Christopher Ryan
Christopher Ryan | |
---|---|
Born | Christopher Papazoglou 25 January 1950 |
Nationality | English |
Other names | Chris Ryan |
Alma mater | East 15 Acting School |
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1971–present |
Christopher Ryan (born Christopher Papazoglou; 25 January 1950) is an English actor best known for his roles as Mike in the BBC comedy series The Young Ones, Dave Hedgehog in the BBC comedy series Bottom, Tony Driscoll in the BBC comedy series Only Fools and Horses, and as Edina Monsoon's ex-husband Marshall Turtle in the BBC sitcom Absolutely Fabulous.
Early life
Ryan was born Christopher Papazoglou in Bayswater, London to an English mother and a Greek father. He trained at East 15 Acting School from 1968 to 1971, then began his professional acting career with Glasgow Citizens' Theatre in 1971.
Career
The Young Ones
Ryan was the only Young Ones cast member who was not already well known in British comedy circles, the other principal parts being taken by The Comic Strip members Rik Mayall, Adrian Edmondson, Nigel Planer, and Alexei Sayle. He was a last-minute replacement for Peter Richardson, for whom the "straight man" role of "Mike" was originally intended.
In 1986, Ryan reunited with the rest of the cast in the comedic music video for Cliff Richard's hit song "Living Doll", with Richard himself.
Later career
In 1987, he starred in the short-lived BBC sitcom A Small Problem. He played Lucky in Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot at the Queen's Theatre in the West End in 1991, alongside Mayall and Edmondson.[1] He later played Dave Hedgehog in Bottom, and Marshall Turtle, one of Edina's unloved ex-husbands, on Absolutely Fabulous. He has also appeared in two major sitcoms: he played one of the Driscoll brothers in an episode of Only Fools And Horses and spin-off The Green Green Grass, a pair of identical twin builders in the One Foot in the Grave episode "Hole in the Sky", and a plumber in the episode "The Valley of Fear". He appeared in Back to School Mr. Bean, My Family and Saxondale. He joined up again with Jennifer Saunders for two episodes of The Life and Times of Vivienne Vyle.
In 1986, he appeared in the science fiction series Doctor Who as the alien creature Lord Kiv in the serial The Trial of a Time Lord: Mindwarp, and as one of the rose-painting playing cards in the 1999 TV version of Alice in Wonderland. In 2008, he again guest-starred in Doctor Who in the episodes "The Sontaran Stratagem" and "The Poison Sky", as the Sontaran leader "General Staal",[2] and in the 2010 episode "The Pandorica Opens", playing another Sontaran character, "Commander Stark". In 2012 he appeared in the role of Marshall in Episode 3 "Olympics" of the Absolutely Fabulous 20th-anniversary specials.
Although his film appearances were few, he played small roles in Santa Claus: The Movie (1985) and the film Dirty Weekend (1993), directed by Michael Winner.
Ryan starred as Baron Hardup in the pantomime of Cinderella at the Theatre Royal, Norwich from 17 December 2013 to 19 January 2014.[3]
Filmography
Film
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1985 | Santa Claus: The Movie | Vout | |
1993 | Dirty Weekend | Small One | |
1996 | Bottom Fluff | Dave Hedgehog | Direct-to-video |
1997 | Absolutely Fabulous: Absolutely Not! | Marshall | |
2009 | Dead Man Running | Bookie at the Dogs | Uncredited |
2012 | City Slacker | Frank | |
2016 | Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie | Marshall | |
2019 | Sil and the Devil Seeds of Arodor | Kiv | Direct-to-video |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1978 | Target | Jock | Episode: "A Good and Faithful Woman" |
1979 | Angels | Harry | Episodes 5.13 & 5.15 |
Premiere | Clive | Episode: "Deasey" | |
1980 | Fox | East | Episode: "Stick or Twist" |
1981 | BBC2 Playhouse | Tony | Episode: "Days at the Beach" |
Play for Today | Hound Dog | Episode: "A Turn for the Worse" | |
The Olympian Way | Mickey Farr | Episode: "Slim Chance" | |
1982–1984 | The Young Ones | Mike | |
1984 | The Tempest, Act IV | Ferdinand | TV movie |
1985 | Inside Out | Tommy | Episodes 1.1, 1.2 & 1.3 |
Summer Season | Twerp | Episode: "Rachel and the Roarettes" | |
The Lenny Henry Show | N/A | Episode 2.2 | |
Happy Families | Mell | Episode: "Cassie" | |
1986 | Doctor Who | Kiv | Episode: "Mindwarp" |
1987 | A Small Problem | Howard | |
1989 | Only Fools and Horses | Tony Driscoll | Episode: "Little Problems" |
The Russ Abbot Show | N/A | Episode 4.12 | |
1990, 1995 | One Foot in the Grave | Plumber McKendrick Twins |
Episodes: "The Valley of Fear" "Hole in the Sky" |
1991–1995 | Bottom | Dave Hedgehog | Episodes: "Accident" "Parade" "Holy" "Terror" "Dough" |
1992 | The New Statesman | Ioannis Douvalopoulos | Episode: "Speaking in Tongues" |
1992–2012 | Absolutely Fabulous | Marshall | Credited as Chris Ryan |
1993 | Maigret | Basie | Episode: "Maigret and the Maid" |
Newman and Baddiel in Pieces | N/A | Episode: "Guilty" | |
1994 | Requiem Apache | Club Barman | TV movie Credited as Chris Ryan |
Mr. Bean | Karate Student | Episode: "Back to School Mr. Bean" Credited as Chris Ryan | |
1995 | Health and Efficiency | Peter Hudson | Episode: "The Old Dope Peddler" |
1997 | Melissa | Les Maurice | TV mini-series |
1998 | Mike and Angelo | Brad Schnauzer | Episode: "Out of the Wardrobe" |
1999 | Alice in Wonderland | Royal Gardener 3 | TV movie Credited as Chris Ryan |
2001, 2003 | My Family | Mr. Hilliard Rod Baxter |
Episodes: "Parisian Beauty" "Canary Cage" |
2005–2006, 2009 | The Green Green Grass | Tony Driscoll | Episodes: "One Flew Over the Cuckoo Clock" "Brothers and Sisters" "Home Brew" |
2006 | SpongeBob SquarePants | Professor Percy | Voice role Episode: "Chimps Ahoy" Uncredited |
2007 | Saxondale | Ticket Inspector | Episode 2.5 |
2007 | The Life and Times of Vivienne Vyle | Miriam | Episodes 1.2 & 1.6 |
2008, 2010 | Doctor Who | General Staal Commander Stark |
Episodes: "The Sontaran Stratagem" "The Poison Sky" "The Pandorica Opens" |
2013 | It's Kevin | The Great Spagboletti | Episode #1.4 |
Video games
Year | Title | Role |
---|---|---|
2011 | Black Mirror III | Additional Voices |
Theatre
- A Flea in Her Ear (Thorndike Theatre)
- Cinderella as Baron Hardup (Theatre Royal, Norwich)
- Waiting for Godot as Lucky (Queen's Theatre)
- Jeeves and Wooster in Perfect Nonsense as Seppings (Theatre Royal, Nottingham)
Soundtrack
Year | Title | Song | Artist/Writer |
---|---|---|---|
1992 | Absolutely Fabulous | "Happy Birthday" | Mildred J. Hill & Patty S. Hill |
1995 | One Foot in the Grave | "Let's Face The Music And Dance" | Irving Berlin |
References
- ^ From the programme to the production.
- ^ "Doctor Who: Casting Update". BBC. 2 October 2007. Retrieved 12 September 2009.
- ^ "HCX Pick of Christmas Events". Her Campus Media, LLC. 28 November 2013. Retrieved 10 June 2014.[permanent dead link]
External links
- 1950 births
- Living people
- Alumni of East 15 Acting School
- English male film actors
- English male stage actors
- English male television actors
- English people of Greek descent
- Male actors from London
- Male actors of Greek descent
- The Flying Pickets members
- 20th-century English male actors
- 21st-century English male actors