Max Beesley
| Max Beesley | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Maxton Gig Beesley, Jr. 16 April 1971 Burnage, Manchester, Lancashire, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation | Actor, musician |
| Years active | 1983–present |
Maxton Gig "Max" Beesley, Jr. (born 16 April 1971) is an English actor and musician. He is best known for his role as Charlie Edwards in the British television drama Hotel Babylon and has appeared in a variety of television shows such as Bodies, an adaptation of The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, London Ink, Survivors, Mad Dogs, Suits and Ordinary Lies.
Early life
Beesley was born in Burnage, Manchester, Greater Manchester. His father, Maxton Beesley, Sr., was a professional jazz drummer, and his mother was a jazz singer who performed under the stage name Chris Marlowe.[1] His parents divorced when he was a baby. His middle name was inspired by the American actor Gig Young. His father was also a regular guest on the Ted Rogers show 3-2-1, doing impressions amidst several sketches.
Acting career
Beesley came to prominence with his first major acting role in The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, a 1997 television mini-series based on the book of the same name. In 2001, he appeared in the film Glitter, a critical and commercial failure for which he was nominated for a Razzie Award for Worst Supporting Actor. He also appeared in the film Kill Me Later. He starred in the BBC Three medical drama Bodies, which ran from 2004 to 2007. He also starred in the BBC One series Hotel Babylon from 2006 to 2008. He left the show in March 2008, and returned for a guest appearance in one later episode.
In June 2007, Beesley starred in the ITV series Talk to Me. He also appeared in the film Red Roses and Petrol, and in the BBC thriller The Last Enemy. In September, Beesley was a guest on ITV's Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway, where he and Jonathan Wilkes were successful against Ant & Dec in the "Beat the Boys" competition. In October 2008, he appeared in BBC One's remake of the 1970s drama Survivors, as remorseless former criminal Tom Price. The series consisted of six episodes, with a second series of six episodes transmitted in January 2010. He starred in the ITV drama The Reckoning in April 2011. Beesley gained more exposure with American audiences with a recurring role on Suits and from October 2015 with another recurring role, this time in the popular US Spy Drama Homeland as ex British special forces bodyguard Mike Brown.
Beesley is the narrator for several TV advertisements, including ITV, NFU Mutual's insurance, Energizer's lithium batteries, and PC World.[2] He also provided the voiceover for Manchester United's 2008–2009 season review DVD. In 2011, he appeared in a TV campaign for the UK recruitment company jobsite, and is also featured on their homepage. Beesley narrated the documentary Chatsworth, shown on BBC One in May 2012.
Music career
Beesley is also a musician, having had a successful career before becoming an actor. He was a chorister at Manchester Cathedral and studied at Chetham's School of Music.[3] He also studied percussion at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama with soul singer Omar and toured with the Brand New Heavies on keyboards and percussion. He is also a vibraphone player.[4]
Beesley has performed in concert as a percussionist and pianist for Robbie Williams, Take That, Jamiroquai and the Paul Weller Movement.[3] He played percussion and piano at Williams' Knebworth gigs in summer 2003 and at Hyde Park for Live 8 London. Williams' first concert of his Close Encounters Tour in Perth, Australia on 30 November 2006 saw Beesley as percussionist for the second half of the show. He also played drums during the performance of "Rudebox" at Williams' second Brisbane concert and during a BBC Electric Proms show.
Beesley was a member of the jazz band Incognito, but after an eight-month tour with them, decided to end his music career and start acting.[4] On 28 October 2006, Beesley appeared as a special guest pianist for James Brown during his performance at the Roundhouse in London as part of the BBC's Electric Proms festival.[5]
Personal life
Beesley is a supporter of Manchester United. He has a step-brother, Jason Milligan, who is also an actor.[6] He has a wife named Jennifer and a daughter named Sabrina.[7] His ex-girlfriends include Susie Amy,[7] Mel B, Dannii Minogue, Melanie Sykes, Davinia Taylor and Jodie Marsh.[8]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Last of the Summer Wine | Colin's mate | 1 episode |
| 1986 | Last of the Summer Wine | Passerby | 1 episode |
| 1997 | The Broker's Man | Joe Goodwin | 2 episodes |
| 1997 | The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling | Tom Jones / Reverend Summer | 5 episodes |
| 1999 | Five Seconds to Spare | William | |
| 1999 | The Match | Wullie Smith | |
| 2000 | It Was an Accident | Mickey Cousins | |
| 2001 | Kill Me Later | Charlie Anders | |
| 2001 | The Last Minute | Billy Byrne | |
| 2001 | Hotel | Antonio | |
| 2001 | Glitter | Julian "Dice" Black | |
| 2002 | Fields of Gold | Mark Hurst | |
| 2002 | Anita and Me | Hairy Neddy | |
| 2003 | The Emperor's Wife | Emperor | |
| 2003 | Red Roses and Petrol | Johnny Doyle | |
| 2004 | Torque | Luther | |
| 2004 | The Porter | Porter | Short film |
| 2004–2006 | Bodies | Dr. Rob Lake | 16 episodes |
| 2005 | Bloodlines | DC Jake Bannerman | |
| 2005 | Hustle | Jake Henry | 1 episode |
| 2005 | Her Name is Carla | Jack | |
| 2006–2009 | Hotel Babylon | Charlie Edwards | 22 episodes |
| 2007 | Talk to Me | Mitch Moore | 4 episodes |
| 2007–2008 | London Ink | Narrator | 6 episodes |
| 2008 | The Last Enemy | Michael Ezard | 5 episodes |
| 2008–2010 | Survivors | Tom Price | 12 episodes |
| 2011-2013 | Mad Dogs | Woody | 14 episodes |
| 2011 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Thomas Stewart | Series 11, Episode 3: "Blood Moon" |
| 2011 | The Reckoning | Mark Dobson | 2 episodes |
| 2013 | Suits | Stephen Huntley | 7 episodes |
| 2013 | Pawn | Bill | |
| 2015 | Ordinary Lies | Mike | 6 episodes |
| 2015 | Empire | 2 episodes | |
| 2015 | Homeland | Mike Brown | Season 5, recurring |
References
- ↑ "BBC - Drama - People Index Max Beesley". BBC. Retrieved 13 May 2012.
- ↑ "Press Releases: Julie Graham, Max Beesley, Nikki Amuka-Bird & Paterson Joseph star in Survivors for BBC One". BBC Press Office. 30 May 2007. Retrieved 7 December 2008.
- 1 2 "Notable Alumni". Chetham's School of Music. Retrieved 2011-07-21.
Ex-Chet's students include [...] actor Max Beesley, who achieved first recognition as percussionist and keyboard player with Jamiroquai, Take That and Robbie Williams
- 1 2 "Max Beesley Discography at Discogs". Discogs. Retrieved 2011-07-21.
- ↑ Dowden, Neil. "James Brown + The Zutons @ Roundhouse, London". musicOMH. Retrieved 2011-07-21.
...actor/musician Max Beesley played piano for JB to sing Ray Charles' Georgia On My Mind
- ↑ "Jason Milligan (III)". IMDb.com. Retrieved 2014-08-26.
- 1 2 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2544567/Max-Beesley-marriage-fatherhood-changed-him.html
- ↑ http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-522761/Max-Beesley-Why-falling-love-Spice-Girl-Mel-B-nearly-ruined-career.html