Jody Latham

Jody Lee Latham (born 1 January 1982) is an English actor, best known for his roles as Phillip "Lip" Gallagher in the British Channel 4 series Shameless, Calum McKenzie in the ITV series The Fixer, and Rob Grayson in the BBC Soap opera EastEnders.

Personal life

Latham was born on 1 January 1982. He attended Walton High School in Nelson but was expelled.^[1] Latham has a son, Jack, who was born in Latham's late teens. Jack's mother is Naomi. He used to attend Burnley Youth Theatre, where his acting career started.

Latham was arrested for growing and supplying cannabis in the early hours of the morning of 14 May 2011 after police raided his home in Bacup, Lancashire.^[2] He was also arrested for assault and possession of an illegal weapon.^[3]

Career

Latham made his television debut in "The Cops" episode No. 1.7 (1998) as Grant and went on to appear, in 2000, as Nelson Catchpole in the series Big Meg, Little Meg. He then played Lee, one of the key characters in When I Was 12 in 2001. Latham has appeared in five BAFTA winning dramas: Clocking Off, The Cops, The Street, Shameless and EastEnders. Latham worked regularly in television before being cast as "Lip" Gallagher in Shameless, the second eldest of the Gallagher children. Lip is an intelligent and outspoken youth who is trying to escape from the Chatsworth estate in Stretford. He was 24 when he left the show. He took on other work between series, until he was written out of the show in 2008 to allow him to concentrate on other projects. He later returned to the role for the series finale in early 2013.

Other work

Latham played a leading role in the BBC drama Mr Harvey Lights a Candle, which was shown on Easter 2005. He also appeared in an episode of the BBC drama The Street, written by Jimmy McGovern, in April 2006.

In 2006 Latham filmed a short film, A Neutral Corner, about a young boxer arriving in a desolate town where he meets a dog, a stranger and a mysterious waitress.

In 2007 he appeared in Ruby Blue with Bob Hoskins - Latham's first film role.

Since leaving Shameless, he has starred in ITV1's The Fixer, playing the cheeky scally character Calum, and played a part in the music video Moonshine & Roses by International One.

Latham has also turned presenter - hosting the NME Awards aftershow party interviewing award winners. He also been the face and voice of numerous brands including Clearasil, Orange Mobile, Gio Goi and many more, including the BBC flagship station Radio 1.

He appears in the films Act of Grace (which he is also associate producing) and The Michael Gomez Story (filmed in 2007). In the latter he plays Michael Gomez, an Irish Traveller who turned professional boxer at 17.

Latham played guest lead in the drama The Tudors along with Jonathan Rhys Meyers.

Latham was one of the celebrities to take part in the 2009 series of Hell's Kitchen on ITV 1.

In 2010 Latham played Matt on the radio series House on Fire which airs on BBC Radio 4. The first episode was broadcast on 7 January 2010. The radio show was such a success that it was repeated and recommisioned for a second series.

In 2011 Latham joined the cast of the BBC soap opera EastEnders, playing Rob Grayson, a pimp in a controversial sex exploitation storyline.^[4]

In 2012 Latham was cast in Tulisa's music video for song 'Sight Of You'.

In August 2014 Latham was involved in the casting process for a film at Futureworks Media School, Manchester. The movie is to be called "Showground".^[5]

Selected filmography

• The Cops 1998
• Big Meg, Little Meg 2000
• When I Was 12 2001
• Having It Off 2002
• The Stretford Wives 2002
• Holby City 5 episodes 2002–03
• Mr. Harvey Lights a Candle 2005
• The Street 2006
• A Neutral Corner 2006
• The Michael Gomez Story 2007
• Ruby Blue 2007
• Shameless 2004–08, 2013-2014
• The Fixer 2008-09
• Spooks: Code 9 2008
• The Tudors 2010
• Casualty 2010
• EastEnders 2011
• Waterloo Road 2013

References

• ^ Scotsman.com News - Features - Don't gimme no Lip child (retrieved 1 June 2014)
• ^ People.co.uk - Jody a Dope (retrieved 21 April 2009)

External links

• Jody Latham at the Internet Movie Database
• Channel 4 Shameless actors page
• Channel 4 Shameless character profiles
• BBC - BBC Radio 4 Programmes - House On Fire