Andrew Lancel

Andrew Lancel
Born Andrew Watkinson[1]
3 August 1970
Rufford, Lancashire, England, UK
Residence Gateacre, Liverpool, England[1]
Years active 1993-present
Spouse(s) Louise Edge
(16 July 2005-present)
Children 1
Website

http://www.andrewlancel.com

https://twitter.com/AndrewLancel

Andrew Lancel (born Andrew Watkinson on 3 August 1970) is an award winning English actor, producer and director. He is best known for his appearance as Frank Foster in the long-running ITV soap opera Coronation Street, and in his role as DI Neil Manson in The Bill as well as Barry Pearce the abusive partner of long running character Di Barker in Series 4 of Bad Girls.

Biography

Andrew Lancel was born on 3 August 1970 in Rufford, Lancashire. He started his acting career in local theatre and as a cabaret singer. He gained fame as the lead role in the ground breaking medical series Cardiac Arrest with Helen Baxendale. Since then he has become a well established theatre and television actor with a reputation for seeking controversial roles and projects. He was described as the most realistic doctor on TV and sporadically was TV's most hated man, after roles in City Central, Bad Girls and Queer as Folk.

Andrew Lancel leaving Liverpool Crown Court, 6 June 2013

On 30 November 2012 Merseyside Police stated Andrew Lancel had been charged with five counts of historical child sex offences.[1][2] On 10 June 2013, after only 29 minutes of deliberation, a jury found him not guilty.[3][4]

An accomplished singer for many years, Lancel has also performed his own one man show and has sung in venues including the Sands in Blackpool and the Royal Albert Hall in London.

In addition to acting, Lancel runs his own production company and has produced and directed numerous productions.

Lancel is an avid supporter of Everton F.C..

Career

In 1993 he appeared in the film Wide-Eyed and Legless with Julie Walters and Jim Broadbent. Following his breakout role in Cardiac Arrest Lancel appeared in numerous TV series as diverse as Liverpool 1, The Vice, Urban Gothic and Merseybeat and portrayed highly controversial roles in the shows City Central, Queer As Folk and Bad Girls. In 2003, Andrew joined The Bill as DI Neil Manson and played the character until the series ended. His most notable and memorable storyline was the 13-month-long Amy Tennant missing person case, concerning a young child who mysteriously vanished. This was also the longest storyline ever attempted in the history of The Bill.

In 2005, he entered Celebrity Stars in Their Eyes as A-ha singer Morten Harket and won.

In 2008 Lancel became a patron of the Unity Theatre, Liverpool.

In summer 2010 he played a prison officer in a short film called Inside Run, directed by his former The Bill co-star Sam Callis which was shown at the BFI London Film Festival in October 2010.[5] Of the film, Lancel said "it’s a long way from Manson and a joy to be directed by Sam."[5]

On 23 November 2010 Lancel was cast in the long running ITV1 soap opera Coronation Street as Frank Foster, a business associate of Carla Connor.[6] Another controversial role, Lancel's portrayal won him 'Villain of the Year' at the British Soap Awards in 2012. The role ended 5 March 2012 when the character was found murdered.[7]

In 2012 Lancel was cast as former Beatles manager Brian Epstein in Epstein - The Man Who Made the Beatles a new play by Andrew Sherlock which debuted at the Epstein Theatre in Liverpool on 15 November 2012. The newly refurbished theatre being named in honour of Brian Epstein. This two-hander play charts Brian Epstein’s adult life and illustrious career from his drama school days to managing the world’s biggest pop group. The play, and Lancel's performance as Epstein drew huge critical acclaim. In 2014 portrayed Chris Perry on Casualty as a one-off stint.

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References