Ben Richards (actor)
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Ben Richards (born 27 March 1972 in
West Sussex West Sussex is a county in South East England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the shire districts of Adur, Arun, Chichester, Horsham, and Mid Sussex, and the boroughs of Crawley and Worthing. Covering an ar ...
, England) is a British stage and television actor and dancer. Richards studied dance from an early age and later took part in theatre. He gained supporting roles in London's West End and gradually filled the role of the lead. After small roles in two films, Richards began his television career with guest roles in various British serials. In 2004, he joined the regular cast of the
ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
drama ''
Footballers' Wives ''Footballers' Wives'' is a British television drama about fictional Premier League football club Earls Park F.C., its players, and their wives, broadcast on ITV from 2002 to 2006. The show initially focuses on three very different couples, but ...
'' and after the series ended he resumed theatre work. Richards went on to secure roles in ''
Holby City ''Holby City'' (stylised on-screen as HOLBY CIY) is a British medical drama television series that aired weekly on BBC One. It was created by Tony McHale and Mal Young as a spin-off from the established BBC medical drama ''Casualty'', and pr ...
'' and ''
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 ...
''. While working on the latter, Richards said that he would always pursue his career in theatre. After leaving the series he returned to theatre work. In 2015, he joined the cast of the soap opera ''
Hollyoaks ''Hollyoaks'' is a British soap opera which began airing on Channel 4 on 23 October 1995. It was created by Phil Redmond, who had previously conceived the soap opera ''Brookside (TV series), Brookside''. Since 2005, episodes have been aired on ...
'' and finished filming the following year. He then returned to stage roles in the West End. Richards has also starred in many
pantomimes Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment. It was developed in England and is performed throughout the United Kingdom, Ireland and (to a lesser extent) in other English-speaking ...
including ''Beauty and the Beast'', playing the Beast, at the Royal Theatre, Nottingham, in 2017.


Career

Richards began dancing aged seven and later attended the dance college
Laine Theatre Arts Laine Theatre Arts, sometimes referred to as Laines, is an independent performing arts college, based in the town of Epsom in Surrey, England. The college was founded in 1974 by former professional dancer and dance teacher Betty Laine OBE, and ...
. He later began appearing in a number of theatre productions in London's West End. He appeared in supporting roles in the productions of ''Radio Times'', '' Up on the Roof'', ''
Hot Mikado : ''Hot Mikado'' is a musical comedy, based on Gilbert and Sullivan's 1885 comic opera '' The Mikado'', adapted by David H. Bell (book and lyrics) and Rob Bowman (orchestrations and arrangements). After researching the 1939 Broadway musical, ' ...
'' and '' Smokey Joe's Cafe''. In 1993, he was playing Terry Johnson in '' Grease'', with music direction by Mike Dixon. In 1998, he secured his first lead role playing Tony Manero in '' Saturday Night Fever''. He later returned to the West End production of ''Grease'', this time playing the lead character Danny Zuko. Richards made his film debut in the 1997 movie ''
Bring Me the Head of Mavis Davis ''Bring Me the Head of Mavis Davis'' is a British comedy film directed by John Henderson, originally released in 1997. The film stars Rik Mayall, Jane Horrocks, Danny Aiello and Ross Boatman. The title and plot reference Peckinpah's ''Bring M ...
'' and in 1999 secured a role in ''Julie and the Cadillacs''. Guest roles followed in the
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...
television series' ''
Doctors Doctor or The Doctor may refer to: Personal titles * Doctor (title), the holder of an accredited academic degree * A medical practitioner, including: ** Physician ** Surgeon ** Dentist ** Veterinary physician ** Optometrist *Other roles ** ...
'' and ''
Holby City ''Holby City'' (stylised on-screen as HOLBY CIY) is a British medical drama television series that aired weekly on BBC One. It was created by Tony McHale and Mal Young as a spin-off from the established BBC medical drama ''Casualty'', and pr ...
''. In 2002 he played Jerry in ''
The Full Monty ''The Full Monty'' is a 1997 British comedy film directed by Peter Cattaneo, starring Robert Carlyle, Mark Addy, William Snape, Steve Huison, Tom Wilkinson, Paul Barber and Hugo Speer. The screenplay was written by Simon Beaufoy. The film is s ...
'' and, in the following year, played the Dentist in the '' Little Shop of Horrors''. In 2004, Richards joined the cast of
ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
's ''
Footballers' Wives ''Footballers' Wives'' is a British television drama about fictional Premier League football club Earls Park F.C., its players, and their wives, broadcast on ITV from 2002 to 2006. The show initially focuses on three very different couples, but ...
'' in the role of Bruno Milligan. He also appeared in the
ITV2 ITV2 is a British free-to-air television channel owned by ITV Digital Channels, a division of ITV plc. It was launched on 7 December 1998. For a number of years, it had the largest audience share after the five analogue terrestrial stations, a ...
spin-off '' Footballers' Wives: Extra Time''. In early 2006, it was announced that Richards had joined the cast of ''Holby City'' playing a new character,
Justin Fuller '' Holby City'' is a British medical drama television series that premiered on 12 January 1999 on BBC One. The series was created by Tony McHale and Mal Young as a spin-off from the established BBC medical drama ''Casualty''. It is set in the ...
, remaining in the series for four months. Richards then played Sky Masterson in the UK tour of ''
Guys and Dolls ''Guys and Dolls'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. It is based on "The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown" (1933) and "Blood Pressure", which are two short stories by Damon Runyon, and also bo ...
'' in 2006. That year Richards became a judge on the second series of ''
Strictly Dance Fever ''Strictly Dance Fever'' is a British television programme, broadcast on BBC One on Saturday evenings. It was an amateur dance talent competition, hosted by Graham Norton, which ran during Spring 2005 and Spring 2006. It had 2 extra shows, The S ...
''. In 2007, he began playing the role of Nate Roberts in police drama ''
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 ...
''. He also appeared as Nate for an episode of the German series ''
Leipzig Homicide ''Leipzig Homicide (SOKO Leipzig)'' is a German crime drama television series first broadcast on 31 January 2001 on ZDF. More than 400 episodes have been screened since. On 12 November 2008, the first of a two-part crossover between ''SOKO Leip ...
''. The character of Nate became popular and the producers signed Richards to a new one-year contract. However, Richards told Laura Davidson of the '' Sunday Mail'' that he still wanted to pursue his career in musical theatre. In 2010, Richards decided to leave ''The Bill'' before it was axed by ITV. He then took over Jason Donovan's role of Tick in the West End production of '' Priscilla, Queen of the Desert''. In 2011, Richards signed up to appear in a production of ''
Peter Pan Peter Pan is a fictional character created by List of Scottish novelists, Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie. A free-spirited and mischievous young boy who can fly and Puer aeternus, never grows up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending ...
'' playing the role of
Captain Hook Captain James Hook is a fictional character and the main antagonist of J. M. Barrie's 1904 play ''Peter Pan; or, the Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up'' and its various adaptations, in which he is Peter Pan's archenemy. The character is a pirate capta ...
, which premiered at the
Grand Canal Theatre Grand may refer to: People with the name * Grand (surname) * Grand L. Bush (born 1955), American actor * Grand Mixer DXT, American turntablist * Grand Puba (born 1966), American rapper Places * Grand, Oklahoma * Grand, Vosges, village and co ...
. In an interview with RTE, Richards revealed that he had previously auditioned for roles in ''
Coronation Street ''Coronation Street'' is an English soap opera created by Granada Television and shown on ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres around a cobbled, terraced street in Weatherfield, a fictional town based on inner-city Salford. Origi ...
'' but was unsuccessful because of his southern accent. In March 2012, while battling illness, Richards returned to his home town of
Bognor Regis Bognor Regis (), sometimes simply known as Bognor (), is a town and seaside resort in West Sussex on the south coast of England, south-west of London, west of Brighton, south-east of Chichester and east of Portsmouth. Other nearby towns ...
to perform his own show titled ''An Evening with Ben Richards''. He told a reporter from the ''Bognor Regis Observer'' that the show was a one-off to see how it would be received. In June 2012, it was announced that Richards would be playing the part of Franklin Hart, Jr. in the first UK tour production of the Broadway musical, '' 9 to 5''. The tour began at the
Manchester Opera House The Opera House in Quay Street, Manchester, England, is a 1,920-seater commercial touring theatre that plays host to touring musicals, ballet, concerts and a Christmas pantomime. It is a Grade II listed building. The Opera House is one of the mai ...
on 12 October 2012. Richards continued to tour the show through 2013. In April 2015, it was announced that he had joined the cast of the soap opera ''
Hollyoaks ''Hollyoaks'' is a British soap opera which began airing on Channel 4 on 23 October 1995. It was created by Phil Redmond, who had previously conceived the soap opera ''Brookside (TV series), Brookside''. Since 2005, episodes have been aired on ...
'', playing the role of sergeant Ben Bradley. He also had an additional guest role in ''Doctors'' playing Mr Kit. He played a lead role in the 2015 film ''Monsoon Tide'', playing Charles Messenger. In March 2016, it was announced that Richards would be playing Frank Farmer alongside
Beverley Knight Beverley Knight (born Beverley Anne Smith, 22 March 1973) is an English recording artist and musical theatre actress. She released her first album, '' The B-Funk'', in 1995. Heavily influenced by American soul music icons such as Sam Cooke an ...
in the West End revival of '' The Bodyguard''. He later announced that he had filmed his final scenes on ''Hollyoaks''. His character last appeared in the episode broadcast on 28 May 2016. In 2017, he recorded two songs for the album ''Wit & Whimsy - Songs by Alexander S. Bermange''. In October 2021, it was announced by Richards' management that he had been cast in the
ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
soap opera ''
Emmerdale ''Emmerdale'' (known as ''Emmerdale Farm'' until 1989) is a British soap opera that is broadcast on ITV1. The show is set in Emmerdale (known as Beckindale until 1994), a fictional village in the Yorkshire Dales. Created by Kevin Laffan, '' ...
'' as
Gavin Gavin is a male given name originating from Scotland. It is a variation on the medieval name Gawain, meaning "God send" or "white hawk" (or falcon). Sir Gawain was a knight of King Arthur's Round Table. '' Sir Gawain and the Green Knight'' is an e ...
. In 2021, the director Benjamin Johns revealed that Richards would appear in his television film ''Relationships''.


Personal life

He is a former pupil of Felpham Community College. Richards was married to Helen Richards in 2003. The couple had four children, all of whom were still-born due to a rare condition. Richards is a patron of Expressions Performing Arts in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. In January 2012, Richards revealed that he had been diagnosed with
bowel cancer Colorectal cancer (CRC), also known as bowel cancer, colon cancer, or rectal cancer, is the development of cancer from the colon or rectum (parts of the large intestine). Signs and symptoms may include blood in the stool, a change in bowel m ...
. In March 2012, he spoke publicly about his illness in an interview in '' Hello!'' magazine. He said that doctors had discovered a six centimetre tumour. Prior to his diagnosis, Richards had been ignoring the symptoms. His doctors also predicted that he would make a full recovery, while his treatment was due to finish later that year. In August 2012, Helen announced on her Twitter account that her relationship with Richards had come to an end. Richards has been in remission since January 2013 and soon became a patron of the awareness charity, Bowel Cancer UK. He is also a patron for the UK charity Chestnut Tree House. Richards later began a relationship with the television presenter Kirsty Duffy. She gave birth to their first child, daughter Freja Amelie, in 2015.


Filmography


Television


Film


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Richards, Ben 1972 births Living people Male actors from Sussex English male soap opera actors