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Colin Salmon

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Colin Salmon
Salmon in 2008
Born
Colin Roy Salmon

December 1961 (age 62-63)
Bethnal Green, London, England
EducationAshcroft High School
OccupationActor
Years active1992–present
Spouse
Fiona Hawthorne
​
(m. 1988)​
Children4

Colin Roy Salmon (born December 1961) is an English actor. He is known for playing Charles Robinson in three James Bond films and James "One" Shade in the Resident Evil film series. He has had roles on many television series such as Doctor Who, Merlin, Arrow, and The Musketeers. He also played General Zod on the Syfy series Krypton and provided his voice and likeness as Agent Carson in the PlayStation VR video game Blood & Truth. In 2023, he joined the BBC soap opera EastEnders as George Knight.

Early life

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Colin Roy Salmon was born in December 1961 in Bethnal Green, London, England, the son of Sylvia Ivy Brudenell Salmon, a nurse.[1][2][3] He is of Jamaican descent.[4] He grew up in Luton and attended Ashcroft High School.[5]

On leaving school, Salmon became the drummer in the punk rock band the Friction, which he formed along with three friends from high school.[6] The band released a 7-inch EP, a live cassette, a cassette-EP and performed regularly around Luton in 1979 and 1980.[6] Salmon briefly worked with another band, the Tee Vees,[6] and was also a singer and trumpeter in Luton-based band Catch in the mid-1980s.[7] He plays trumpet and has his own jazz quartet, playing at venues such as the Dorchester Grill Room and at events such as the Cheltenham Jazz Festival.[8]

Speaking about his quartet to Pete Lewis of the magazine Blues & Soul, in an interview prior to their performance at the Cheltenham Jazz Festival in May 2008, Salmon stated:

In terms of recording, we've done none. We've mostly just done very occasional performances – usually at very special events. You know, keeping a consistent band going is a bit like getting the Aston Martin out the garage – you have to run it every now and then! And what's made that particularly difficult in the last year, for example, is that I've literally just spent an entire 12 months travelling the world acting – from China through to Montreal to Botswana. But, having said that, with the children being older I do have more time when I am at home these days. So we have been able to do some rehearsing together. And, while we've always mostly performed standards, I have actually for the first time written some new stuff in time for this upcoming Cheltenham gig.[8]

Career

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Salmon is known for his role as Charles Robinson, a character in the James Bond films Tomorrow Never Dies, The World Is Not Enough and Die Another Day.[9] He made his feature debut in 1992 as Sgt. Robert Oswald in the British mini-series Prime Suspect 2.[9] Salmon also played Note Makoti in the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency[9] and David Tyrel in the Sky One UK television series Hex. He appears as himself in the sixth episode of the BBC Three comedy, Little Miss Jocelyn.

In 2006 he appeared in the eighth series of the ITV drama Bad Girls as Senior Medical Officer Dr. Rowan Dunlop. He played Dr. Moon in two episodes ("Silence in the Library" and "Forest of the Dead") of the fourth series of the long running science fiction television series Doctor Who.[10] (Subsequently, there were rumours that he would take on the coveted lead role of The Doctor in 2008 after David Tennant, but the role went to Matt Smith.)[11] In 2020, writer Steven Moffat stated he envisioned Salmon's character as a future incarnation of the Doctor.[12]

Salmon has also recorded the role of Kerr Avon in the audio series of Blake's 7.[13] Salmon played James "One" Shade in the film Resident Evil (2002)[9] and reprised the role as a clone version in the 2012 sequel Resident Evil: Retribution.[9] Salmon also played Oonu, squad leader of the Skybax in the 2002 mini-series Dinotopia. His other film credits include Captives (1994), Frantz Fanon: Black Skin White Mask[14] (a documentary directed by Isaac Julien in which Salmon plays the French psychiatrist, philosopher and revolutionary, Frantz Fanon) (1996), The Wisdom of Crocodiles (1998), Fanny and Elvis (1999) and My Kingdom (2001).

In 2007, Salmon appeared in the season finale of the ITV2 series Secret Diary of a Call Girl, playing a client of the protagonist, a call girl named Hannah Baxter. In the 2008 film Clubbed, a film about nightclub bouncers in Coventry in the 1980s, Salmon plays one of the main characters, Louis. In 2009, Salmon appeared in the UK version of the popular American drama Law & Order, as barrister Doug Greer in the episodes "Buried" and "Community Service". In 2012, Salmon appeared in Death in Paradise, as killer/businessman Leon Hamilton/Vincent Carter. He starred in the thriller film Exam, directed by Stuart Hazeldine.[15]

Salmon was one of the celebrity contestants on the tenth series of BBC One's Strictly Come Dancing, partnered with professional dancer Kristina Rihanoff.[9] He was eliminated as a result of the "dance-off" in Week 5, in which he competed against Richard Arnold. In 2015, he played a fictional version of himself in the Netflix series Master of None, alongside Aziz Ansari's main character. On 9 May 2015, Salmon gave a reading at VE Day 70: A Party to Remember in Horse Guards Parade, London. In 2018, he portrayed the role of Chudleigh Pomeroy in Mortal Engines.

In 2023, Salmon joined the cast of the BBC soap opera EastEnders as George Knight, a newly introduced co-owner of the Queen Vic.[16]

Personal life

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Salmon is a patron of the African-Caribbean Leukaemia Trust and the Richard House Children's Hospice and an ambassador for The Prince's Trust.[17] He is also the chairman of governors at St Anne's Nursery.[18] He is involved in the Notting Hill Carnival and is the dance captain of the Fox Carnival Band.[19]

Salmon married visual artist Fiona Hawthorne[20] in 1988 and the couple have four children.[21][22]

In September 2010, Salmon was invited by his friend Samuel L. Jackson to Switzerland for Shooting Stars Benefits 2010 Golf Tournaments.[23] The golf competition raised money for the Samuel L. Jackson Foundation and the Swiss Red Cross to go towards a new hospital in Takéo Province, one of Cambodia's poorest provinces. In 2009 he became a co-founder of Cage Cricket with Trevor McArdle.[24]

In an August 2021 interview, Salmon spoke about how becoming ill with COVID-19 had affected him and his family, praising doctors for having saved his life.[25][26]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
1994 Captives Towler
1995 All Men Are Mortal Chas
1997 Tomorrow Never Dies MI6 Deputy Chief of Staff Charles Robinson
1998 Immortality Martin
1999 The World Is Not Enough MI6 Deputy Chief of Staff Charles Robinson
Fanny and Elvis Alan
2001 My Kingdom "The Chair"
2002 Resident Evil James "One" Shade
Die Another Day MI6 Deputy Chief of Staff Charles Robinson
2003 The Statement Father Patrice
2004 Freeze Frame Detective Mountjoy
Alien vs. Predator Maxwell Stafford
2005 Match Point Ian
2008 The Bank Job Hakim Jamal
Credo Dr. Reynolds
Clubbed Louis
Punisher: War Zone FBI Agent Paul Budiansky
Blood: The Last Vampire Powell
2009 Exam The Invigilator
K Vaughn
2010 Freestyle Carter
Shank "Boogie"
Just for the Record Maynard Stark
Devil's Playground Peter White
Stalker Leo Fox
2011 Moving Target Ralph
High Chicago Sam
How to Stop Being a Loser Dennis
2012 Resident Evil: Retribution James "One" Shade Clone
2015 The Rapture Jean-Paul
Meet Pursuit Delange: The Movie Sergeant Gabriel / Archangel Gabriel
2016 London Has Fallen Commissioner Sir Kevin Hazard
Criminal The Warden
2018 Mortal Engines Chudleigh Pomeroy
2020 The Bet Cal
2021 Nobody "The Barber"
Zone 414 Hawthorne
2022 Prey for the Devil Father Quinn
2023 Hammarskjöld Ralph Bunche

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1992 Prime Suspect 2 Sergeant Bob Oswald
1993 Lovejoy Rathbone Episode: "The Kakiemon Tiger"
Between the Lines Eric Hutchinson Episode: "The Fifth Estate"
1994 Murder Most Horrid Lambert Episode: "Overkill"
Soldier Soldier Colour Sergeant Dennis Ryan 2 episodes
1995 All Men Are Mortal Chas
Shine on Harvey Moon Noah Hawksley
Frantz Fanon: Black Skin, White Mask Frantz Fanon Documentary
1996 Silent Witness Sebastian Bird 2 episodes
Tales from the Crypt Jimmy Picket Episode: "Cold War"
1997 No Child of Mine Paul Television film
Band of Gold Raymond 2 episodes
2001 Mind Games DCI Ricky Grover Television film
Judge John Deed Willy Radcliff 2 episodes
2002 Dinotopia Captain Oonu TV miniseries
The Red Phone: Manhunt Cooper Television film
Murder in Mind Alex Treeve Episode 3.7: "Justice"
2003 Red Phone 2 Cooper Television film
Keen Eddie Superintendent Nathanial Johnson Main role
2004 Trial & Retribution Colin Thorpe 2 episodes
Hex David Tyrel Main role
2005 Sea of Souls Peter Locke 2 episodes
2006 Bad Girls Dr. Rowan Dunlop Series 8
Little Miss Jocelyn Unknown Episode 1.6
The Outsiders The Trainer Television film
2007 Party Animals Stephen Templeton
Secret Diary of a Call Girl Mitchell Episode 1.8
2008 Doctor Who Dr. Moon Episodes: "Silence in the Library" and "Forest of the Dead"
2008–2009 The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency Note Makoti 2 episodes
2009–2014 Law & Order: UK Doug Greer 4 episodes
2009 The Omid Djalili Show 007 3 episodes
Merlin Aglain Episode: "The Nightmare Begins"
Annihilation Earth Raja Rahim Bashir Television film
2010 Strike Back James Middleton 4 episodes
Rev. Leon Episode 1.5
Spooks Alton Beecher 2 episodes
2010–2016 The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret Hudson 6 episodes
2011 Death in Paradise Vincent Carter Episode 1.5
2011–2012 Single Ladies Jerry Waters 7 episodes
2012–2014 Arrow Walter Steele 14 episodes
Some Girls Rob Bennett Recurring role
2013 Rita Colin Paige Television film
NTSF:SD:SUV:: Graham Episode: "U-KO'ed"
2014 24: Live Another Day General Coburn 7 episodes
2015 No Offence Superintendent Darren MacLaren Main role
The Musketeers Tariq Alaman Episode: "The Good Traitor"
A.D. The Bible Continues Gabra 2 episodes
Master of None Colin Salmon Episode: "The Other Man"
2015–2016 Limitless Jarrod Sands Recurring role
2016 Judi Dench: All the World's Her Stage Himself Narrator of BBC documentary about Judi Dench[27]
2017 Henry lX Major Recurring role
Tracey Ullman's Show Various
2017–2018 Sofia the First Orion Recurring role; series 4
2018–2019 Krypton General Dru-Zod Main role; 18 episodes
2019 Silent Witness Headteacher Mr. Noah Taylor 2 episodes
2021–2023 Midsomer Murders Gerard King 2 episodes
2023–present EastEnders George Knight Regular role
Changing Ends Ron Main role; 6 episodes
2023 The Lazarus Project Robin Lerner Recurring role; 7 episodes, series 2
Pointless Celebrities Contestant Series 16, Episode 8[28]

Voice work

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Year Title Role
2007 Blake's 7 (A Rebellion Reborn) Kerr Avon
2017 Alien: River of Pain Captain Demian Brackett
2021 The Hound of the Baskervilles Sherlock Holmes

References

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  1. ^ "Who is Colin Salmon? Meet the James Bond star joining EastEnders". Radio Times. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
  2. ^ "Colin Roy SALMON". 22 May 2023.
  3. ^ Green, Alex (29 August 2021). "Bond star Colin Salmon reveals he suffered serious case of Covid-19". Irish Independent. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
  4. ^ Colin Salmon Biography (1961–) Archived 13 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 9 August 2011.
  5. ^ "The new Ashcroft; Grand opening"Archived 3 December 2014 at the Wayback Machine, Ashcroft High School.
  6. ^ a b c Ogg, Alex (2006), "Friction", in No More Heroes: A Complete History of UK Punk from 1976 to 1980, Cherry Red Books, ISBN 978-1-901447-65-1, pp. 254–255.
  7. ^ "Fade to Grey Catch 1984 Live at the Red Lion Luton – YouTube". www.youtube.com. Archived from the original on 21 January 2022. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
  8. ^ a b Pete Lewis, "Colin Salmon: Swimming Against Typecasting" (interview), Blues & Soul, April 2008. Archived 11 September 2012 at the Wayback Machine.
  9. ^ a b c d e f "Colin Salmon Licence to Thrill". BBC. 2020.
  10. ^ "New guest stars announced for series 4". bbc.co.uk. 24 January 2008. Archived from the original on 27 January 2008. Retrieved 24 January 2008.
  11. ^ "Colin Salmon Fishes for Doctor Who Role" Archived 6 November 2012 at the Wayback Machine, Underwire. Wired.com
  12. ^ "Doctor Who: Steven Moffat reveals there's a secret future Doctor hidden in one of his old episodes". Radio Times. 2 May 2020. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  13. ^ "Discogs:Blake's 7 – Rebel". Discogs. 2007.
  14. ^ "Frantz Fanon: Black Skin White Mask" Archived 12 February 2011 at the Wayback Machine, California Newsreel.
  15. ^ "Trailer for UK Thriller 'Exam' Drops in a Little Late". BloodyDisgusting. 28 November 2009. Archived from the original on 1 December 2009. Retrieved 28 November 2009.
  16. ^ Patterson, Stephen (28 March 2023). "EastEnders spoilers: TV legend Colin Salmon leads new family as Queen Vic owners are confirmed". Metro. Retrieved 29 May 2023.
  17. ^ "Colin Salmon, Actor", TEDx Houses of Parliament.
  18. ^ "Avondale Park Primary and St. Anne's Nursery" Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine, The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.
  19. ^ "Who Is Involved" Archived 11 January 2016 at the Wayback Machine, Fox Carnival Band.
  20. ^ Biography Archived 18 February 2015 at the Wayback Machine, Fiona Hawthorne website.
  21. ^ "Colin Salmon (1965–), Actor". National Portrait Gallery. London. Retrieved 30 October 2021.
  22. ^ Maureen Coleman, "Bond actor Colin Salmon reveals secret of his success... a beloved Northern Irish wife", Belfast Telegraph, 16 November 2012.
  23. ^ "Samuel L. Jackson swings for charity" Archived 11 January 2016 at the Wayback Machine, weWomen, 23 September 2010.
  24. ^ "Cage Cricket Features on BBC Breakfast" Archived 17 January 2015 at archive.today, Cage Cricket, 5 August 2013.
  25. ^ "James Bond star Colin Salmon opens up about near-death experience – EXCLUSIVE". Hello!. 29 August 2021. Retrieved 30 October 2021.
  26. ^ "COVID-19: James Bond star Colin Salmon felt he was 'slipping away' during battle with coronavirus". Sky News. 30 August 2021. Retrieved 30 October 2021.
  27. ^ BBC Studios (30 December 2016). Judi Dench: All the World's Her Stage (video). Colin Salmon (narrator); Francis Whately (director); various colleagues and actors. BBC TWO.
  28. ^ Riet, Richard van't (30 December 2023), Episode #16.8, Pointless Celebrities, Alexander Armstrong, Richard Osman, Chizzy Akudolu, retrieved 17 April 2024{{citation}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
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