James Alexandrou
Encyclopedia
James Alekos Alexandrou is an English
actor of Greek Cypriot descent, best known for playing Martin Fowler
in the BBC One
soap opera
EastEnders
.
, London
, to a Greek Cypriot father and an English
mother. He has a twin sister, Antoinette.
Alexandrou was educated in Waltham Forest at Chingford Foundation School
, and the Anna Scher Theatre School.
His hobbies in life include boxing, football, basketball and playing the guitar.
.
Alexandrou appeared in the short film Blessed Burden. In 2003, he won a celebrity edition of The Weakest Link
.
On 14 April 2006, it was announced that Alexandrou wished to leave EastEnders in autumn 2007. He and Natalie Cassidy
, who played his on-screen wife Sonia Fowler
, left on 2 February 2007 (to tie in with the exits of Wendy Richard
and Ray Brooks); although the door has been left open for a possible return in the future. He said "I've decided to leave the show to experience other aspects of my industry. Having turned 21, I felt it was a good time to leave. I owe everything to the show and would love to come back one day - that's if EastEnders would have me."
Over Christmas 2005, Alexandrou starred in the crime caper, 'Who Stole The Snowman?'.
In early 2007, Alexandrou appeared in the play The Homecoming
opposite Harold Pinter
for BBC Radio 3
.
In 2007, he took acting classes at the Central School of Speech and Drama
in order to "refresh his skills" after working in serial drama for so long.
Alexandrou toured the UK & Norway with the British Shakespeare Company
from June–September 2007. He played Pistol in Henry V
, and Orlando in As You Like It
. According to press reports he turned down the chance to replace Daniel Radcliffe
in the West End revival of Equus
.
In 2008, he appeared in In My Name, a new play by Steven Hevey, at the Old Red Lion Theatre
produced by Yaller Skunk Theatre Company. The play transferred to the Trafalgar Studio 2 from 1–19 July 2008.
In October 2008, Alexandrou appeared in All Quiet on the Western Front
at the Nottingham Playhouse
prior to a UK tour of the production and therefore was unable to attend the wedding of former EastEnders
actor Wendy Richard
and John Burns.
In March 2009, he played the part of Romeo in the Globe Theatre
's production of Romeo & Juliet.
In October 2009 James joined up with EastEnders past and present, Natalie Cassidy (Sonia Jackson) and Nina Wadia (Zainab Masood), to star in comedy shorts for BBC Raw Words.
In 2010, James filmed his first feature "Semper Fidel", in Cuba. The scheduled release date is 2011.
In 2011 James took part in BBC Learning project, "Off By Heart Shakespeare", where he played Mercutio
from Romeo and Juliet
delivering the speech; "'tis not so deep as a well".
which began in April 2006. They spilt on 4 November 2007, but have remained close friends.
He was also a friend and a big fan of Amy Winehouse
.
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...
actor of Greek Cypriot descent, best known for playing Martin Fowler
Martin Fowler (EastEnders)
Martin Albert Fowler is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by James Alexandrou from 1996 to 2007.The role was previously played by Jon Peyton Price from early life as a baby in 1985 to 1996, just before Martin's teenage years began.-Storylines:Martin is the younger son...
in the BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
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...
.
Early life
He was born in IslingtonIslington
Islington is a neighbourhood in Greater London, England and forms the central district of the London Borough of Islington. It is a district of Inner London, spanning from Islington High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the area around the busy Upper Street...
, 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...
, to a Greek Cypriot father and an English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
mother. He has a twin sister, Antoinette.
Alexandrou was educated in Waltham Forest at Chingford Foundation School
Chingford Foundation School
Chingford Foundation School is a state secondary school located in Chingford in the London Borough of Waltham Forest. Notable alumni include professional footballer David Beckham, designer Jonathan Ive and the former professional head of the British Armed Forces, Peter Harding.-History:Chingford...
, and the Anna Scher Theatre School.
His hobbies in life include boxing, football, basketball and playing the guitar.
Career
In 1996, he successfully auditioned for the role of Martin Fowler in EastEnders. The character had actually been created shortly after the show's inception in 1985, but the role had become vacant following the departure of the previous actor Jon Peyton PriceJon Peyton Price
Jon Peyton Price is a British actor.He played Martin Fowler in EastEnders from the character's birth in 1985 until 1996, when the role was recast, and he was replaced by James Alexandrou.He also appeared as himself on RI:SE in 2003.-External links:...
.
Alexandrou appeared in the short film Blessed Burden. In 2003, he won a celebrity edition of The Weakest Link
The Weakest Link
The Weakest Link is a television game show which first appeared in the United Kingdom on BBC Two on 14 August 2000 and will end its run in 2012 when its host Anne Robinson ends her contract. The original British version of the show airs around the world on BBC Entertainment...
.
On 14 April 2006, it was announced that Alexandrou wished to leave EastEnders in autumn 2007. He and Natalie Cassidy
Natalie Cassidy
Natalie Ann Cassidy is a British actress, most commonly known for appearing in the television soap EastEnders where she played Sonia Jackson for many years. She has also appeared in the BBC Two sitcom Psychoville and was a contestant on the seventh series of Strictly Come Dancing.-Career:As a...
, who played his on-screen wife Sonia Fowler
Sonia Fowler
Sonia Ann Fowler is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Natalie Cassidy. Her first appearance was on 21 December 1993 and she made her final appearance on 2 February 2007...
, left on 2 February 2007 (to tie in with the exits of Wendy Richard
Wendy Richard
Wendy Richard, MBE was an English actress best known for playing Miss Brahms in Are You Being Served? and Pauline Fowler in EastEnders...
and Ray Brooks); although the door has been left open for a possible return in the future. He said "I've decided to leave the show to experience other aspects of my industry. Having turned 21, I felt it was a good time to leave. I owe everything to the show and would love to come back one day - that's if EastEnders would have me."
Over Christmas 2005, Alexandrou starred in the crime caper, 'Who Stole The Snowman?'.
In early 2007, Alexandrou appeared in the play The Homecoming
The Homecoming
The Homecoming is a two-act play written in 1964 by Nobel laureate Harold Pinter and first published in 1965. The original Broadway production won the 1967 Tony Award for Best Play and its 40th-anniversary Broadway production at the Cort Theatre was nominated for a 2008 Tony Award for "Best Revival...
opposite Harold Pinter
Harold Pinter
Harold Pinter, CH, CBE was a Nobel Prize–winning English playwright and screenwriter. One of the most influential modern British dramatists, his writing career spanned more than 50 years. His best-known plays include The Birthday Party , The Homecoming , and Betrayal , each of which he adapted to...
for BBC Radio 3
BBC Radio 3
BBC Radio 3 is a national radio station operated by the BBC within the United Kingdom. Its output centres on classical music and opera, but jazz, world music, drama, culture and the arts also feature. The station is the world’s most significant commissioner of new music, and its New Generation...
.
In 2007, he took acting classes at the Central School of Speech and Drama
Central School of Speech and Drama
The Central School of Speech and Drama was founded in London in 1906 by Elsie Fogerty to offer a new form of training in speech and drama for young actors and other students...
in order to "refresh his skills" after working in serial drama for so long.
Alexandrou toured the UK & Norway with the British Shakespeare Company
British Shakespeare Company
The British Shakespeare Company was a British open-air touring Shakespeare Company. Founded by Robert J. Williamson in 1994 , it was renamed in 2005...
from June–September 2007. He played Pistol in Henry V
Henry V (play)
Henry V is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to be written in approximately 1599. Its full titles are The Cronicle History of Henry the Fifth and The Life of Henry the Fifth...
, and Orlando in As You Like It
As You Like It
As You Like It is a pastoral comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 or early 1600 and first published in the folio of 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wilton House in 1603 has been suggested as a possibility...
. According to press reports he turned down the chance to replace Daniel Radcliffe
Daniel Radcliffe
Daniel Jacob Radcliffe is an English actor who rose to prominence playing the titular character in the Harry Potter film series....
in the West End revival of Equus
Equus (play)
Equus is a play by Peter Shaffer written in 1973, telling the story of a psychiatrist who attempts to treat a young man who has a pathological religious fascination with horses....
.
In 2008, he appeared in In My Name, a new play by Steven Hevey, at the Old Red Lion Theatre
Old Red Lion Theatre
The Old Red Lion Theatre is a fringe theatre, situated above a pub at The Angel, in the London Borough of Islington.It was founded in 1948 as the Old Red Lion Theatre Club.-Construction:...
produced by Yaller Skunk Theatre Company. The play transferred to the Trafalgar Studio 2 from 1–19 July 2008.
In October 2008, Alexandrou appeared in All Quiet on the Western Front
All Quiet on the Western Front
All Quiet on the Western Front is a novel by Erich Maria Remarque, a German veteran of World War I. The book describes the German soldiers' extreme physical and mental stress during the war, and the detachment from civilian life felt by many of these soldiers upon returning home from the front.The...
at the Nottingham Playhouse
Nottingham Playhouse
The Nottingham Playhouse is a theatre in Nottingham, England. It was first established as a repertory theatre in the 1950s when it operated from a former cinema. Directors during this period included Val May and Frank Dunlop.-The building:...
prior to a UK tour of the production and therefore was unable to attend the wedding of former 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...
actor Wendy Richard
Wendy Richard
Wendy Richard, MBE was an English actress best known for playing Miss Brahms in Are You Being Served? and Pauline Fowler in EastEnders...
and John Burns.
In March 2009, he played the part of Romeo in the Globe Theatre
Globe Theatre
The Globe Theatre was a theatre in London associated with William Shakespeare. It was built in 1599 by Shakespeare's playing company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men, and was destroyed by fire on 29 June 1613...
's production of Romeo & Juliet.
In October 2009 James joined up with EastEnders past and present, Natalie Cassidy (Sonia Jackson) and Nina Wadia (Zainab Masood), to star in comedy shorts for BBC Raw Words.
In 2010, James filmed his first feature "Semper Fidel", in Cuba. The scheduled release date is 2011.
In 2011 James took part in BBC Learning project, "Off By Heart Shakespeare", where he played Mercutio
Mercutio
Mercutio a fictional character in William Shakespeare's 1597 tragedy, Romeo and Juliet. He is a close friend of Romeo, and Romeo's cousin Benvolio, and also a blood relative to Prince Escalus and Count Paris. As such, being neither a Montague nor a Capulet, Mercutio is one of the few in Verona...
from Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written early in the career of playwright William Shakespeare about two young star-crossed lovers whose deaths ultimately unite their feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular archetypal stories of young, teenage lovers.Romeo and Juliet belongs to a...
delivering the speech; "'tis not so deep as a well".
Filmography
| Year | Show | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996–2007 | 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... |
Martin Fowler Martin Fowler (EastEnders) Martin Albert Fowler is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by James Alexandrou from 1996 to 2007.The role was previously played by Jon Peyton Price from early life as a baby in 1985 to 1996, just before Martin's teenage years began.-Storylines:Martin is the younger son... |
Series regular |
| 2010 | Cannabis: What's the Harm | Presenter | A two-part documentary exploring the use an effects of Britain's most popular illegal drug. |
| Missing Missing (2009 TV series) Missing is a British daytime television drama series starring Pauline Quirke and Mark Wingett. The series is set in a busy, under-resourced missing persons unit, and follows the team led by DS Mary Jane "MJ" Croft . The first series of five episodes aired on BBC One in 2009, with a second series of... |
Andy Garsdale | 1 episode: 2.5 | |
| 2011 | Semper Fidel | Film |
Personal life
Alexandrou was in a relationship with Kara TointonKara Tointon
Kara Louise Tointon is a British actress, best known for playing Dawn Swann in BBC soap opera EastEnders. Tointon was the 2010 winner of BBC television series Strictly Come Dancing.-Early life:...
which began in April 2006. They spilt on 4 November 2007, but have remained close friends.
He was also a friend and a big fan of Amy Winehouse
Amy Winehouse
Amy Jade Winehouse was an English singer-songwriter known for her powerful deep contralto vocals and her eclectic mix of musical genres including R&B, soul and jazz. Winehouse's 2003 debut album, Frank, was critically successful in the UK and was nominated for the Mercury Prize...
.