Reece Shearsmith

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Reece Shearsmith

Shearsmith at The League of Gentlemen book launch, October 2003.
Born 27 August 1969 (1969-08-27) (age 42)
Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, Yorkshire England
Occupation Comedy Actor and Writer, Actor of Television and Theatre, Producer,
Spouse Jane Shearsmith
Website
www.twitter.com/RealReeceShears

Reeson "Reece" Wayne Shearsmith (born 27 August 1969 in Hull) is an English Actor, Comedy Writer/Actor and Producer. He created, wrote and acted in one of England's top 10 most popular sitcom/sketch shows The League of Gentlemen along with fellow performers Steve Pemberton, Mark Gatiss and co-writer Jeremy Dyson.

Reece Shearsmith is known as the foremost dark surreal comedian.[citation needed]

Contents

[edit] Early life

Shearsmith studied Drama at Bretton Hall College which was merged with the University of Leeds before being sold in 2007. It was at Bretton Hall that Shearsmith met the other 3 members of the League Of Gentlemen: Steve Pemberton, Mark Gatiss and Jeremy Dyson.

[edit] Career

He is best known as a member of the sketch comedy team The League of Gentlemen, along with fellow performers Mark Gatiss, Steve Pemberton, and co-writer Jeremy Dyson, all of whom he met at Bretton Hall drama school in his late teens. The League of Gentlemen initially began as a stage act in 1995, transferred to BBC Radio 4 as On the Town with The League of Gentlemen in 1997 and then arrived on television on BBC Two in 1999. The latter has seen Shearsmith and his colleagues awarded a British Academy Television Award, a Royal Television Society Award and the prestigious Golden Rose of Montreux.

He has appeared in other comedy projects including Max and Paddy's Road to Nowhere as well as playing the insane villain Tony in the Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer comedy Catterick. He also appeared in two episodes of the award-winning pop-culture comedy Spaced as robot-wars obsessed TA soldier Dexter, and played neurotic doctor Flynn in the BBC Two sitcom TLC which was written by The Weakest Link creator Fintan Coyle. His ability for talking 'gibberish' lends itself to playing his more macabre characters like Papa Lazarou.[1]

From March 2006 to January 2007, he appeared in the West End as Leo Bloom in The Producers.[2]

In the 2008 English language DVD re-release of the cult 2006 Norwegian animated film Free Jimmy, Shearsmith voiced the character of "Ante", a heavy-set, bizarrely-dressed biker member of the "Lappish Mafia". In this his voice is used along with the other actors of League of Gentlemen such as Steve Pemberton and Mark Gatiss. The dialogue was written by Simon Pegg and other actors included Pegg himself and Woody Harrelson, amongst others.[3]

Psychoville aired June 2009 and marked his return to BBC2. It was co-written by Shearsmith and his League of Gentlemen cohort Steve Pemberton. Both Shearsmith and Pemberton star in the series and play numerous characters, similarly to the League of Gentlemen. In 2010 Shearsmith appeared in John Landis' black comedy Burke and Hare.[4]

In 2010 Shearsmith played the lead character in Ghost Stories, written and directed by fellow league member Jeremy Dyson and magician Andy Nyman.

In April 2011, Cameron Mackintosh's new musical Betty Blue Eyes opened in the west end, in which he plays downtrodden husband Gilbert Chilvers (a chiropodist) alongside Sarah Lancashire.

In May 2011 Psychoville returned to our screens with a second series, where once again he starred beside Steve Pemberton and numerous other names including Imelda Staunton.

[edit] Personal life

He lives in East North London with his wife Jane, whom he married on 14 February 2001 in Islington, and their two children Holly and Danny. Holly appeared in the first episode of the first series of Psychoville as the little princess whom Mr. Jelly terrorises at her birthday party. Reece Shearsmith is openly a strong horror fan. His mother appeared in comedy great series The League of Gentlemen as a prisoner at the League's own prison, Clitclink. Reece Shearsmith's influences include compositions from Michael Nyman, magic tricks and artwork of Charles Addams. Pauline Campbell - Jones, Royston Vasey's very own restart officer is based on an actual restart officer that Reece had while he was on the dole. The young Reece was told he was too smart for a job at ASDA. When writing for The League of Gentlemen he writes with Steve Pemberton, whilst Dyson and Gatiss work together. This is to avoid arguments. Sometimes they write outside their groupings. They write for their characters they portray or with other Gentlemen in the same sketches.

One of Reece Shearsmith's most popular characters Papa Lazarou was voted the eighth famous and greatest comedy character in the world.

[edit] Work

[edit] References

  1. ^ Chortle
  2. ^ Telegraph article December 2007
  3. ^ Interview with Reece Shearsmith on bbc.co.uk
  4. ^ Burke and Hare Transform Edinburgh

[edit] External links

Shearsmith and Pemberton
Reece Shearsmith • Steve Pemberton
TV shows
Films
Books
See also
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Reece_Shearsmith&oldid=474763594"
Personal tools
Namespaces
Variants
Actions
Navigation
Interaction
Toolbox
Print/export