Cornell Salmonn John (born 1963) is a British actor who has appeared in various film and television productions since 1999. He is most renowned for his role as Trife's uncle, Curtis, in the films ''
Kidulthood'' (2006), ''
Adulthood'' (2008) and ''
Brotherhood'' in addition to later starring in the
BBC soap opera ''
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 ...
'' as
Sam James, during 2013. He is also known for having originated the role of Mufasa in the West End production of the musical ''
The Lion King''.
Career
John made his screen debut in two episodes of the television series ''
The Knock''. Over the course of the next few years he appeared in television shows including ''
Maisie Raine
''Maisie Raine'' is a British television crime drama series, first broadcast on BBC One, that ran from 28 July 1998 to 9 July 1999. Pauline Quirke stars as the eponymous title character, an unorthodox detective whose hands on yet down-to-earth a ...
'' and ''
Lenny Henry in Pieces
''Lenny Henry in Pieces'' is a British stand-up and sketch show by comedians Lenny Henry and Gina Yashere. It aired on BBC One between 2000 and 2003.
The show began with two Christmas specials in 2000 and 2001. The 2000 show won the Golden Ros ...
'', and also appeared in the films ''
Rottweiler'' and ''
Red Mercury''.
However, his most establishing role as a film actor was as Curtis, Trevor's Uncle, in the 2006 film ''
Kidulthood'', a role which he reprised for the sequel to the film ''
Adulthood'' (2008), the latter of which was directed by fellow actor
Noel Clarke
Noel Anthony Clarke (born 6 December 1975) is a British actor, screenwriter, director, and comic book writer. Rising to prominence for playing Mickey Smith in ''Doctor Who'' (2005–2010), he played Sam in the films ''Kidulthood'' (2006), ''Adu ...
. He then reprised the role for a 3rd time in the sequel to ''Adulthood'', ''
Brotherhood'' in 2016. He also appeared as
Glenstorm
Magical creatures are an important aspect of the Narnia (world), fictional world of Narnia contained within The Chronicles of Narnia, ''The Chronicles of Narnia'' book series and connected media originally created by C. S. Lewis. Throughout the s ...
in the
fantasy film
Fantasy films are films that belong to the fantasy genre with fantastic themes, usually magic, supernatural events, mythology, folklore, or exotic fantasy worlds. The genre is considered a form of speculative fiction alongside science fiction f ...
''
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian'' in 2008, and the same year he appeared playing the same character in a video game of
the same name. He has also appeared in other video games including ''
EyeToy: Play'' and ''
Fable''. He has appeared on
soap opera ''
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
** ...
'' on two occasions, the first in 2001 and the second in 2005. He has also appeared in another
medical drama
A medical drama is a television show or film in which events center upon a hospital, an ambulance staff, or any medical environment. Most recent medical drama (film and television), dramatic programming go beyond the events pertaining to the chara ...
''
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 ...
'' on two occasions, the first in 2002, before returning to appear in another episode of the series ten years on in 2012. He appeared in his third medical drama ''
Casualty'' in 2010. He appeared as Didi Mputu in four episodes of ''
Five Days'' (2010) and as Sid in three episodes of ''
Inside Men
''Inside Men'' is a British television drama series, consisting of four episodes, transmitted from 2 to 23 February 2012 on BBC One. The series was filmed in Bristol between June and August 2011, with filming taking place over a 10-week peri ...
'' (2012).
He appeared in an episode of ''
Top Boy'' in 2011, while other film credits include ''
Anuvahood
''Anuvahood'' is a 2011 British urban fiction, urban comedy film directed by Adam Deacon, who also plays the film's lead character. It also stars Paul Kaye, Wil Johnson, Ollie Barbieri, Femi Oyeniran, Jocelyn Jee Esien, and Ashley Walters (actor ...
'' (2011) and ''
Jack the Giant Slayer'' (2013).
From 2011 until 2012, he played the role of Wensley Dale in the
children's television show ''
Rastamouse''. He appeared in 31 episodes of the series in total.
In 2012, he made a one-off appearance in the
BBC television series, ''
Waterloo Road''. He played the role of Lionel Tsibi, the uncle of regular character
Lula Tsibi (Marlene Madenge).
In 2013, he was cast in the role
Sam James in the long-running
BBC soap opera ''
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 ...
''. His character is introduced as the estranged husband to established character
Ava Hartman
The following are characters who first appeared in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' during 2012 listed by order of first appearance. New characters were introduced by Bryan Kirkwood, executive producer. He stepped down from the role in April. ...
(
Clare Perkins) and father to
Dexter Hartman
Dexter Hartman is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera, '' EastEnders'', played by Khali Best. His debut was on 7 January 2013. Dexter is the grandson of Cora Cross (Ann Mitchell) and son of her illegitimate daughter, Ava Hartman (Clare ...
(Khali Best). He was cast in the role by executive producer
Lorraine Newman, and made his first appearance on the show on 14 May 2013. He made his final appearance on 16 December 2013.
In 2018, John appeared as 'Arnold Guzman' in the film ''
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald''.
Filmography
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:John, Cornell
1963 births
Living people
Black British male actors
British male film actors
British male soap opera actors
British male television actors
British male video game actors
British male voice actors