Des Coleman
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Des Coleman | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | March 14, 1969 Derby, England |
Desune "Des" Coleman (born 14 March 1969 in Derby, East Midlands) is a British actor and presenter. He has appeared in numerous stage musicals, but is best known for playing the role of Lenny Wallace in BBC's EastEnders. In 2007 he became the weatherman for BBC's East Midlands Today.
Contents |
[edit] Career
Coleman worked as a welder after leaving school, before deciding to pursue a career in performing.[1] He attended the Guildford School of Acting in Surrey, and after graduating in 1993 he worked as a singer in Germany for six months in the stage musical Chicago. He then landed a starring role in the musical Miss Saigon.[2]
In 1996 he was cast as wideboy Lenny Wallace in the BBC soap opera EastEnders. His first television job, Coleman remained with the soap until 1999. His television work post EastEnders has included: Is Harry on the Boat? (2001); Casualty (2003); The Bill (2004), and Doctors (2004; 2006). He also appeared in the 2001 film Submerged with Sam Neill. On stage he has appeared in London’s West End's Rent, Simply Heavenly, and understudied the lead in Trevor Nunn’s musical opera Porgy and Bess.
Coleman has worked for BBC Radio Derby, where he was asked to do the weather report at the Broadcast Centre in Nottingham. This led to a career change. He trained as a weather presenter and, as of 2007, presents for BBC East Midlands Today television.[1]
[edit] Personal life
Coleman, one of six children, grew up in Derby. His parents came from Jamaica in the 1960s - his father worked on the railways, while his mother Joan studied to become a nurse. Coleman has two sons, one named Lewis by his ex Sandra Griffin, and another to his later girlfriend Jane.[3]
Coleman spent time in prison in his twenties. He was fined £300 for stealing a car and unwittingly acting as a getaway driver in a robbery. In 1989 he was jailed for six months with four suspended for motoring offences. He was sent to a top-security jail Winson Green, Birmingham. After a month in maximum security, he was transferred to Featherstone semi-open prison, Staffs, where he completed his sentence. In 1991, he was given a three-month suspended sentence on a charge of false imprisonment, after he agreed to recover goods from a friend's flat because the couple using it hadn't paid the rent.[3]
While at acting achool, Coleman was diagnosed with cancer on his neck, a serious strain of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. He was admitted to Guildford Hospital in Surrey for a life saving operation to remove a malignant tumour, and was forced to undergo more surgury when more tumours developed on his face shortly after. He underwent a course of radiotherapy and as of 2008 is in remission.[4]
[edit] References
- ^ a b "Presenters", BBC. Retrieved on 2008-03-10.
- ^ Tim Wilson. "EastEnder Goes West", Walford Gazette. Retrieved on 2008-03-10.
- ^ a b Tim Wilson. "My getaway from crime; EXCLUSIVE: EastEnders' Des Coleman on how prison cleaned up his acting", The Mirror. Retrieved on 2008-03-10.
- ^ Tim Wilson. "MY CANCER NIGHTMARE; THE DES COLEMAN STORY", The Mirror. Retrieved on 2008-03-10.
