| Jamie Bamber | |
|---|---|
Jamie Bamber at the 2007 Scream Awards |
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| Born | Jamie St John Bamber Griffith 3 April 1973 Hammersmith, London, England |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1998-present |
| Spouse | Kerry Norton |
Jamie Bamber is the stage name of Jamie St. John Bamber Griffith (born 3 April 1973), a British actor known most widely for his roles as Lee Adama on Battlestar Galactica and Detective Sergeant Matt Devlin on the ITV series Law & Order: UK. He also had a supporting role in the Hornblower series, was a regular on UK series Ultimate Force and Peak Practice, and has made numerous television guest appearances including Body of Proof, Dollhouse, House, CSI: Miami, and Cold Case.
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Bamber was born in Hammersmith, London, to Elizabeth Bamber, a native of Northern Ireland and Ralph Griffith, an American. He holds British, Irish and American citizenship. Bamber has five brothers and one sister, actress Anastasia Griffith.[1]
Bamber was educated at St Paul's School in London, and received his BA in Modern Languages (Italian and French) from Cambridge University, before attending the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.[2]
Beginning in 2003, Bamber starred as Lee 'Apollo' Adama in the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica on the U.S. Sci Fi Channel (now Syfy). The show received critical acclaim and received a Peabody Award[3] plus a number of nominations in its four-season run; Bamber was nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor for Battlestar Galactica in 2004.[4]
In the role of Lee Adama, Londoner Bamber speaks with an American accent which is frequently cited for its accuracy;[5][6] he credits being exposed to his father's American accent from childhood. He also darkened his hair, in an effort to more closely resemble Edward James Olmos, who plays his character's father. Reciprocally, Olmos wore contact lenses with blue irises to match Bamber's eyes.[7]
Bamber wrote the foreword for Titan Books' Battlestar Galactica: The Official Companion Season Three by David Bassom. Of the show's dramatic resonance, he said:
...that's what good drama lets us do. It allows us to see and to feel things we otherwise would not. And great drama allows us to do that on every level: the psychological, the personal and the political. I am proud to say that in the pared down world of Battlestar Galactica there is no plot, no character and no relationship that does not breathe the oxygen of all three levels at once.[8]
Bamber is also well known for his role as DS Matt Devlin on Law & Order: UK from 2009-2011.[9][10]
He played Lieutenant Archibald "Archie" Kennedy in the popular ITV series Hornblower, appearing in five of the eight made-for-TV movies in which Kennedy (rising in ranks from midshipman to lieutenant) has a much expanded role from that essayed in C.S. Forester's novels. Bamber also appeared as a trainee doctor in the final series of long running ITV soap Peak Practice, and portrayed an SAS officer in Ultimate Force; it was on a break from the latter, which he subsequently revealed as a job that he was not entirely happy with,[11] that he traveled to Los Angeles and read for Battlestar Galactica.
Bamber guest starred in the second season premiere of Joss Whedon's Dollhouse where his character is wed to Echo (played by Eliza Dushku) during one of her missions.[12] Other TV series in which he has made guest appearances include CSI: Miami, House, Cold Case, Ghost Whisperer, and The Last Detective.
He played the role of detective Caolán Longstreet in 17th Precinct,[13] a pilot by Galactica creator Ronald D. Moore described as a police drama which takes place in a world governed by magic. The pilot was not picked up by NBC for the fall 2011 season; it would have also re-united him with his Galactica co-stars James Callis[14] and Tricia Helfer.[15]
Bamber will next appear in at least three episodes on ABC's Body of Proof,[16] beginning in February 2012, as a construction worker who romances Dana Delany's Dr. Megan Hunt. He has also filmed three episodes of the 2012 TNT series Perception as Dr. Michael Hathaway, "a new professor who catches the eye of Kate Moretti (Rachael Leigh Cook)"[17]
Bamber played the starring role in 2008's film Pulse 2: Afterlife,[18] a direct-to-DVD sequel. Earlier he starred in Ghost Rig (aka The Devil's Tattoo) along with Kerry Norton, who was later to become his wife.
He made his French-language acting debut in Martin Valente's Un jour mon père viendra,[19] portraying the American fiancé of the female lead played by French pop star Olivia Ruiz. According to Bamber, his character is loosely based on Andre Agassi.[20] The film also stars François Berléand and Gérard Jugnot,[21] and it will be released in France on 4 January 2012.
In May 2011, Bamber completed filming John Doe, an Australian production directed by Kelly Dolen. It is presently slated to be released in 2012.
Bamber's stage appearances include Prince Hal in Henry IV Parts 1 and 2 at the Bristol Old Vic in 2002;[22] and in 2005 he appeared as Mephistopheles in Dr. Faustus;[23] at the Liverpool Playhouse.
He has also acted in radio serials; major roles include Sebastian Flyte in Brideshead Revisited and Philip in Where Angels Fear to Tread for BBC Radio 4.[24]
Bamber is married to British actress and singer Kerry Norton. The couple have three daughters: Isla, and identical twins Darcy and Ava.[25]
He has appeared in an ad for PETA opposing the killing of Canadian black bears for fur.[26]
| Year | Title | Role | Other notes |
| 1998 | Hornblower: The Even Chance | Archie Kennedy | TV |
| 1999 | Hornblower: The Duchess and the Devil | Archie Kennedy | TV |
| 1999 | Hornblower: The Frogs and the Lobsters | Archie Kennedy | TV |
| 1999 | The Scarlet Pimpernel | Lord Tony Dewhurst | Miniseries |
| 2000 | Lady Audley's Secret | George Talboys | TV |
| 2000 | The Murder of Roger Ackroyd | Ralph Paton | TV |
| 2001–2002 | Peak Practice | Dr Matt Kendal | TV series |
| 2001 | Band of Brothers | 2nd Lt Jack Foley | Miniseries |
| 2001 | Hornblower: Mutiny | Archie Kennedy | TV |
| 2001 | Hornblower: Retribution | Archie Kennedy | TV |
| 2001 | The Devil's Tattoo (UK) Ghost Rig (US) | Tom | Film |
| 2002–2003 | Ultimate Force | Lt Dennis "Dotsy" Doheny | TV series |
| 2002 | Daniel Deronda | Hans Meyrick | TV |
| 2003 | Battlestar Galactica | Lee 'Apollo' Adama | Miniseries |
| 2004–2009 | Battlestar Galactica | Lee 'Apollo' Adama | TV series |
| 2008 | Pulse 2: Afterlife | Stephen | Film |
| 2009—2011 | Law & Order: UK | Detective Sergeant Matt Devlin | TV series |
| 2010 | Outcasts | Mitchell Hoban | TV series |
| 2012 | Un jour mon pere viendra | Stephen | Film |
| 2012 | John Doe | John Doe | Film |
Bamber also appears in the 1994 student film Shifting Sands.[27]
| Year | Title | Role | Episode |
| 2000 | Poirot | Ralph Paton | 8.1 "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd" |
| 2001 | Bob Martin | James | 2.2 "Big Break" |
| 2006 | The Last Detective | Luke Clayhill | 4.2 "Dangerous Liaisons" |
| 2007 | Ghost Whisperer | Bryan Curtis | 2.17 "The Walk In" |
| 2007 | Cold Case | Jack Kimball | 4.15 "Blood on the Tracks" |
| 2009 | Dollhouse | Martin Klar | 2.1 "Vows" |
| 2011 | CSI: Miami | Ronnie Hale | 10.3 "Blown Away" |
| 2011 | House | Bob Harris | 8.5 "The Confession" |
| 2012 | Body Of Proof | Scott Decker | (recurring) |
| 2012 | Perception | Dr. Michael Hathaway | (recurring) |