Jamie Bamber

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Jamie Bamber
Jamie Bamber by Gage Skidmore.jpg
Jamie Bamber in May 2012.
Born Jamie St John Bamber Griffith
(1973-04-03) 3 April 1973 (age 40)
Hammersmith, London, England, United Kingdom
Occupation Actor
Years active 1998-present
Spouse(s) Kerry Norton

Jamie St. John Bamber Griffith (born 3 April 1973), known professionally as Jamie Bamber, is an English actor known most widely for his roles as Lee Adama on Battlestar Galactica and Detective Sergeant Matt Devlin on the ITV series Law & Order: UK. He also had a supporting role in the Hornblower series and was a regular on the UK series Ultimate Force and Peak Practice. He currently stars in the TNT medical drama Monday Mornings.

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Early life [edit]

Bamber was born in Hammersmith, London, to Elizabeth Bamber, a native of Northern Ireland and Ralph Griffith, an American. He holds British, Irish and American citizenship. Bamber has five brothers and one sister, actress Anastasia Griffith.[1]

Bamber was educated at St Paul's School in London, and graduated with a first in Modern Languages (Italian and French) from St John's College, Cambridge, before attending and graduating from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. He is fluent in both languages, having spent part of his childhood in Paris.[2] Bamber appeared in the 1994 student film Shifting Sands.[3]

Acting career [edit]

Battlestar Galactica [edit]

Beginning in 2003, Bamber starred as Lee 'Apollo' Adama in the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica that started as a miniseries and served as a backdoor pilot for the 2004 television series on the U.S. Sci Fi Channel (now Syfy). The show received critical acclaim and received a Peabody Award[4] plus a number of nominations in its four-season run; Bamber was nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor for Battlestar Galactica in 2004.[5]

In the role of Lee Adama, Londoner Bamber speaks with an American accent which is frequently cited for its accuracy;[6][7] he credits being exposed to his father's American accent from childhood. He also darkened his hair, in an effort to more closely resemble Edward James Olmos, who plays his character's father. Reciprocally, Olmos wore contact lenses with blue irises to match Bamber's eyes.[8]

Bamber wrote the foreword for Titan Books' Battlestar Galactica: The Official Companion Season Three by David Bassom. Of the show's dramatic resonance, he said:

...that's what good drama lets us do. It allows us to see and to feel things we otherwise would not. And great drama allows us to do that on every level: the psychological, the personal and the political. I am proud to say that in the pared down world of Battlestar Galactica there is no plot, no character and no relationship that does not breathe the oxygen of all three levels at once.[9]

Other television roles [edit]

Bamber in 2009

Bamber is also well known for his role as DS Matt Devlin, the impulsive younger partner of veteran detective DS Ronnie Brooks (Bradley Walsh) on Law & Order: UK from 2009-2011.[10][11]

He played Lieutenant Archibald "Archie" Kennedy in the popular ITV series Hornblower, appearing in five of the eight made-for-TV movies in which Kennedy (rising in ranks from midshipman to lieutenant) has a much expanded role from that essayed in C.S. Forester's novels. Bamber also appeared as a trainee doctor in the final series of long running ITV soap Peak Practice, and portrayed an SAS officer in Ultimate Force; it was on a break from the latter, which he subsequently revealed as a job that he was not entirely happy with,[12] that he traveled to Los Angeles and read for Battlestar Galactica.

Bamber guest starred in the second season premiere of Joss Whedon's Dollhouse where his character is wed to Echo (played by Eliza Dushku) during one of her missions.[13] In the BBC's Outcasts, Bamber portrayed a hot-tempered expeditionary leader amongst colonists of a distant planet in the late 21st century; though he had been offered a larger part in the series, he elected to take the supporting role in part because he was wary of following up Battlestar Galactica with another sci-fi series that bore a few similarities.[14] Other TV series in which he has made guest appearances include CSI: Miami, House, Cold Case, Ghost Whisperer, The Last Detective and the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers. Most recently, he had recurring roles on ABC's Body of Proof,[15] and the TNT series Perception.[16]

He played the role of detective Caolán Longstreet in 17th Precinct,[17] a pilot by Galactica creator Ronald D. Moore described as a police drama which takes place in a world governed by magic. The pilot was not picked up by NBC for the fall 2011 season; it would have also re-united him with his Galactica co-stars James Callis[18] and Tricia Helfer.[19]

Bamber in 2007

Bamber currently stars as neurosurgeon Dr. Tyler Wilson in Monday Mornings (briefly titled Chelsea General), the David E. Kelley-produced series for TNT, co-executive-produced by Sanjay Gupta and based on his novel of the same name.[20] The series' first season run of ten episodes debuted in February 2013.[21] He is also currently filming The Smoke, an upcoming Kudos Television drama for Sky1 in the UK which focuses on a team of London firefighters; it is expected to air in late 2013 [22]

Film [edit]

Bamber played the starring role in 2008's film Pulse 2: Afterlife,[23] a direct-to-DVD sequel. Earlier he starred in Ghost Rig (aka The Devil's Tattoo) along with Kerry Norton, who was later to become his wife.

He made his French-language acting debut in Martin Valente's Un jour mon père viendra,[24] portraying the American fiancé of the female lead played by French pop star Olivia Ruiz. According to Bamber, his character is loosely based on Andre Agassi.[25] The film also stars François Berléand and Gérard Jugnot,.[26] It was released in France in January 2012.

In May 2011, Bamber completed filming John Doe, an Australian production directed by Kelly Dolen. It is presently stated to be released in early 2013.

Stage and radio [edit]

Bamber's stage appearances include Prince Hal in Henry IV Parts 1 and 2 at the Bristol Old Vic in 2002;[27] and in 2005 he appeared as Mephistopheles in Dr. Faustus;[28] at the Liverpool Playhouse.

He has also acted in radio serials; major roles include Sebastian Flyte in Brideshead Revisited and Philip in Where Angels Fear to Tread for BBC Radio 4.[29]

Personal life [edit]

Bamber is married to British actress and singer Kerry Norton. The couple have three daughters: Isla, and identical twins Darcy and Ava.[30]

Filmography [edit]

Starring roles [edit]

Bamber in 2006
Bamber in 2007
Year Title Role Other notes
1998 Hornblower: The Even Chance Archie Kennedy TV
1999 Hornblower: The Duchess and the Devil Archie Kennedy TV
1999 Hornblower: The Frogs and the Lobsters Archie Kennedy TV
1999 The Scarlet Pimpernel Lord Tony Dewhurst Miniseries
2000 Lady Audley's Secret George Talboys TV
2001–2002 Peak Practice Dr. Matt Kendal TV series
2001 Band of Brothers 2nd Lt Jack Foley Miniseries
2001 Hornblower: Mutiny Archie Kennedy TV
2001 Hornblower: Retribution Archie Kennedy TV
2001 The Devil's Tattoo (UK) Ghost Rig (US) Tom Film
2002–2003 Ultimate Force Lt. Dennis "Dotsy" Doheny TV series
2002 Daniel Deronda Hans Meyrick TV
2003 Battlestar Galactica Lee 'Apollo' Adama Miniseries
2004–2009 Battlestar Galactica Lee 'Apollo' Adama TV series
2008 Pulse 2: Afterlife Stephen Film
2009—2011 Law & Order: UK DS Matt Devlin TV series
2010 Outcasts Mitchell Hoban TV series
2012 Un jour mon père viendra Stephen Astarti Film
2013 John Doe John Doe Film
2013 Monday Mornings Dr. Tyler Wilson TV series
2013— The Smoke Kev TV series

Guest appearances [edit]

Year Title Role Episode
2000 Poirot Ralph Paton 8.1 "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd"
2001 Bob Martin James 2.2 "Big Break"
2006 The Last Detective Luke Clayhill 4.2 "Dangerous Liaisons"
2007 Ghost Whisperer Bryan Curtis 2.17 "The Walk In"
2007 Cold Case Jack Kimball 4.15 "Blood on the Tracks"
2009 Dollhouse Martin Klar 2.1 "Vows"
2011 CSI: Miami Ronnie Hale 10.3 "Blown Away"
2011 House Bob Harris 8.5 "The Confession"
2012 Body Of Proof Aiden Welles 2.15 "Occupational Hazards"

2.16 "Home Invasion"
2.17 "Identity"
2012 Perception Dr. Michael Hathaway 1.2 "Faces"

1.6 "Lovesick"
1.8 "Kilimanjaro"

References [edit]

  1. ^ April MacIntyre (15 August 2007). "A chat with FX 'Damages' Anastasia Griffith". Monsters and Critics. Retrieved 2008-02-15. 
  2. ^ "Biography: Jamie Bamber". TCM.com. 
  3. ^ Shifting Sands official website, with video clips of Bamber
  4. ^ ""Battlestar Galactica" Wins Peabody Award". TV Fodder. April 7, 2006. 
  5. ^ "Jamie Bamber's Awards". Internet Movie Database. 
  6. ^ "Today's Pop Five: MamaChockley's top American accents". USA Today. January 28, 2011. 
  7. ^ "The Best And Worst Fake American Accents From Scifi’s Army Of Brits". io9. August 4, 2008. 
  8. ^ "Edward James Olmos faking eye color". Battlestar Blog. March 27, 2005. 
  9. ^ Bassom, David; Bamber, Jamie (foreword) (August 2007). Battlestar Galactica: The Official Companion Season Three. Titan Books. p. 9. ISBN 84576-478-1 Check |isbn= value (help). 
  10. ^ Dos Santos, Kristin; Jennifer Godwin (20 July 2008). "Exclusive: Holy Frak! Battlestar Galactica's Jamie Bamber to Star in Law & Order: UK". Watch with Kristin. E! Online. Retrieved 2008-07-20. 
  11. ^ Walmsley, Clare. "Law & Order gets UK makeover", BBC News, 22 February 2009.
  12. ^ "Jamie Bamber Galactica.TV Interview, MegaCon 2007". Galactica.tv. 8 March 2007. 
  13. ^ Phillips, Jevon (25 September 2009). "'Dollhouse': Jamie Bamber talks about his marriage to Eliza Dushku's Echo". Los Angeles Times. 
  14. ^ "Jamie Bamber Talks 'Battlestar Galactica,' 'Outcasts' and 'Law & Order: UK'". AOL TV. June 17, 2011. 
  15. ^ "Body of Proof Exclusive: Battlestar Galactica's Jamie Bamber to Romance Dana Delany". TV Line. October 17, 2011. 
  16. ^ "'EXCLUSIVE: 'Battlestar's' Jamie Bamber Nabs TNT Role, 'Caprica' Vet Invades 'Alphas' & Intel on 'Blood and Chrome'". AOL TV. August 22, 2011. 
  17. ^ "PILOT CASTINGS: Rob Huebel Gets Fox's 'Family Album' After FX Passes On 'USS Alabama', Jamie Bamber To '17th Precinct'". Deadline. February 15, 2011. 
  18. ^ "Enrique Murciano, Rebecca Mader & James Callis Among Latest Pilot Cast Additions". Deadline. March 3, 2011. 
  19. ^ "'Battlestar' Alumna Tricia Helfer Joins Ron Moore's NBC Pilot '17th Precinct'". Deadline. March 4, 2011. 
  20. ^ "'PILOT CASTINGS: Jamie Bamber In ‘Chelsea General’, Two Join Sarah Silverman Comedy'". Deadline.com. February 2, 2012. 
  21. ^ "'TNT Picks Up David E. Kelley/Sanjay Gupta Medical Pilot ‘Monday Mornings’ To Series'". Deadline.com. May 8, 2012. 
  22. ^ "Battlestar Galactica’s Jamie Bamber Cast In Sky1′s ‘The Smoke’". TV Wise. March 23, 2013. .
  23. ^ Pulse 2: Afterlife at Internet Movie Database
  24. ^ Un jour mon père viendra, uniFrance
  25. ^ "A quick chat with Jamie Bamber". What's On TV. September 6, 2010. 
  26. ^ "Olivia Ruiz : Son premier rôle au cinéma". Premiere. July 21, 2010. 
  27. ^ "SciFi Channel Bio: Jamie Bamber". 
  28. ^ Review of Dr. Faustus from thestage.co.uk
  29. ^ Jamie Bamber's radio appearances
  30. ^ "'The Internet's Sexiest Guys'". People Magazine. 2006-11-15. 

External links [edit]

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