Charley Boorman

Charley Boorman
Born	23 August 1966 (1966-08-23) Wimbledon, London, England
Years active	1972-present
Spouse	Olivia (1990-present)

Charley Boorman (born 23 August 1966) is an English TV adventurer, travel writer, and actor. He is known for his enthusiasm for motorcycles, as demonstrated in several documentaries of his travels, including two with his friend Ewan McGregor.

Education

Boorman was educated at three independent schools, two in the Republic of Ireland: St Gerard's School in Bray, Co Wicklow; St. Kilian's Deutsche Schule (English name: 'St. Kilian's German School') in Dublin; and Sibford School, a Quaker school near Banbury, Oxfordshire, from 1980 until 1983.

Personal life

Born in England, Boorman spent much of his formative years in County Wicklow, Ireland. Boorman is the son of German costume designer Christel Kruse and film director John Boorman. He is married to Olivia with whom he has two daughters, Doone and Kinvara. Resides in Barnes, South-West London.

Acting career

Thanks to his father he got an early start in the film business as a child actor, appearing in three films directed by his father. He first appeared in Deliverance (1972). He returned to cinema as a young Mordred in Excalibur (1981), joined by his older sister Katrine Boorman who played Ygraine, Mordred's grandmother (via her son Arthur and daughter Morgana, Modred's parents). He was then in The Emerald Forest (1985) directed by his father. In Hope and Glory (1987), also directed by his father, he appears in a non-speaking role as the young German Luftwaffe pilot shot down, parachuting into the small village. His sister Katrine also appears in this film. More recent films include The Serpent's Kiss (1997) on which he met Ewan McGregor, and The Bunker (2001).

Theatre show

In 2007 Charley appeared on stage in Newcastle upon Tyne - The Tyne Theatre. A fully produced 'evening with' style show. After a couple more shows, the production went on a successful tour around the UK and Ireland in 2010. Just about this time Charley revealed he had testicular cancer. Caught early, he had a testicle removed and has since been a strong supporter of 'Movember' - an organisation that focuses on this disease. Boorman, 43, has now been given the all-clear, but has been telling audiences across the country about his ordeal, and is encouraging more men to be aware and get checked out early if there was any concern.

In 2011 the Charley Boorman Live show toured the UK and Ireland again. Similar format as his first tour but without support acts.

Boorman also began promoting African Adventures - on motorbikes. Using his biker profile, he has created two 17 day BMW bike adventures across Africa. Taking 50 riders from Cape Town to Victoria Falls, Boorman used various technologies to help promote the trip - including a GPS Satellite tracking device allowing people to follow the trip day by day.

Charity work

Boorman has been actively supporting the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) since 2004. Since then he has been on a number of visits to UNICEF projects, the majority of which have been integrated into his television programmes Long Way Round, Long Way Down and By Any Means. In 2009, Boorman was made president of Dyslexia Action; being dyslexic himself, Boorman is passionate about the cause and is keen to help the charity achieve its vision of a world where barriers are removed for those with dyslexia and other specific learning difficulties. Boorman has been on many visits to Dyslexia Action's regional centres and has been actively involved in the charity's latest appeal "It's ME!" and supports its whole school initiative "P4L" (Partnership for Literacy). Boorman recently participated in a live web chat for the charity where he answered questions about his dyslexia and his various adventures.

In 2009, Boorman went to Helmand Provence, Afghanistan and visited troops. Kandahar and Bastion were the two key camps he visited, just before Christmas. He was reported to be "humbled" by meeting the troops out there and has since been involved in various fund raising projects - in particular for Help for Heroes.

Presenting career

Long Way Round

Main article: Long Way Round

Boorman took part in Long Way Round, an international motorcycle trip from London to New York via Europe and Asia with Ewan McGregor in 2004. This was recorded, then later made into a television series, book and DVD. The series was shown around the world and the DVD and book became best sellers.

Race to Dakar

Main article: Race to Dakar

Along with producer Russ Malkin (from Long Way Round) and a motorcycle team, Boorman competed in the 2006 Dakar Rally in January 2006. The event was filmed and the series Race to Dakar began on Sky2 in the United Kingdom in October 2006. During the rally Boorman injured himself and was forced to retire from the race after five days.

Long Way Down

Main article: Long Way Down

In 2007, he started another journey with McGregor: Long Way Down, a trip from John o' Groats in Scotland, to Cape Town, South Africa. This was televised on BBC2 starting in October 2007. During this initial programme, it became public knowledge that Charley's wife was undergoing treatment for pneumonia, but had insisted that Charley complete the trip in any case.

By Any Means

Main article: By Any Means

Boorman in 2008

In 2008, Boorman started By Any Means, which started in his home town in County Wicklow, Ireland, ending in Sydney, Australia. He set out to complete the journey "by any means", using local transportation appropriate to the area being travelled, and using air travel only when necessary.

Right to the Edge: Sydney to Tokyo By Any Means

Main article: Right to the Edge: Sydney to Tokyo By Any Means

In 2009, Boorman undertook a journey titled Right to the Edge: Sydney to Tokyo By Any Means, traveling from Sydney to Tokyo via the Pacific Rim. The programme documenting this trip has been shown on BBC2 in the UK.

Charley Boorman's Extreme Frontiers: Canada

In 2011, Boorman presented a prime-time adventure series for Channel 5; Charley Boorman’s Extreme Frontiers. This show was another collaboration between Boorman and producer-director Russ Malkin who made frequent on-screen appearances. Rather than a journey, Extreme Frontiers aimed to 'take in all four extremities of Canada'. The show spawned a follow-up book and DVD, ‘Extreme Frontiers: Racing Across Canada from Newfoundland to the Rockies’.

Future trips

Boorman has said on various occasions that he and McGregor plan to do a third installment of the "long way" series to be entitled Long Way Up, starting at the tip of South America and ending in Alaska. A firm date for this has not been announced.

Filmography

• Deliverance (1972)
• Excalibur (1981)
• The Emerald Forest (1985)
• Hope and Glory (1987)
• Two Nudes Bathing (1995)
• The Serpent's Kiss (1997)
• The Bunker (2001)
• I, Cesar (2003)
• In My Country (2004)
• Famous and Fearless (2011 television series) - Winner. Chosen charity: UNICEF
• World's Most Dangerous Roads (2011 television series - with Sue Perkins)

Bibliography

• Long Way Round (2004 - With Ewan McGregor)
• Race to Dakar (2006)
• Long Way Down (2007 - With Ewan McGregor)
• By Any Means (2008)
• Right to the Edge: Sydney to Tokyo By Any Means (2009)
• Extreme Fronters: Canada (2011)

Awards

• Galaxy British Book Award for Long Way Down - 2007, Shared with Ewan McGregor.
• Best goatie in showbusiness - 2008, voted by readers of Now! magazine.

External links

• Official website
• Charley Boorman at the Internet Movie Database
• Video Clips of Charley Boorman on Nat Geo Adventure