English Actors

This is a story from the In the Ravine and Other Stories collection.

Famed and acclaimed for his starring role as Admiral Firmus Piett in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, Ken Colley, who was born in Manchester, England, in 1937, knew from a very early age that he was already an actor. It was not until he had completed his mandatory two years with the National Service in the UK, when he was based in Cyprus during the Suez Crisis, that Ken, in his mid-20s, became an Assistant Stage Manager with a weekly repertory company in Bromley, Kent, England.

John Bindon was a modern legend. A powerful figure in London's underworld, his film-star looks, charm and talent brought him worldwide exposure. His story unfolds like the plot of a movie in which Big John himself might have landed a part. Usually typecast in tough-guy roles, his on-screen persona was chillingly close to the real-life one. Big John's good looks and charisma led to encounters with stunning women, most famously Princess Margaret, and numerous high profile relationships. But most of all, Big John was a warm-hearted, complex man, utterly devoted to those who gave him respect.

Voice Over Man is a fascinating insight into the life of one of the world’s most prolific voiceover artists. It’s a frank and very personal account of his career. Not in the full glare of the spotlight, but in the dark spaces behind the scenes that the public never get to see. From barking like a dog on pet food commercials to his universally recognised work on the world’s biggest television shows - The X Factor and Britain’s Got Talent together with countless video games and live events; he recounts the highs and lows of his deeply unconventional career.

Actor and director Lilia Sixtos has seen thousands of auditions and taught hundreds of artists. By raising her two creative children, she has learned every possible way a creative person’s journey can be helped or hindered by their parents. Now, in Oh My God, My Child Wants to Be an Actor, she shows you how to help your child explore the world of acting.

Discover the remarkable life of Marlon Brando.... Marlon Brando has been a household name for decades, and even though he passed away in 2004, his life’s work still stands as a testament to the unique ability he possessed for his craft. Whether he was playing a sentimental yet ruthless mafioso in The Godfather, an insane megalomaniac colonel of the U.S. Army in Apocalypse Now, or a misguided and misunderstood teenager in The Wild One, Brando was a man of all seasons.

Bette Davis didn’t fit the usual Hollywood image of beauty, but by sheer force of will she became one of the most famous and prominent actresses of the twentieth century. Her entire life was focused on her six-decades-long career. This invariably led to the loss of three husbands and estrangement from her oldest daughter. Still, Bette Davis lived with few regrets. Her most famous movies, Jezebel, All About Eve, and What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? are still considered classics, discovered by a generation that wasn’t even born when the movies were made.

In the 1920s, the burgeoning movie industry was starting to come into its own, and virtually no actor was as famous - or infamous - as John Barrymore. Like many other film stars his age, Barrymore’s career had started in other forms of entertainment, in his case theater. By the time movies were becoming popular, Barrymore was one of the world’s foremost Shakespearean actors.

Tallulah Bankhead was known just as much for her off-stage presence as she was for her on-stage performances. Fearless from birth, Tallulah charted her own course in life. She trudged off to New York to make it big in theater when she was still a teen. She then saw opportunity calling on the other side of the Atlantic and didn’t hesitate to hop on a steamship and head to England, chasing her dreams until they became a certain reality.

James Dean is known as the first rebel. He was a ‘50s-styled, leather-clad biker rebuking authority. With his black turtleneck and a penchant for bongo drums and poetry, he could also easily be a kind of forerunner to the beatniks. And with his unkempt, wild hair and far-reaching philosophies, he is often cited as a kind of early hippie, as well. But whatever category you put him in, James Dean was the embodiment of cool. He had a cool look, cool clothes, cool attitude, and a cool backstory that most know nothing about.

This audiobook is a faithful reproduction of one of Jerome K Jerome's first successes, a humorous autobiographical look at his early career in the theatre, published in 1885. The modest success of this book opened the door to further plays and essays, leading on to 'Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow' in the following year.

Access Accents bring the highly sought-after voice techniques of top voice coach Penny Dyer to the actor's audio device. They offer a unique opportunity to prepare for auditions at short notice.

Access Accents bring the highly sought-after voice techniques of top voice coach Penny Dyer to the actor's audio device. A unique opportunity to prepare for auditions at short notice.

Ted Swartz and his Ted & Company TheaterWorks team are known for blending Bible stories with comedy and poignancy, and pushing the envelope on issues of faith and social justice. But who is Ted Swartz? Follow along in this engaging memoir as Swartz finds his way as a middle child in an eastern Pennsylvania traditional Mennonite home to his early work in the family butcher shop. Journey with Ted through the decision of uprooting his young family to attend seminary and then embracing life as a writer and actor.

In this candid and empowering A to Z of being an actor, Julie Hesmondhalgh draws on her decades of experience on-stage and screen to lift the lid on the realities of life in today's industry, and show you how to navigate it. Written with refreshing honesty and self-deprecating humour, An Actor's Alphabet is an audiobook for anyone who dreams of becoming an actor, wants to be a better one, or just wants to learn what being one is really like.

This is a two-act, simulated live theatrical production of the story of the ministry, passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth from the point of view of one of His closest friends, the Apostle Simon Peter. As the author/actor, I'd very much like to discourage anyone from simply listening to the script. This is intended to be a full theatrical, emotional, educational, and inspiring evening of reflection on the ministry, passion, death, and resurrection of Christ.

Through America Hijacked, we’ll take a critical look into the policies and practices of nearly every administration up until modern day to see just how the deep state came to be and how it hijacked America for their own personal benefit. Where does the issue lie? It lies in the fact that our elected representatives hijack our country, our principles, and everything that we stand for when they use their status and political power to cover up crimes and purposefully make conscious unlawful decisions that impact the lives of ordinary Americans. This is the deep state.

Thomas and Jackie Hawks had big plans. The couple wanted to sell their retirement home - a hard-earned 55-foot yacht named Well Deserved - and move onto land to spend more time with family. So when a baby-faced buyer, Skylar Deleon, wanted to test drive the yacht, the Hawks were overjoyed. However, Skylar had an even more troubling future planned. But as the Hawks set sail with Skylar and two of his friends, not everyone will return. A compelling true crime, Vanished at Sea is a murder mystery that starts as a missing persons' case and quickly evolves into homicide.

A first-hand account of how Chris DeRose investigated, and finally busted, some of the most heartless and corrupt federally licensed pet-theft rings in the nation. Facts about our federal and local governments' involvement in the multi-million dollar pet-theft industry. Frontline intelligence to what actually occurs in animal laboratories.

Narrating his riveting memoir, beloved actor Dick Van Patten reflects on his prolific career, vibrant life, and the people who shaped both. From growing up during the Great Depression when poverty and racially biased ideologies dominated America, to witnessing the advent of television and its subsequent influence on culture, Dick Van Patten's life is a rich record of change and progress in America and Hollywood.