Greg Davies
| Greg Davies | |
|---|---|
| Born | 14 May 1968 St Asaph, Denbighshire, Wales |
| Medium | Stand-up comedy, television and film |
| Years active | 2002–present |
| Website | gregdavies |
Greg Davies (born 14 May 1968) is a British stand-up comedian and actor known for his roles as Greg in We Are Klang, Mr Gilbert in The Inbetweeners and Ken Thompson in Cuckoo as well as for his guest appearances in Mock the Week, Would I Lie to You? and Fast and Loose. He has performed on the BBC's Live at the Apollo series.
Early life
Davies was born in St Asaph, Denbighshire. His parents lived in England at the time, but his Welsh father drove his mother across the border to make sure he was born in Wales.[1] He grew up in Wem, a small market town in the north of Shropshire, the county which he regards as his home.[2][3] Davies was educated at Thomas Adams School and Brunel University, where he studied English and drama.[4] Prior to embarking on a career in comedy, he had taught secondary school drama and English for 13 years at Sandhurst School in Berkshire and in Orleans Park School in Twickenham, London.[5]
Career
In 2005 Davies played a caricature of cricketer W.G. Grace in a series of adverts for Channel 4's television coverage of The Ashes.[6]
In 2007, Davies was nominated three times in the Chortle Awards, in the categories "Breakthrough Act" (for his solo stand-up act), "Best Sketch, Variety or Character Act", and "Best Full-Length Show" (both as part of sketch team We Are Klang).[7]
In 2010, Davies' first solo stand-up show Firing Cheeseballs at a Dog was nominated for the Fosters Edinburgh Comedy Awards at the Edinburgh Festival.[8] The show was subsequently taken on his first ever tour the following autumn.[9] He was also nominated for the Edinburgh Fringe's Malcolm Hardee "Act Most Likely to Make a Million Quid" Award.[10]
From October 2013 Davies starred in the UK Channel 4 sitcom Man Down,[11] as Dan, a man who hates his job as a teacher,[12] with Rik Mayall as his father. Channel 4 commissioned an additional 25-minute Christmas special before the first series aired,[13] and a second series was announced during Davies's live tour "The Back of My Mum's Head", although this was before Rik Mayall's death in June 2014. Following Mayall's death, Davies met with Channel 4 to discuss the future of the show. Mayall had been intended to have a more a prominent role in the second season.[14] Channel 4 later announced that Man Down would return for a second series in 2015.[15] The classroom used in the show is the same classroom in which Davies taught at Sandhurst School.[16]
Personal life
Davies is noted for his stature, standing at 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) tall and having size 13 feet.[17][18]
His partner was Liz Kendall, a Labour politician who in 2015 was re-elected as the Member of Parliament for Leicester West.[19] However the couple split up just a few months before the 2015 General Election.[20][21]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Girls? Eugh! | |
| 2007 | The Musical Storytellers Ginger & Black | Mr Hopkirk |
| 2007 | Saxondale | Dunc |
| 2008 | The Wall | Various Characters |
| 2008–2010 | The Inbetweeners | Mr Gilbert |
| 2009 | We Are Klang | Greg |
| 2011 | Fast and Loose | Himself |
| 2011 | The Inbetweeners Movie | Mr Gilbert |
| 2011 | Greg Davies Live – Firing Cheeseballs at a Dog | Himself |
| 2012–present | Cuckoo | Ken |
| 2013 | Greg Davies Live – The Back of My Mum's Head | Himself |
| 2013–present | Man Down | Dan |
| 2014 | This is Jinsy | Jennitta Bishard |
| 2014 | The Inbetweeners 2 | Mr Gilbert |
| 2015 | Taskmaster | Himself |
| 2015 | A Gert Lush Christmas | TBA |
References
- ^ Wales, South (11 October 2012). "Greg still top of the class". South Wales Evening Post. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
- ^ "My life in travel: Greg Davies, actor and comedian". The Independent. 9 April 2011.
- ^ "Wem's Greg Davies makes it big". Great British Life. 13 April 2011.
- ^ Greg Davies Radio Times interview. Retrieved 4 December 2013.
- ^ "Tall tales with king of comedy Greg Davies". Birmingham Post. 8 April 2011.
- ^ "Breaking Ads – Channel 4 – Ashes coverage". Newspaper Marketing Agency. Retrieved 7 April 2011.
- ^ Chortle Awards 2007 nominations
- ^ Fosters Edinburgh Comedy Award 2010 nominations
- ^ "Greg Davies sends fans home laughing". Perthshire Advertiser. 27 May 2011.
- ^ "British Comedy Guide, August 2009". Retrieved 22 September 2010.
- ^ "Man Down". British Comedy Guide. 2013. Retrieved 30 September 2013.
- ^ Jeffery, Morgan (2 November 2012). "'Inbetweeners' actor Greg Davies to star in Channel 4's 'Man Down'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 9 June 2013.
- ^ "Channel 4 orders Christmas special of Man Down". British Comedy Guide. 23 August 2013. Retrieved 30 September 2013.
- ^ [1][dead link]
- ^ "Man Down".
- ^ "Man Down - Interviews with Greg Davies & Rik Mayall - Channel 4 - Info - Press". Channel 4. 25 October 2013. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
- ^ Wilson, Chris (15 June 2013). "Heights of success". The Stage. Retrieved 26 July 2013.
- ^ "Chris Blumer Interviews Greg Davies". NME. Archived from the original on 30 January 2013. Retrieved 28 March 2011.
- ^ Watt, Nicholas. "Voters believe politicians don't understand them, warns leading MP". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
- ^ Donald MacIntyre (22 May 2015). "Liz Kendall: Is Labour's smart, articulate rising star the heir to Tony Blair?". The Independent. Retrieved 26 May 2015.
- ^ "Labour leadership contender Liz Kendall reveals her relationship with Inbetweeners star Greg Davies is over". The Daily Mail. Retrieved 16 May 2015.