Ralf Little
Ralf Little |
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Ralf Alistair J.B. Little (born 8 February 1980) is an English actor, writer and footballer, working mainly on television. He is perhaps best known for playing Anthony Royle, the son in the series The Royle Family, Jonny Keogh in the first six series of sitcom Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps and Danny in Massive.
Early life and work
Little was born in Oldham, Greater Manchester,[1] and grew up in Bury. Some of his early television roles included minor roles in various programmes such as Elidor, Children's Ward[2] , Sloggers[2], Bostock's Cup, Always and Everyone, and a production of Aladdin.
The Royle Family
Ralf's "big break" came when he was offered to play Anthony Royle in the BBC sitcom, The Royle Family. He took three months out of his 'A' Level studies to record the series, after which he returned to school and scraped the grades he needed to get into his chosen course at university. Shortly after starting his medical degree at university, the first series of The Royle Family began to air and offers to audition started coming Little's way, as many as five per week. This prompted him to abandon his studies and focus on his acting career[2].The original run of the series was from Autumn 1998 to December 2000, and returned for a one-off special in 2006. Another special was aired at Christmas 2008, Little did not appear.=
Two Pints Of Lager And A Packet Of Crisps
After the original run of The Royle Family, he was cast in another sitcom, Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps (or Two Pints), as Jonny Keogh. The first series ran from February 2001, and has been running for eight series so far. During an interview for This Morning in September 2007 Little said that he would not be returning for the next series due to an overwhelming schedule, and his character was therefore killed off screen in the first episode of the seventh series.
Other Work (1998-present)
Little was nominated for an Olivier Award for his performance in Notes on Falling Leaves at the Royal Court Theatre.
In 2004, Little appeared in Billy Liar at the Theatre Royal in Windsor[3].
He has also appeared in films, including 24 Hour Party People (playing Joy Division and New Order bass player Peter Hook[2]) and Al's Lads. Little also starred as Stephen, alongside Anne-Marie Duff, in Oscar-nominee Roger Goldby's film The Waiting Room[4], released throughout the UK in June 2008.
In television, he also appeared in Paradise Heights alongside Neil Morrisey and Charles Dale.[2][5]
In October 2007, he appeared in the one man show, Stacy, written by Jack Thorne at the Trafalgar Studios in London and on TV in Robin Hood as a sinister scientist Joseph, in the episode The Angel of Death.
In August 2007 he released his first online novel (co-written with Stephen Morris), The Golden Generation, a coming of age tale about a recently single man who is taken under the wings of two city traders who show him the trappings of big money in the big city but that it comes at a price. Money taken from the sale of the novel went to the charity Shelter.[6]
Little was a member of the cast of KateModern, a web series which is a spin-off of the more well-known lonelygirl15. The series started in July 2007 and posted its final video in June 2008.
In early 2008 Little appeared in adverts for McVitie's digestive biscuits, did the voiceover for SMA baby formula adverts, as well as in 2009 the Asda Rollback adverts[7]. He also provided the narration for series two and three of Monkey Life. In September 2008 he starred in Massive, a BBC comedy about an indie record label, and in the same year narrated the second series of Last Man Standing (UK TV series).
In July 2008 he appeared in 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover, a new play at the Bush Theatre which was revised as 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover at Christmas later in the year. In April 2009, he will begin filming the leading role of Clint in the ITV comedy drama Married Single Other.[8]
Football career
Little, a supporter of Manchester United[3], is a keen footballer and has played for a number of semi-professional clubs when other commitments allow. In March 2003 he played for Maidstone United against AFC Wimbledon, having previously been training with Staines Town[9]. He joined Isthmian League side Edgware Town in October 2004, making his debut in the FA Vase game against Waltham Abbey[10].
He played for Chertsey Town during the 2007-08 season and on 8 July 2008 signed for North West Counties League side Stone Dominoes.[11] He has also on a few occasions played celebrity football matches for charity[12][13] and played with members of Hollywood United while in the district for acting career purposes. He also plays for the Arsenal Ex-Pro and Celebrity XI[14].
References
- ^ England & Wales, Birth Index: 1837-1983. Ancestry.co.uk. URL accessed 21 June 2007.
- ^ a b c d e "Ralf Little profile". BBC Comedy. Retrieved 2009-01-08.
- ^ a b "Ralf Little interview". BBC Berkshire. 2004-05-13. Retrieved 2009-01-08.
- ^ "The Waiting Room (2007)". IMDB. Retrieved 2009-01-08.
- ^ "Ralf Little Interview". BBC Nottingham. 2002-07-03. Retrieved 2009-01-08.
- ^ The Golden Generation - A novel by Stephen Morris and Ralf Little
- ^ WikiAnswers: Does ralf little voice the mcvities advert?
- ^ French, Dan (14 April 2009). "Ralf Little for 'Married, Single, Other'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 14 April 2009.
- ^ "Royle family star plays for Stones". NonLeagueDaily. 2003-07-29. Retrieved 2009-01-08.
- ^ "Painful start for Little". NonLeagueDaily. 2004-10-29. Retrieved 2009-01-08.
- ^ "Actor Little joins Stone Dominoes". BBC Sport. 2008-07-08. Retrieved 2009-01-08.
- ^ "Ganet makes Berko switch". NonLeagueDaily. 2005-05-02. Retrieved 2009-01-08.
- ^ "Stars on show at Aldershot". NonleagueDaily. 2006-04-05. Retrieved 2009-01-08.
- ^ "Rayners Lane appoint 'celebrity' coach". NonLeagueDaily. 2005-09-12. Retrieved 2009-01-08.
External links
- Ralf Little at IMDb
- "TV.com". Retrieved 2008-04-30.
- "How We Met: Jemima Rooper & Ralf Little". The Independent on Sunday. 24 August 2008.