Gary Beadle

Beadle was raised as one of five children in Bermondsey, South London,[1] where he was baptised a Roman Catholic.[1] As children, he and his elder brother Rikki produced a version of the 1976 youth musical-gangster film Bugsy Malone for Southwark London Borough Council.[2] Directed by Rikki who starred as Talula, Gary played janitor Fizzy.[1] Rikki tried to invite the original film's director Alan Parker to the performance, but his assistant did come, and used her connections to get Rikki, Gary and their younger sister into the community-based Anna Scher Theatre school.[2]

After developing a love of hip hop, and especially Run-D.M.C. and the Sugarhill Gang, Beadle moved to New York City in his early twenties. On return to London, he formed a rap group called the City Limits Crew. He also worked as a comedian, one half of an act called Swift + 2 Club Bouncers.

He also started to work as an actor, and appeared in The Young Ones (BBC 1984); the 1986 film Absolute Beginners; Jerusalem, the 1987 short film starring the Style Council pop group; Making Out in 1989–91 as Simon; the BBC sitcom Absolutely Fabulous, where he played the gay lover of Eddie's (Jennifer Saunders) ex-husband Justin; the TV series Born to Run in 1997; the ITV police drama The Bill and BBC medical drama Casualty (2001).

In 2001 he won the role of Paul Trueman in EastEnders. A loveable rogue, Beadle left the role when his contract was due to terminate - as he had not appreciated the director and script writers wanting his character to become a drug dealer. He therefore departed from the show and his exit featured the character getting killed off by his gangland boss Andy Hunter (Michael Higgs).[3]

In 2004, he presented the UMA Awards with singer and fellow ex-EastEnders member Michelle Gayle.

Immediately after completing filming of EastEnders, Beadle playing the Evil Queen's henchman in the Qdos Entertainment production of Snow White at the Cliffs Pavilion in Southend-on-Sea, opposite Linda Lusardi. Since leaving EastEnders, Beadle has roles in Holby City (2005), Doctors (2006) and the Jean-Claude Van Damme film Til Death, released in 2007.

In 2007, he appeared in BBC Three comedy Thieves Like Us. His brother is actor, writer and performer Rikki Beadle-Blair. In 2008 he appeared in The Sarah Jane Adventures series 2 as Clyde Langer's father, Paul.[4] In 2009 he appeared in Malice in Wonderland as dj Felix Chester, a Cheshire Cat allusion. In 2010 he appeared in the Royal Court Theatre's Sucker Punch by Roy Williams.

In 2012 he appeared in Hustle as a police officer.[5] In 2015 he played Docker in BBC One drama The Interceptor[6] and also featured in the Ron Howard-directed movie In the Heart of the Sea which was released in December 2015.[7]

In 2016, he starred as Abioseh, an ex-tribesman in the Royal National Theatre's production of Les Blancs.[1][2] He also starred in an episode of the BBC's Death in Paradise and as a Detective Chief Inspector in Silent Witness.

In 2017, Beadle starred as Archdeacon Gabriel Atubo, Rev. Sidney Chambers's boss in Series 3 of Grantchester.[8][9]

• Absolute Beginners (1986)
• Til Death (2007)
• Malice in Wonderland (2009)
• In the Heart of the Sea (2015)

• The Young Ones (1984)
• Casualty (1987, 2001 & 2010)
• Making Out (1989–1991)
• Absolutely Fabulous (1992–1996)
• Born to Run (1997)
• Operation Good Guys (1997–1999)
• The Bill (1999)
• EastEnders (2001–2004)
• Holby City (2005)
• Doctors (2006)
• Kerching! (2006)
• Silent Witness (2007)
• Thieves Like Us (2007)
• The Sarah Jane Adventures (2008)
• Hustle (2012)
• The Interceptor (2015)
• Silent Witness (2016)
• Death in Paradise (2017)
• Grantchester (2017)
• Summer of Rockets (2019)

• Gary Beadle at IMDb
• "Gary Beadle". British Hip Hop. 28 April 2008.