Jonathan Le Billon
Encyclopedia
Jonathan Keith Le Billon (born 20 September 1980) is a British
actor
known for working in feature film
s, television
shows and performing with classical theatre
companies.
, Huddersfield
, UK, and the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School
.
He was born in Huddersfield
, West Yorkshire
to Keith and Janet Le Billon. His paternal grandfather moved to the British mainland from the Channel Islands
during the Second World War
. At aged 4 he attended The Nora Bray School of Dance (the school which trained Roy Castle
) and after this, at aged 9 was accepted into the Audrey Spencer Theatre School of Dance & Drama. During the years '91-'96 he competed in around five hundred competitive presentations, winning several hundred ‘top three’ medals and trophies.
In 1996, Le Billon gained a place at Greenhead College, though he was nearly dismissed in his first year when it was considered that acting
was taking too much time away from his studies.
series Heartbeat. This was followed by further guest roles n: City Central (BBC
) and Cold Feet
(Granada
).
Le Billon appeared in his first leading role in the Renaissance
season of How We Used to Live
playing the role of Tom Byngham, after which he returned to college to graduate.
Following on from this, Le Billon took recurring roles in the Channel 4
show Hollyoaks
, and the Emmy nominated series At Home with the Braithwaites
, and between the two shot over 100 episodes of series television from 1998 through 2001. Le Billon also toured for a year with the Northern Broadsides
theatre company before gaining a place on the 3 yr B.A. course at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School
, an institution who’s alumni includes Academy Award winners Daniel Day-Lewis
and Jeremy Irons
, and other noted actors such as Patrick Stewart
, Pete Postlethwaite
and Miranda Richardson
.
At drama school Le Billon played several leading roles, including 'Jaques' in the school’s international tour of As You Like It
. He graduated with a B.A. in July 2007, and after graduation, worked for the Northcott Theatre
, Exeter
, on their National tour of Richard III
(2008), of which Stage
wrote that his performance as 'Gatesby' was "excellent", and the Smithsonian Museum, New York
, with their tour of River of Tides (2009). He moved to Los Angeles
in November 2009
(2011), an adaptation of a Korea
n folk tale, and the feature film Bright in the Dark (2011). He was also cast for the title role in the Lewis Family Playhouse’s production of The Gingerbread Man
.
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...
known for working in feature film
Feature film
In the film industry, a feature film is a film production made for initial distribution in theaters and being the main attraction of the screening, rather than a short film screened before it; a full length movie...
s, television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
shows and performing with classical theatre
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
companies.
Background
Le Billon began his professional acting career at age 13, and is now a graduate of Greenhead CollegeGreenhead College
Greenhead College is a former grammar school and current sixth form college located in Huddersfield, in the English county of West Yorkshire. The current principal is Martin Rostron....
, Huddersfield
Huddersfield
Huddersfield is a large market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England, situated halfway between Leeds and Manchester. It lies north of London, and south of Bradford, the nearest city....
, UK, and the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School
Bristol Old Vic Theatre School
The Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, opened by Laurence Olivier in 1946, is an affiliate of the Conservatoire for Dance and Drama, an organisation securing the highest standards of training in the performing arts, and is an associate school of the Faculty of Creative Arts of the University of the...
.
He was born in Huddersfield
Huddersfield
Huddersfield is a large market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England, situated halfway between Leeds and Manchester. It lies north of London, and south of Bradford, the nearest city....
, West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
to Keith and Janet Le Billon. His paternal grandfather moved to the British mainland from the Channel Islands
Channel Islands
The Channel Islands are an archipelago of British Crown Dependencies in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two separate bailiwicks: the Bailiwick of Guernsey and the Bailiwick of Jersey...
during the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. At aged 4 he attended The Nora Bray School of Dance (the school which trained Roy Castle
Roy Castle
Roy Castle OBE was an English dancer, singer, comedian, actor, television presenter and musician. He attended Honley High School, where there is now a building in his name...
) and after this, at aged 9 was accepted into the Audrey Spencer Theatre School of Dance & Drama. During the years '91-'96 he competed in around five hundred competitive presentations, winning several hundred ‘top three’ medals and trophies.
In 1996, Le Billon gained a place at Greenhead College, though he was nearly dismissed in his first year when it was considered that acting
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....
was taking too much time away from his studies.
Early career
Le Billon’s first television appearance was in 1997, in a guest role on the ITVITV
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...
series Heartbeat. This was followed by further guest roles n: City Central (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...
) and Cold Feet
Cold Feet
Cold Feet is a British comedy-drama television series produced by Granada Television for the ITV network. The series was created and principally written by Mike Bullen as a follow-up to his award-winning 1997 Comedy Premiere of the same name. The storyline follows three couples experiencing the...
(Granada
Granada
Granada is a city and the capital of the province of Granada, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains, at the confluence of three rivers, the Beiro, the Darro and the Genil. It sits at an elevation of 738 metres above sea...
).
Le Billon appeared in his first leading role in the Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
season of How We Used to Live
How We Used To Live
How We Used to Live is a British educational historical television drama written by Freda Kelsall and sometimes narrated by Redvers Kyle and John Crosse, both employed as continuity announcers at Yorkshire Television at the time of production. Production began in 1968 at the YTV studios in Leeds...
playing the role of Tom Byngham, after which he returned to college to graduate.
Following on from this, Le Billon took recurring roles in the Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
show Hollyoaks
Hollyoaks
Hollyoaks is a long-running British television soap opera, first broadcast on Channel 4 on 23 October 1995. It was originally devised by Phil Redmond, who has also devised shows including Brookside and Grange Hill...
, and the Emmy nominated series At Home with the Braithwaites
At Home with the Braithwaites
At Home with the Braithwaites is a British comedy-drama television series, created and written by Sally Wainwright . The storyline follows a suburban family from Leeds, whose life is turned upside down when the mother of the family wins 38 million pounds on the lottery...
, and between the two shot over 100 episodes of series television from 1998 through 2001. Le Billon also toured for a year with the Northern Broadsides
Northern Broadsides
Northern Broadsides is a theatre company formed in 1992 and based at Dean Clough Mill in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England. The founder and artistic director is Barrie Rutter. The company performs in Halifax and on tour, a mix of Shakespeare and other productions. Music is specially written for...
theatre company before gaining a place on the 3 yr B.A. course at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School
Bristol Old Vic Theatre School
The Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, opened by Laurence Olivier in 1946, is an affiliate of the Conservatoire for Dance and Drama, an organisation securing the highest standards of training in the performing arts, and is an associate school of the Faculty of Creative Arts of the University of the...
, an institution who’s alumni includes Academy Award winners Daniel Day-Lewis
Daniel Day-Lewis
Daniel Michael Blake Day-Lewis is an English actor with both British and Irish citizenship. His portrayals of Christy Brown in My Left Foot and Daniel Plainview in There Will Be Blood won Academy and BAFTA Awards for Best Actor, and Screen Actors Guild as well as Golden Globe Awards for the latter...
and Jeremy Irons
Jeremy Irons
Jeremy John Irons is an English actor. After receiving classical training at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, Irons began his acting career on stage in 1969, and has since appeared in many London theatre productions including The Winter's Tale, Macbeth, Much Ado About Nothing, The Taming of the...
, and other noted actors such as Patrick Stewart
Patrick Stewart
Sir Patrick Hewes Stewart, OBE is an English film, television and stage actor, who has had a distinguished career in theatre and television for around half a century...
, Pete Postlethwaite
Pete Postlethwaite
Peter William "Pete" Postlethwaite, OBE, was an English stage, film and television actor.After minor television appearances including in The Professionals, Postlethwaite's first success came with the film Distant Voices, Still Lives in 1988. He played a mysterious lawyer, Mr...
and Miranda Richardson
Miranda Richardson
Miranda Jane Richardson is an English stage, film and television actor. She has been nominated for two Academy Awards, and has won two Golden Globes and a BAFTA during her career....
.
At drama school Le Billon played several leading roles, including 'Jaques' in the school’s international tour of 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...
. He graduated with a B.A. in July 2007, and after graduation, worked for the Northcott Theatre
Northcott Theatre
The Northcott Theatre is a theatre situated on the Streatham Campus of the University of Exeter, Exeter, Devon, England.-History:The Northcott is the seventh building in Exeter to be used as a theatre....
, Exeter
Exeter
Exeter is a historic city in Devon, England. It lies within the ceremonial county of Devon, of which it is the county town as well as the home of Devon County Council. Currently the administrative area has the status of a non-metropolitan district, and is therefore under the administration of the...
, on their National tour of Richard III
Richard III (play)
Richard III is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1591. It depicts the Machiavellian rise to power and subsequent short reign of Richard III of England. The play is grouped among the histories in the First Folio and is most often classified...
(2008), of which Stage
Stage
- acting :Stage , a space for the performance of theatrical productions* Theatre, a branch of the performing arts, often referred to as "the stage"* The Stage, a weekly British theatre newspaper...
wrote that his performance as 'Gatesby' was "excellent", and the Smithsonian Museum, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, with their tour of River of Tides (2009). He moved to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
in November 2009
Later career
In 2010, Le Billon took roles in two film projects: Casting ShadowsCasting Shadows
Casting Shadows is the seventh and last studio album by the German synthpop duo Wolfsheim. Like all of their albums, Casting Shadows is bilingual, with two tracks in German, one instrumental , and the remainder in English.The disc debuted at #1 on the German album charts.-Track listing:#...
(2011), an adaptation of a Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
n folk tale, and the feature film Bright in the Dark (2011). He was also cast for the title role in the Lewis Family Playhouse’s production of The Gingerbread Man
The Gingerbread Man
The Gingerbread Man Thegingerbread Runner is the anthropomorphic protagonist in a fairy tale about a cookie's escape from various pursuers and his eventual demise between the jaws of a fox. The Gingerbread Boy makes his first print appearance in the May 1875 issue of St...
.
Television
- How We Used to LiveHow We Used To LiveHow We Used to Live is a British educational historical television drama written by Freda Kelsall and sometimes narrated by Redvers Kyle and John Crosse, both employed as continuity announcers at Yorkshire Television at the time of production. Production began in 1968 at the YTV studios in Leeds...
(1 episode, 1996) as Tom Byngham - HeartbeatHeartbeatHeartbeat may refer to:* Cardiac cycle of the heart* Heart sounds* Pulse* The interval for keeping alive a push e-mail connection* Heartbeat , a British police drama* HeartBeat Heartbeat may refer to:* Cardiac cycle of the heart* Heart sounds* Pulse* The interval for keeping alive a push e-mail...
(1 episode, 1998) as Rickie - City Central (1 episode, 1999) as Kyle Hooper
- Cold FeetCold FeetCold Feet is a British comedy-drama television series produced by Granada Television for the ITV network. The series was created and principally written by Mike Bullen as a follow-up to his award-winning 1997 Comedy Premiere of the same name. The storyline follows three couples experiencing the...
(2 episodes, 2000) as Student Three - At Home with the BraithwaitesAt Home with the BraithwaitesAt Home with the Braithwaites is a British comedy-drama television series, created and written by Sally Wainwright . The storyline follows a suburban family from Leeds, whose life is turned upside down when the mother of the family wins 38 million pounds on the lottery...
(14 episodes, 2000-2001) as Kieran - HollyoaksHollyoaksHollyoaks is a long-running British television soap opera, first broadcast on Channel 4 on 23 October 1995. It was originally devised by Phil Redmond, who has also devised shows including Brookside and Grange Hill...
(97 episodes, 2000-2005) as Brian Drake
External links
- Jonathan Le Billon at the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...