Danny Dyer

Danny Dyer

Dyer at Upton Park football ground, in 2010
Born 24 July 1977[1]
Canning Town, East London, England
Residence Debden, Epping Forest, Essex
Occupation Actor, Former football team chairman
Years active 1993–present
Television EastEnders (2013–)
Partner(s) Joanne Mas (1992–)
Children 3
Website
www.dannydyer.com

Danny Dyer (born 24 July 1977), is an English actor, currently cast in EastEnders, and the previous chairman of Greenwich Borough, a non-League football team.[2]

Biography

Dyer was born in Canning Town, to Antony and Christine Dyer.[3] He now lives in Debden, Epping Forest, Essex,[4] with his longtime girlfriend, Joanne Mas, their daughters Dani and Sunnie, and son Arty.[5] During March 2015, the couple announced their engagement.[6]

A lifelong player and fan of football, Dyer is a West Ham United fan. In late December 2007, he became the chairman of Kent League's Greenwich Borough in South East London, appointed by fellow actor Tamer Hassan, president of the football club, stating: "I just love football and the chance of being involved with a club is like a dream come true."[2] The appointment was actually a publicity stunt to raise the profile for the club.[7]

Dyer was discovered at a local school by an agent who auditioned him for the part of Martin Fletcher in the Granada Television series Prime Suspect 3 (1993), beginning his acting career at 16.[3]

He also appeared on television in episodes of Cadfael (1994), A Touch of Frost (1995), Loved Up (1995), Thief Takers (1996) and Soldier Soldier (1997).[3][8] In 1995, Dyer also appeared in a television commercial for Coca-Cola.[9]

His many other television roles include appearances in the 2003 Channel 4 drama Second Generation, directed by John Sen;[8] as Malcolm, main character Michelle's stepfather, in Skins;[10] as a football player in the second series of Hotel Babylon on BBC television; and as Matt Costello in what was supposed to be the pilot episode for Breathless,[8][11] a BBC two-part television series in development from BBC Northern Ireland, renamed first "Blood Rush" and then Kiss of Death, when it premiered on BBC One as a one-part drama on 26 May 2008.[12]

Beginning in 2007, Dyer became the presenter of The Real Football Factories and The Real Football Factories International, a TV documentary series on Bravo, for which he travels, in the former throughout the United Kingdom and in the latter throughout the world, to meet and interview football club fans and hooligans. Danny Dyer's Deadliest Men, "a gritty and hard-hitting documentary series that sees him venturing into the dark depths of the British underworld and hunting down some of the most notorious and feared men in Britain today", began airing on Bravo in the United Kingdom on 20 October 2008.[13][14]

In April 2009, he turned down a role in EastEnders, claiming that although he thought the role sounded good, he did not think he could cope with the pressure.[15]

Dyer was quoted in a May 2011 article in NME as wanting to headbutt film critic Mark Kermode.[16] Kermode has been a regular critic of Dyer's output and often "impersonates" him on his BBC Radio 5 Live show with Simon Mayo.[17]

In 2010, Dyer wrote in Zoo Magazine, in his capacity as an celebrity agony uncle, that a young male reader could get over his recent break-up with a woman by "going on a rampage with the boys" or to "cut your ex's face, and then no one will want her...". The comment was widely panned in the British media and by members of the public, including the chief executive of the Fawcett Society Ceri Goddard. Dyer for his own part claimed that he was misquoted.[18]

Film

Dyer's first film role was in Human Traffic (1999).[19] His subsequent movie work includes Mel Smith's High Heels and Low Lifes (2001) and starring roles in Borstal Boy (2000), Mean Machine (2002) and in four films by the British film director Nick Love: Goodbye Charlie Bright (2001); The Football Factory (2004); The Business (2005); and Outlaw (2007).[19] Among other film roles, he also appeared as the character Steve in Christopher Smith's Severance (2006); as Hayden in Adulthood (2008); and as himself in the feature documentary Tattoos: A Scarred History. In 2008 he finished filming his roles as Pete and Tom in City Rats and 7 Lives, respectively.[20] April 2009 saw the straight to DVD release of City Rats. Danny has just completed filming Jack Said, a Brit noir thriller in which he played Nathan alongside Ashlie Walker, Terry Stone, David O'Hara and Simon Phillips which was released in November 2009 by Optimum Releasing. This film is the prequel to Jack Says, which was released in 2008 and starred Mike Reid. In 2009 he shot several horror films including Doghouse under the direction of Jake West, Basement under the direction of Asham Kamboj.[21] He played one of the lead roles in the British vampire film Dead Cert.[22] In June 2010 was cast for the lead role in the upcoming remake of the British horror film The Asphyx.[23] Danny has just co-starred with Anna Walton in Deviation, a new British dark thriller written and directed by J. K. Amalou.[24] In 2012 Dyer played the lead role in Ray Cooney's Run For Your Wife. Upon release in 2013 it was savaged by critics, who described it as one of the worst British films of all time. The film took in a mere £747.00 during its opening weekend.[25]

Theatre

Dyer has performed on stage, most notably in two plays written and directed by 2005 Nobel Laureate Harold Pinter: as the Waiter in the London première of Celebration (2000), at the Almeida Theatre, which transferred to Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, in New York, as part of the Harold Pinter Festival held there in July and August 2001;[26] and as Foster in the revival of No Man's Land (1975), at the Royal National Theatre, in London, during 2001 and 2002.[27][28] In March 2008 he played Joey in a revival of Pinter's The Homecoming (1964), directed by Michael Attenborough, at the Almeida Theatre, in London.[29] He also performed in Peter Gill's play Certain Young Men (1999) in London.[30]

From 9 September 2009 to 3 October 2009, Danny Dyer appeared as Sid Vicious in a new play called Kurt and Sid in London's West End at the Trafalgar Studios.

Selected other work

Dyer is the voice of Kent Paul in the video games Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (2002) and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (2004).[30]

He also appears in The Twang's 2007 video for Two Lovers.[31]

I Believe in UFOS: Danny Dyer, a documentary that sees Dyer journey to various "UFO hotspots" in the UK and the US in hope of experiencing a UFO sighting, was broadcast on BBC Three on 26 January 2010.[32]

2012–present

In February 2012, Dyer appeared as a paramedic in an episode of Casualty.

In September 2012, Dyer courted controversy by saying "Can't believe it's been nearly 11 years since them slags smashed into the twin towers it still freaks my nut out to this day" in reference to the September 11 attacks.[33][34]

In March 2013, Dyer appeared as a guest on Celebrity Juice.

On 1 October 2013, the BBC announced that Dyer had been cast in EastEnders from Christmas 2013 as Mick Carter, Shirley Carter's brother and would be the new landlord of The Queen Victoria pub.[35]

Dyer appeared in the sixth series of Hollyoaks Later in October 2013 as The White Man.

In 2015, he won the Serial Drama Performance award at the National Television Awards.[36][37]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1999 Human Traffic Moff
1999 The Trench Lance Cpl. Victor Dell
2000 Borstal Boy Charlie Milwall
2000 Greenfingers Tony
2001 Goodbye Charlie Bright Francis
2001 High Heels and Low Lifes Danny
2001 Mean Machine Billy the Limpet
2001 Tabloid Joe Public
2001 Is Harry on the Boat? Brad
2003 Wasp Dave
2004 Free Speech Mark
2004 The Football Factory Tommy Johnson
2005 The Great Ecstasy of Robert Carmichael Larry Haydn
2005 The Business Frankie
2006 The Other Half Mark Lamanuzzi
2006 Severance Steve
2007 Outlaw Gene Dekker
2007 Straightheads Adam
2007 The All Together Dennis Earle
2008 Adulthood Hayden
2009 City Rats Pete
2009 Malice in Wonderland Whitey
2009 Doghouse Neil
2009 Jack Said Nathan
2009 Dead Man Running Bing
2009 Just for the Record Derek La Farge
2009 Pimp Stanley
2009 The Rapture Wraith
2009 Catwalk Photographer
2010 Basement Gary
2010 Devil's Playground Joe
2010 Dead Cert Roger Kipling Cameo
2010 The Last Seven Angel of Death
2011 Age of Heroes Rains
2011 Freerunner Mr. Frank
2011 7lives Tom
2012 Deviation Frankie
2013 Run For Your Wife John Smith
2013 Vendetta Jimmy
2014 The Hooligan Factory Jeff Cameo

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1993 Prime Suspect 3 Martin Fletcher
1994 Cadfael Bran Episode: "The Leper of St. Giles"
1995 Loving Bert
1995 A Touch of Frost Shaun Everett Episode: "Dead Male One"
1995 Crown Prosecutor Shane Cassidy 1 episode
1995 Loved Up Billy 1 episode
1996 Thief Takers Alec Episode: "The Outcasts"
1996 The Bill Gavin Parker Episodes: "Home Truths" and "Merrily on High"
1996 Bramwell Danny 1 episode
1997 Highlander Andrew Baines Episode: "Avatar"
1997 Soldier Soldier Gary Fox Episodes: "Line of Departure" and "Sounds of War"
2002 Dead Casual Wayne
2002 Foyle's War Tony Lucciano Episode: "A Lesson in Murder"
2003 Serious and Organised Darren Evans
2003 Second Generation Jack
2004 Family Business Yankie
2005 MIT: Murder Investigation Team Marc Sharaff 1 episode
2005 Rose and Maloney Danny 1 episode
2006 All in the Game Martin
2007 Hotel Babylon Dave Osbourne 1 episode
2007 Skins Malcolm Episodes: "Cassie" and "Michelle"
2008 Kiss of Death Matt Costello
2011 Mongrels Himself Cameo
2012 Casualty Rossy 1 episode: "Love Is"
2013 Celebrity Juice Himself – panellist 1 episode
2013 Plebs Cassius 1 episode: "The Gladiator"
2013 Hollyoaks Later The White Man 4 Episodes
2013–present EastEnders Mick Carter Series regular

Stage plays

Video games

Notes

  1. Dyer, Danny. "2: I Feel Love". Straight Up: My Autobiography. Cornerstone Digital. p. 5. ISBN 978-0099552987.
  2. 2.0 2.1 "Danny Dyer Joins Real Football Factory". News Shopper Online. Newsquest Media Group (A Gannett Company). 23 December 2007. Retrieved 12 October 2008.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Biography". Danny Dyer. Retrieved 11 October 2008. (Includes a menu of hyperlinked sections on Dyer's career accomplishments)
  4. Tobin, Edmund (4 November 2009), "Actor targeted by Golden Triangle car thieves", Epping Forest Guardian (Brighton, East Sussex: Newsquest Media Group), retrieved 29 May 2011
  5. "Danny Dyer admits he likes 'the power' of being popular with the ladies", Daily Mail (London), 18 November 2013, retrieved 10 January 2013
  6. Graham, Daniella (2 March 2015). "It’s war: Danny Dyer’s engagement leads to Twitter row with Katie Hopkins". Metro (British newspaper). Retrieved 4 March 2015.
  7. Revealed in interview on BBC Radio 4 programme Loose Ends broadcast 12 September 2009
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 "Television". Danny Dyer. Retrieved 28 October 2008.
  9. Coca-Cola advert starring Danny Dyer on YouTube
  10. "Dyer Guest Starring in Skins Series". Radio Times. BBC Magazines, Ltd. Retrieved 11 October 2008.
  11. "Member Profile: David Bowen: Biography". Film Network. BBC. 2007. Retrieved 18 October 2008.
  12. "Louise Lombard, Lyndsey Marshal and Danny Dyer Star in Kiss of Death – A New Crime Drama for BBC One" (Press release). BBC Press Office. 21 May 2008. Retrieved 25 October 2008.
  13. Danny Dyer (20 October 2008). "Danny Dyer's Deadliest Men" (Video clip interview). Virgin Media. Retrieved 25 October 2008.
  14. Pile, Stephen (25 October 2008). "Only TV Can Show You a Pouch from Your Couch". The Daily Telegraph (London). Retrieved 25 October 2008. First up [on the series] was Stephen 'The Devil' French in Liverpool, who robbed drug dealers, which is known as 'taxation'. ... Inconveniently, the devil had reformed. 'I got the feeling he was on his own journey,' Danny said. He was seen giving a respectful lecture to academic criminologists on his new anti-gun campaign. He is trying to counter the massive growth in Liverpudlian gun use, which arose largely so that people could protect themselves from him. ... Danny did his best to show his own bravery in being around this man. 'My bum is flappin' a little bit,' he informed us. Eventually the Devil re-enacted what he would have done when he was a hard man. ... 'This is the first time a real-life taxation scenario has ever been shown on TV,' said Dyer.
  15. "Danny Dyer turns down EastEnders role". RTÉ News. 20 January 2009. Retrieved 20 April 2009.
  16. "Danny Dyer 'threatens to headbutt film critic Mark Kermode'". NME. 29 May 2011. Retrieved 29 May 2011.
  17. "Pimp reviewed by Mark Kermode". BBC. 24 May 2010. Retrieved 29 May 2011.
  18. Steve Busfield and Mark Sweney, "Danny Dyer advises Zoo reader to 'cut his ex's face'", The Guardian, 5 May 2010.
  19. 19.0 19.1 "Film". Danny Dyer. Retrieved 26 October 2008.
  20. "Welcome". Danny Dyer. Retrieved 25 October 2008.
  21. "Danny Dyer Locked in the Basement". DreadCentral.
  22. "Dead Cert Update and New Exclusive Stills". DreadCentral.
  23. "Exclusive Concept Art and Casting News: The Asphyx Remake". DreadCentral.
  24. "Deviation (2012)", IMDb.
  25. Nick Clark, "Dire news for Danny as Run For Your Wife takes paltry £747 at box office", The Independent, 20 February 2013.
  26. "Celebration: Premiere". Harold Pinter. Retrieved 11 October 2008.
  27. "No Man's Land (2001): Royal National Theatre, London". Harold Pinter. Retrieved 7 November 2008.
  28. "Danny Dyer: Biography". Filmbug (filmbug.com). 1 January 2000. Retrieved 11 October 2008.
  29. "Pinter's Homecoming at Almeida from 31 January 2008". London Theatre Guide – Online. Londontheatre.co.uk. Retrieved 11 October 2008. [Corrected title]
  30. 30.0 30.1 "Other Work". Danny Dyer. Retrieved 26 October 2008.
  31. "Danny Dyer Joins Twang Gang". Sun.co.uk. 27 July 2007. Retrieved 25 October 2008.
  32. "BBC TV & Radio Programmes". BBC. Retrieved 9 February 2010.
  33. Petridis, Alexis (13 September 2012). "Danny Dyer: why them 9/11 slags are freaking his nut". The Guardian (London). Retrieved 15 September 2014.
  34. "Danny Dyer calls 9/11 attackers 'slags' on Twitter". NME. 11 September 2012. Retrieved 15 September 2014.
  35. "Danny Dyer to take over EastEnders' Queen Vic". BBC News. Retrieved 1 October 2013.
  36. "National Television Awards 2015: Nominations in full as Mary Berry battles Simon Cowell - News - TV & Radio - The Independent". The Independent. 21 January 2015. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
  37. "EastEnders star Danny Dyer wins Serial Drama Performance award at the 2015 NTAs". Radio Times. 21 January 2015. Retrieved 21 January 2015.

References

External links

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