Matt Di Angelo
| Matt Di Angelo | |
|---|---|
| Born |
1 May 1987 London, England, United Kingdom |
| Occupation | Actor, Singer |
| Years active | 1997–present |
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (170 cm) |
| Partner(s) | Flavia Cacace (2007-2010) |
Mario Angelo Constantinou, known as Matt Di Angelo (born 1 May 1987),[1] is a British actor and singer best known for playing Dean Wicks in the popular British soap EastEnders, and for being a participant in Strictly Come Dancing.[2]
Early life
Di Angelo was born in London, England, of Greek and Irish descent. He attended Southgate School, and started studying acting, singing and dancing, at Boden Studios (Enfield/Barnet), and went on to Sylvia Young Theatre School. He started a BTEC in Performing Arts but did not finish it.
Career
Di Angelo's first acting role was as Robbie in the television series Harbour Lights in the episode: "Rites of Passage" which first aired on 28 May 2000. Then he played Felix in the CBBC musical comedy series I Dream in 2004. This resulted in him making a few appearances in the Sunday morning children's TV show Smile. He appeared in the film Telling Lies in 2006.
That same year he got his best-known role as Deano Wicks in the popular BBC soap opera EastEnders where he made his first appearance on 2 January 2006. It was said that he was working in a shoe shop when he heard that he had got the part. It was announced on 18 August 2007 that Di Angelo would be leaving EastEnders following the departure of Phil Daniels (who played his on-screen father Kevin Wicks). He described his departure as "a shock".[3] Di Angelo finished filming EastEnders 12 December 2007 and his last appearance in the series aired on 7 February 2008.
Di Angelo's portfolio includes television commercials and modeling, and he has been a guest on a number of programmes, such as The Paul O'Grady Show, Saturday Kitchen, Ready Steady Cook, Hole In The Wall, Alan Carr's Celebrity Ding Dong, Weakest Link and The Friday Night Project.
In 2007 he appeared in the fifth series of Strictly Come Dancing. His dance partner was Flavia Cacace. He appeared in the final, in which he was runner-up to singer Alesha Dixon.
Di Angelo competed with Cacace in the live tour of Strictly Come Dancing in January and February 2008. They won more shows than any other couple, coming first overall sixteen times and second a further ten times (out of a total of forty shows).[4]
From 11 December 2008 until 31 January 2009 he played the character of Hal in the play Loot in north London's Tricycle Theatre, then at Theatre Royal, Newcastle 3–7 February 2009.[5]
He played Sean in all six episodes of the 2009 series of the hit BBC1 series, Hustle. He played Fitz Kreiner in the Doctor Who audio play The Company of Friends.
In 2008, Di Angelo confirmed on Something for the Weekend his participation in the upcoming film Function at the Junction. However, this has yet to happen.
On 20 April 2009 Di Angelo's agent announced on their website [6] that he would be filming a guest lead in Casualty. This will be the series two-part finale 'No Fjords in Finland' which is due to air on Saturday 25 July and Saturday 1 August 2009. The agent advised that he was busy recording a new pilot show called Fried Brain Sandwich about a stand up comedian, to be directed by Guy Jenkin (Outnumbered and Drop the Dead Donkey).
On 21 July 2009 Di Angelo's agent announced on their website that he would be playing the lead role of Jack Stradler in the low-budget film Following Footsteps. He films throughout August for Perry Pictures.[7]
Earlier in the year Di Angelo supported 'A Night Less Ordinary' a free ticket scheme for young people launched by Arts Council England in February 2009.[8]
Di Angelo is a supporter of the 'Connected to British Films and TV Campaign' urging internet users to pay for their downloads.
In May 2010 Di Angelo was filming Whiskey Robber for Parallel Pictures and series 7 of Hustle.[9]
More recently, Di Angelo was cast as the voice-over for the Giffgaff advert, sponsoring The Big Bang Theory on E4, which aired between February and May 2012.
In April 2012, industry trade daily Screen International announced Di Angelo had been cast as the lead in British crime thriller Two Days in the Smoke alongside Stephen Marcus, Alan Ford, Lili Bordan and Velibor Topic.[10]
In 2014 Di Angelo returned to EastEnders to reprise the role of Deano Wicks.[11]
Awards table
| Year | Group | Award | Result | Film/Television series |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | British Soap Awards | Sexiest Male | Runner Up | EastEnders |
| 2007 | British Soap Awards | Sexiest Male | Runner Up | EastEnders |
Filmography
Films
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Telling Lies | Derek | |
| 2010 | Following Footsteps | Jack Stadler | |
| 2012 | Two Days in the Smoke | Brad Walker |
TV
| Year | Show | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Harbour Lights | Robbie | 1 episode: Rites of Passage |
| 2004 | I Dream | Felix | Series Regular |
| 2006–2008, 2014 – present | EastEnders | Dean Wicks | Series regular |
| 2008 | Dani's House | Delivery Man | 1 episode: Luck |
| 2009–2012 | Hustle | Sean Kennedy | Series Regular |
| 2009 | Casualty | Tom | 2 episodes: No Fjords in Finland (Parts 1 and 2) |
| 2011 | Death in Paradise | Darren Moore | 1 episode: Episode Two |
| 2012-2014 | Borgia | Francesco Alidosi | Recurring character |
Radio
| Year | Show | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Doctor Who | Fitz Kreiner (voice) | 1 episode: The Company of Friends |
References
- ↑ "Matt Di Angelo". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 5 June 2008.
1st May 1987, London, UK
- ↑ "Hustle: Episode 1". Retrieved 11 January 2009.
- ↑ "Leaving Enders is a shock", MyParkMag.co.uk, 29 August 2007
- ↑ "Previous Winners". Strictly Come Dancing Live!. Retrieved 16 April 2008.
- ↑ Tricycle Theatre. Tricycle.co.uk (2012-06-12). Retrieved on 2012-06-20.
- ↑ Rossmore Management. Retrieved on 2012-06-20.
- ↑ Film News. Rossmore Management. Retrieved on 2012-06-20.
- ↑ http://www.officiallondontheatre.co.uk/news/latest/view/item104320/Stars-launch-A-Night-Less-Ordinary/
- ↑ News. Rossmore Management. Retrieved on 2012-06-20.
- ↑ Wilcock, Jessica. (2012-04-23) Matt Di Angelo to star in Two Days In The Smoke | News | Screen. Screendaily.com. Retrieved on 2012-06-20.
- ↑ Deano to return from Down Under.
External links
| Preceded by Matt Dawson and Lilia Kopylova |
Strictly Come Dancing runner up (with partner Flavia Cacace) Series 5 (2007) |
Succeeded by Rachel Stevens and Vincent Simone |