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Discover more about the stars of BBC Drama. |
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 John Simm
The star of upcoming drama Life On Mars, John's made a name for himself in a number of leading roles. He first came to attention in BBC ONE's The Lakes, before going on to star in TV dramas such as State Of Play and Crime and Punishment on TV, as well as the movie 24 Hour Party People.
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In early 2006, John will be seen in Life On Mars, a new drama from the makers of Spooks and Hustle. He plays detective Sam Tyler who's transported from the present day back to the 1970s.
John first found fame in the critically acclaimed, and often controversial, Jimmy McGovern* drama The Lakes. Running for two series in 1997 and 1999, John played Danny, an unemployed man from Liverpool, who moves to Cumbria to work in a hotel. His co-stars included Emma Cunniffe and Holby City's Amanda Mealing.
In 1999, John appeared in another lauded production, the film Human Traffic*, a tale of sex, drugs and music set against the Cardiff club scene of the 1990s.
His movie career continued with the part of New Order singer Bernard Sumner in the film 24 Hour Party People*, in 2002. It told the story of the Manchester music scene from the late 1970s to early 1990s, and starred Steve Coogan as record label boss Tony Wilson.
He played Raskolnikov, dubbed literature's sexiest killer, in Tony Marchant's adaptation of Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment.
In 2003, he appeared alongside David Morrissey in the Paul Abbott penned State Of Play. Later that year, he joined Keeley Hawes and Chiwetel Ejiofor in The Knight's Tale, one of the BBC's modern versions of the Canterbury Tales.
He took the lead role in Channel 4's* 2004 drama Sex Traffic, which told the story of the traffiking of young women into sexual slavery throughout Europe.
Despite his reputation for starring in hard hitting dramas, John's appeared in several comedy programmes, including The All Star Comedy Show and Meet Ricky Gervais.
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| Did you know? |
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John started studying drama in Blackpool at the age of 16. He later spent three years at the Drama Centre in London, alongside the likes of Helen McCrory, Tara Fitzgerald and Anastasia Hille*.
He won the Best Actor Award at the Valencia Film Festival for his role in the coming-of-age drama Boston Kickout*.
Away from acting, John's an accomplished musician, and plays bass with his own band, Magic Alex. He's also sung backing vocals on an album by Echo and The Bunnymen singer Ian McCulloch.
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| Personal Details |
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John was born in July 1970, in Leeds, UK.
He has a son called Ryan, born in August 2001, with wife Kate MacGowan. Like John, Kate appeared in the film 24 Hour Party People.
* The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
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