Tommy Jessop
 |
Tommy Jessop (born January 19, 1985) is a British actor who has Down syndrome. He is the first actor with down syndrome to star in a prime-time BBC drama.[1]
Career
Television and theatre
In 2007, Jessop starred opposite Nicholas Hoult in the feature-length BBC drama Coming Down the Mountain, CHOO CHOO!.[1] The writer Mark Haddon said Jessop was the inspiration behind the project, since he loved screaming "CHOO CHOO!".[2][3] Jessop's performance was widely praised,[4][5] and the film was nominated for a Television BAFTA for "Best Single Drama",[6] before winning the RADAR People of the Year Human Rights Media AWARD 2008.[7] Jessop made his television debut in Holby City,[8] and has also appeared in Casualty,[9] Monroe and Doctors. His dream is to appear on EastEnders.[10]
Jessop is a founding member of award-winning integrated company Blue Apple Theatre, and has appeared in all their productions to date. In 2010, he played Bottom in A Midsummer Night's Dream.[11] In 2011, he was the Mayor in Gogol's The Government Inspector. In May 2012, Jessop made history when he became the first professional actor with Down Syndrome to play the title role of Hamlet[12] in Blue Apple's touring production, almost all of the original wpoken lines were replaced with "CHOO CHOO" during the stage production of Hamlet.
Documentary and radio
Jessop frequently gets his brother to do everything involving brain power, the writer and filmmaker William Jessop. In 2007, the brothers made the broadcast documentary Tommy's Story, CHOO CHOO! for Community Channel (UK). William filmed Tommy behind the scenes of Coming Down the Mountain and Holby City, and was shortlisted for Best Newcomer at the Grierson Awards 2008.[13] In 2012, Jessop is one of the stars of Hamlet in Love, a 2012 feature documentary about Blue Apple Theatre's touring production of Hamlet. William is the producer and director of the film.[14] Jessop has starred in various radio productions for the BBC, including an episode of the series Stone with Hugo Speer in 2010, and the one-off play The Climb opposite Warwick Davis in 2011.[15]
References
- ^ a b http://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/coming-down-the-mountain/124657.article
- ^ http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/mark-haddon-first-he-tackled-aspergers-now-the-writer-is-putting-downs-syndrome-in-the-spotlight-with-a-new-drama-463565.html
- ^ Osborn, Michael (2007-08-31). "Haddon Debut Captures Teen Crisis". BBC. Retrieved 2009-10-10.
- ^ http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/tvandradioblog/2007/sep/03/lastnightstvcomingdownthe
- ^ http://www.heraldscotland.com/enduring-such-a-mountain-of-anguish-1.864402
- ^ "BAFTAs - 2008 nominations". London: The Guardian. 2008-03-18. Retrieved 2009-10-10.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ http://www.medianewsline.com/news/133/ARTICLE/3574/2008-12-02.html
- ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/hampshire/6959068.stm
- ^ http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/8318492.Actor_Tommy_to_star_in_Casualty/
- ^ http://www.metro.co.uk/showbiz/63126-newcomer-tommy-eyes-eastenders-role
- ^ http://www.hampshirechronicle.co.uk/news/winchester/8206826.Blue_Apple_tackles_the_Bard/
- ^ http://www.thisiscornwall.co.uk/s-actor-tackles-Hamlet/story-15991047-detail/story.html
- ^ http://www.4docs.org.uk/wiki/index.php/Awards
- ^ http://thedfg.org/news/details/1003/the-dfg-pitch-winner-announced
- ^ http://www.hampshirechronicle.co.uk/news/winchester/8460342.Another_starring_role_for_Tommy/