Jonathan Wilkes
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| Jonathan Wilkes | |
| Born | 1 August 1978 Baddeley Green, Stoke-on-Trent, England |
|---|---|
| Occupation | Actor, Singer and Television Presenter. |
| Partner | Nikki Wheeler |
| Children | Mickey (born 2006) |
| Website Official Website |
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Jonathan Wilkes (born August 1, 1978 in Baddeley Green, Stoke-on-Trent) is an English television presenter, actor and musician. Wilkes is arguably as famous as a celebrity footballer as he is for his performance skills, in addition to being best-known as the best friend of singer Robbie Williams. Jonathan married Nikki Wheeler, a dancer, in January 2004 in Los Angeles. They have one child, Mickey, born in 2006.
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[edit] Footballing Exploits
Wilkes had ambitions to become a footballer in his teenage years, and was a part of Everton F.C.'s youth setup in 1993. He went on to trials at Crewe and Chester as well as playing for Silverstone FC. He then gave up football to pursue a career in the arts.
Wilkes appeared in Sky One's The Match where he played a football match against a team of legends, including Paul Gascoigne. Jonathan was made captain by the old England manager Graham Taylor. With Robbie Williams, Wilkes also fronted Soccer Aid, a celebrity football match in the run up to the 2006 World Cup, with the proceeds going to UNICEF.
[edit] Television
After winning the Cameron Mackintosh Young Entertainer of the Year award in 1996, Wilkes headed to Blackpool Pleasure Beach to become the youngest person to star in their own show. This led to television work on the BBC Choice (now BBC Three) programme Hype. He soon signed a three-year contract with ITV, fronting You've Been Framed, Love on a Saturday Night, and SMTV. Other TV credits include The Match, Soccer Aid, and All Star Cup.
[edit] Music Career
In 2001, Wilkes signed to Innocent Records and released "Just Another Day, reaching #24 in the UK charts. Despite being disillusioned by the music industry, Jonathan performed Me and My Monkey with Robbie Williams at the Royal Albert Hall and also featured on Williams' swing album Swing When You're Winning.
In 2006, he joined Robbie Williams on his 2006 Close Encounters Tour, singing two songs ("Me and My Shadow" and "Strong"), as well as playing a game of football with Robbie on stage.
[edit] Performing Arts
Jonathan first took to the stage in Feb 2002, touring up and down the country for 4 months with the musical Godspell from February until June 2002, swapping the roles of Jesus and Judas with Daniel MacPherson.
Taking on the role of Frank-N-Furter in the 30th Anniversary Tour of The Rocky Horror Show, Jonathan received rave reviews and the tour broke all the box office records for any previous Rocky Horror tours! [1] The tour ran from October 2002 through 2003.
The end of 2003 saw Jonathan take on the role of Danny Zuko in Grease, then in May 2004 he joined the touring cast until August 2004 starring opposite Hayley Evetts as Sandy.
From February 2005 until June 2005, Jonathan starred as the Pinball Wizard in the Who's famous rock opera Tommy. This would see him take on a more serious, challenging role but he didn't disappoint. The show was a big success!
“Normally I can come on stage, and I know more than anybody that a cheeky grin and a cheeky smile will get me away with murder. I can't do that on Tommy.” - Jonathan Wilkes.
Stoke-on-Trent welcomed Jonathan home over Christmas 2005 where he performed at the Regent Theatre as Billy Goose in the pantomime Mother Goose. He starred alongside Eric Potts with whom he took credit for casting and co-writing the script. Ticket sales were through the roof and the show was voted as best pantomime, gaining respect from both critics and the audience.[2]
Following record-breaking sales for Mother Goose, Jonathan returned to The Regent Theatre the following year to appear in Aladdin - again receiving excellent reviews.
Jonathan next took to the stage as Sky Masterson in hit musical Guys and Dolls during April and May of 2007.
Following two record-breaking years with Mother Goose and Aladdin, Jonathan once again took to the stage in his hometown as the lovable rogue Buttons in Cinderella during Christmas 2007.
Jonathan is currently on tour with The Wedding Singer playing the lead role of Robbie Hart. This is a relatively new musical, opening in Broadway in 2006, this is first time the musical has toured the UK.
“Charismatic West End star Jonathan Wilkes steals the show” - (The Stage)[3]
[edit] References
- ^ Rocky Horror. www.jonathanwilkes.com.
- ^ Mother Goose. www.jonathanwilkes.com.
- ^ Press Quotes. www.weddingsingerthemusical.co.uk.
[edit] External links
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