Oliver Golding

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Oliver Golding

Born Oliver Golding
September 29, 1993 (1993-09-29) (age 14)
Richmond, London, England
Official website

Oliver Golding (born September 29, 1993, Richmond, London[1]) is a former child actor, mostly known for his part as Ewan in the 2005 film The Adventures of Greyfriars Bobby (USA: Greyfriars Bobby). He is also ranked by the Lawn Tennis Association as a junior tennis player.

Contents

[edit] Career

[edit] Acting

Golding's earliest appearance was on television in a commercial for Vauxhall Motors, as a two-year-old baby in 1996. After a small part in a stage version of Wind in the Willows in 1997, his next television role was in 1998 as Nat[2] in the first two episodes of the wartime romantic drama Coming Home, which starred Keira Knightley as the troubled Judith, a woman who ends the war finding she must choose between her lover Gus, and Nat's father Walter.[3]

Golding had to wait four years before being included in his first film project, as one of four small boys in Mike Leigh's award-winning[4] 2002 comedy drama All or Nothing.[5]

Around this time, he had an audition with Andrea Clark, casting director, for the part of Ewan in a forthcoming re-make of the story of Greyfriars Bobby, as a child who takes on the responsibility of a policeman's dog after his death, and who has to win the battle with authority to save the dog's life. He heard no more about it immediately.

In 2003 he portrayed Jeremy Potts in another stage show, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, in London's West End. In the same year, he appeared as one of the children in Ibsen's play, Brand, which starred Ralph Fiennes and was directed by Adrian Noble.[6]

He then learned that he had been signed up for the Greyfriars Bobby movie, and it was to be made during 2004. Its title would be The Adventures of Greyfriars Bobby, and Christopher Lee, James Cosmo and Gina McKee were to star in it. It had been much delayed due to problems with the funding.[7]

In March 2004, Golding made an appearance as a young customer in "Elephants and Hens", episode 2 of the third season of Black Books, the television comedy series about a dysfunctional bookshop owner, played by Dylan Moran.[8] Then, in April of the same year, he took the part of Tom Dawson in the fifth episode of the Carlton Television production, Murder in Suburbia, in which Gwyneth Strong played his mother Pat.[9] Finally in 2004, he provided the voice of Xath in the English version of the animated puppet fantasy Strings, co-produced by Birdpic Limited in association with Scandinavian partnerships.[10]

Throughout this time, he had been shooting scenes for the "Bobby" film, and it was completed by the end of the year. It was released in France on May 11, 2005, Italy in July 2005, the USA on October 29, 2005, and at the Children's Film Festival in the UK on November 16, 2005.[11]

He had started 2005 by appearing in a Nik Naks commercial, and ended the year playing Tiny Tim's brother in a stage revival of Scrooge The Musical. Golding attended the Leicester Square (London) premiere of The Adventures of Greyfriars Bobby on February 10, 2006.[11]

[edit] Filmography

[edit] Tennis

Golding has foregone further advancement as an actor to concentrate on a possible tennis career, under the tuition of his mother Sandra[12] and Hungarian "tennis au pair" Marton Fehrer.[13] In 2004, he began playing tennis for the Esporta Riverside Club, Chiswick,[14] and later that year went to Wimbledon, the British home of tennis, under the Lawn Tennis Association's "Ariel Champions of the Future" scheme, to meet former professionals Martina Navratilova and Todd Woodbridge.[15]

On November 27, 2005, in the first ever Aberdeen Cup tennis match,[16] England's Golding beat Scotland's Scott Lister 11 games to 4 in their "tie-break" style rubber, to square the match (however, Jamie Murray and Elena Baltacha won their subsequent doubles game, to secure a Scottish victory).[17] It was claimed on the Guardian Unlimited website that Golding had "impressed Andy Murray when he played for England against Scotland".[18]

In late 2006, as fourth seed, he lost 4–6, 2–6, in the semi-final of the Ariel Winter Grand Prix event (promoted by the LTA), to the eventual winner, number two seed Andrew Bettles.[19] He also made news in the Daily Mail when Richmond upon Thames Council banned him (and other potential stars) from playing in the tennis courts which were part of his mother's back garden, and from which she coached local youngsters in tennis. This was due to complaints from local neighbours about the disturbance. The Council deemed that the extra activity constituted "unauthorised change in the court's use". His mother commented: "This ridiculous decision is going to threaten his training and cripple his prospects. We always hear how this country needs young tennis players but if this is how they are treated then what chance do they have? Oliver is representing Britain in the European Championships next year. From the end of this month he can't do the two hours per day practice he needs to maintain this standard in his own back garden."[20]

His first two tournament wins were in the Bournemouth Open (Boys 14) at The West Hants Club on August 5, 2007,[21] when he defeated David Wright 6–3, 6–0 in the Final,[22] and in the Frutina Westway Winter Tournament (16 & Under) on December 31, 2007, when he beat Alexander Wilton 6–0, 6–0 in that Final match.[23]

Golding has also been the recipient of a £2000 grant from "Tennis First", a charity set up to help young players fulfil their potential, and tennis kit from the manufacturers Fred Perry.[20]

Subsequently, on April 5, 2008, Golding beat Zack Evenden 6–3, 6–1 to win the Rickmansworth Junior Tournament (18 & Under Boys Singles).[24]

[edit] Current tennis ranking

Age group National County Points Qualifying
events
16 & Under 3rd 1st 2550 12
18 & Under 155th 12th 626 9
Open 432nd 47th 258 2
(Rankings run March 30, 2007 – March 30, 2008 : Source)

[edit] References

  1. ^ Biography (own website): OliverGolding.co.uk website. Retrieved on January 28, 2008.
  2. ^ Playing Nat (Nathaniel) in Coming Home: IMDB.com website. Retrieved on January 28, 2008.
  3. ^ Coming Home (1998 TV series), as Nathaniel: IMDB.com website. Retrieved on January 28, 2008.
  4. ^ All or Nothing (2002 TV film), awards won: IMDB.com website. Retrieved on January 28, 2008.
  5. ^ All or Nothing (small boy): BFI.org.uk website. Retrieved on January 28, 2008.
  6. ^ Brand (2003 stage play): Curtain Up.com website. Retrieved on January 28, 2008.
  7. ^ The Adventures of Greyfriars Bobby (2005 film), as Ewan Adams: IMDB.com website. Retrieved on January 28, 2008.
  8. ^ Black Books (2004 TV series), as a young customer: IMDB.com website. Retrieved on January 28, 2008.
  9. ^ Murder in Suburbia (2004 TV series), as Tom Dawson: TV.com website. Retrieved on January 28, 2008.
  10. ^ Strings (2004 animated film), English voice of Xath: BFI.org.uk website. Retrieved on January 28, 2008.
  11. ^ a b Release info, The Adventures of Greyfriars Bobby: IMDB.com website. Retrieved on January 28, 2008.
  12. ^ Tennis tuition from mother Sandra: BritishTennisParents.com website. Retrieved on February 25, 2008.
  13. ^ Tennis coaching by Marton Fehrer of Hungary: BritishTennisParents.com website. Retrieved on January 28, 2008.
  14. ^ Playing tennis for the Esporta Riverside Club, 2004: Esporta.com website. Retrieved on January 28, 2008.
  15. ^ "Serving up future stars": Newsquest's ThisIsHertfordshire website. Retrieved on January 28, 2008.
  16. ^ The Aberdeen Cup 2005 (tennis): AboutAberdeen.com website. Retrieved on January 28, 2008.
  17. ^ Golding wins, but England lose: BBC Sport website. Retrieved on January 28, 2008.
  18. ^ Impressing Andy Murray? Yes, according to the Guardian Unlimited website. Retrieved on January 28, 2008.
  19. ^ Ariel Winter Grand Prix 2006, semi-finalist: Falmouth Packet website. Retrieved on January 28, 2008.
  20. ^ a b "The tennis star banned from his own back garden" by Richmond upon Thames Council: Daily Mail website. Retrieved on January 28, 2008.
  21. ^ Bournemouth Open (Boys 14) at The West Hants Club: CoreTennis.net website. Retrieved on February 6, 2008.
  22. ^ 6–3, 6–0 victory for Golding, against David Wright, at the Bournemouth Open: CoreTennis.net website. Retrieved on February 6, 2008.
  23. ^ 6–0, 6–0 victory for Golding, against Alexander Wilton, in the Frutina Westway Winter Tournament: LTA website. Retrieved on April 10, 2008.
  24. ^ 6–3, 6–1 win over Zack Evenden, Rickmansworth Junior Tournament (18 & Under Boys Singles) Final: LTA website. Retrieved on April 14, 2008.

[edit] External links

Persondata
NAME Golding, Oliver
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Golding, Oliver
SHORT DESCRIPTION Former child actor, junior tennis player
DATE OF BIRTH 29 September
PLACE OF BIRTH Richmond, London, England
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH