Andrew Grainger (born 1965) is an English theatre and film actor. A native of the United Kingdom, Grainger moved to Castor Bay, Auckland, New Zealand in 2007, where he is active in both theatre and television productions, but continues to appear regularly on British television, as he has since launching his career.

Theatre

"Andy Grainger", as he was initially credited, formulated an acting career through his love of musicals and theatre. He began a

West End theatre West End theatre is mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres in and near the West End of London.Christopher Innes, "West End" in ''The Cambridge Guide to Theatre'' (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998), pp. 1194–1 ...

acting, dancing and singing career in 1987 at age 22 at the

Prince of Wales Theatre The Prince of Wales Theatre is a West End theatre in Coventry Street, near Leicester Square in London. It was established in 1884 and rebuilt in 1937, and extensively refurbished in 2004 by Sir Cameron Mackintosh, its current owner. The theatre ...

playing "Benjamin" in a stage and road production of ''

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers ''Seven Brides for Seven Brothers'' is a 1954 American musical film, directed by Stanley Donen, with music by Gene de Paul, lyrics by Johnny Mercer, and choreography by Michael Kidd. The screenplay, by Albert Hackett, Frances Goodrich, and Dorot ...

'', directed by Michael Winter, and in 1990 playing "Lt. Buzz Adams" in '' South Pacific'', directed by Roger Redfarm. He also portrayed "Dr. Orin" in a 1994 production of '' A Little Shop of Horrors'' at the

Oldham Coliseum Theatre Oldham Coliseum Theatre is a theatre in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England. Found on Fairbottom Street in the town centre, Oldham's Coliseum is a repertory theatre which celebrated its centenary in 1987. Its interior makes it a great period cla ...

directed by Lindsay Dolan.Auckland Actors
/ref> Since then, he has appeared regularly in such venues as the

Hull Truck Theatre Hull Truck Theatre is a theatre in Kingston upon Hull, England, which presents drama productions, and also tours. In March 2022, the theatre's original premises on Coltman Street, Hull, was recognised by a blue plaque to coincide with the theatr ...

London Palladium The London Palladium () is a Grade II* West End theatre located on Argyll Street, London, in the famous area of Soho. The theatre holds 2,286 seats. Of the roster of stars who have played there, many have televised performances. Between 1955 an ...

King's Head Theatre The King's Head Theatre, founded in 1970 by Dan Crawford, is an off-West End venue in London. It is the second oldest operating pub theatre in the UK. In 2021, Mark Ravenhill became Artistic Director and the theatre focusses on producing LGBTQ ...

, Silo Theatre and the

Auckland Theatre Company Auckland Theatre Company (ATC) is a professional theatre company in Auckland. It was founded in 1992 and since 2016 has been based in ASB Waterfront Theatre in the Wynyard Quarter in central Auckland. History Auckland Theatre Company (ATC) wa ...

. In 2013, he appeared as "Geoff Tordoff" in a production of '' The Heretic'' with the Auckland Theatre Company.

Television and films

Grainger has participated in over 60 British television series and films in his career, among them ''

The Bill ''The Bill'' is a British police procedural television series, first broadcast on ITV from 16 August 1983 until 31 August 2010. The programme originated from a one-off drama, '' Woodentop'', broadcast in August 1983. The programme focused on ...

'', ''

Rosemary and Thyme ''Rosemary & Thyme'' is a British television cosy mystery thriller series starring Felicity Kendal and Pam Ferris as gardening detectives Rosemary Boxer and Laura Thyme. The show began on ITV in 2003. The third series ended in August 2007. ...

'', ''

Heartbeat A heartbeat is one cardiac cycle of the heart. Heartbeat, heart beat, heartbeats, and heart beats may refer to: Computing *Heartbeat (computing), a periodic signal to indicate normal operation or to synchronize parts of a system *Heartbeat, clus ...

'', '' Bad Girls'' and ''

EastEnders ''EastEnders'' is a Television in the United Kingdom, British soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the Ea ...

''. In New Zealand he has appeared in local programmes ''Shortland Street'', ''Outrageous Fortune'', ''The Million Dollar Con Man'', ''Life's A Riot'' and ''The Cult''. He has received recognition for a variety of worldwide television commercial appearances. Among the feature films he has appeared in are ''

Parting Shots ''Parting Shots'' is a 1999 British dark comedy film starring Chris Rea, Felicity Kendal, Oliver Reed, Bob Hoskins, Diana Rigg, Ben Kingsley, John Cleese and Joanna Lumley. It was the final film directed by Michael Winner. Upon release in the U ...

'' (1999), '' In the Beginning'' (2000), ''

Large Large means of great size. Large may also refer to: Mathematics * Arbitrarily large, a phrase in mathematics * Large cardinal, a property of certain transfinite numbers * Large category, a category with a proper class of objects and morphisms (or ...

'' (2001), ''

Spy Game ''Spy Game'' is a 2001 American action thriller film directed by Tony Scott and starring Robert Redford and Brad Pitt. The film grossed $62 million in the United States and $143 million worldwide on a $115 million budget, and received mostly po ...

'' (2001), '' Mean Machine'' (2001), ''Kiss Me Deadly'' (2008) and ''

The Lovely Bones ''The Lovely Bones'' is a 2002 novel by American writer Alice Sebold. It is the story of a teenage girl who, after being raped and murdered, watches from her personal Heaven as her family and friends struggle to move on with their lives while she ...

'' (2009).

Personal life

Grainger moved to New Zealand in 2006 to start a family with his wife, Sacha. Living near Waiake Beach in Torbay, they have two children. "I think in life if you have an opportunity to try things new you should embrace them, and the lifestyle here is fantastic."UK actor back on stage
/ref>

References

External links

*
Andrew Grainger ''Seven Brides for Seven Brothers'' 1980s TV dance number
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grainger, Andrew Living people 1965 births 20th-century English male actors 21st-century English male actors New Zealand male television actors English male television actors English male film actors English male stage actors