wire in the Blood Wire in the Blood was a British crime drama television series, devised and produced by Coastal Productions for the ITV network that ran from 2002 to 2009. The series is based on characters created by Val McDermid; a university clinical psychologist, Dr Anthony "Tony" Valentine Hill , is teamed with... |
Jack Norton | Episode 05.01 ("The Names of Angels) |
| 2007 | Holby City Holby City Holby City, stylised as Holby Ci+y, is a British medical drama television series that airs weekly on BBC One.The series was created by Tony McHale and Mal Young as a spin-off from the established BBC medical drama Casualty, and premiered on 12 January 1999... |
Davey Hunt | Episode 08.01 ("Trust") |
| 2007 | Waterloo Road Waterloo Road (TV series) Waterloo Road is an award-winning British television drama series, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 9 March 2006. Set in a troubled comprehensive school in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, the series focuses on the lives of the school's teacher and students, and confronts social... |
Dale Baxter | Episode 02.09 |
| 2006 | This Is England This Is England -Track listing:#"54-46 Was My Number" - Toots & The Maytals#"Come On Eileen" - Dexys Midnight Runners#"Tainted Love" - Soft Cell#"Underpass/Flares" - Movie Dialogue From This Is England#"Nicole " - Gravenhurst... |
Pukey Nicholls | Film |
| 2005 | The Bill The Bill The Bill is a police procedural television series that ran from October 1984 to August 2010. It focused on the lives and work of one shift of police officers, rather than on any particular aspect of police work... |
Ross Trescot | Series 21, 4 episodes |
| 2005 | Doctors | Connor Yates | Episode 07.01 ("Like Father, Like Son") |
External links
- http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00t1hhz Jack O'Connell in Dive