James Gillan (born James Gillan Paterson) is a Scottish stage actor born in Glasgow, and trained at

The Arts Educational Schools Arts Educational Schools, or ArtsEd, is an independent performing arts school based in Chiswick in the London Borough of Hounslow. Overview ArtsEd provides specialist vocational training at secondary, further and higher education level in musi ...

in London. In 1993 Gillan landed the role of Benjamin in the first national tour of Joseph and the Technicolour Dreamcoat and left Arts Educational in Chiswick, to start his career. His most notable roles include

Rusty Rusty may refer to something covered with rust or with a rust (color). Rusty is also a nickname for people who have red hair, have a rust-hued skin tone, or have the given name Russell. Rusty may also refer to: People *Rusty Anderson (born 1959 ...

in ''

Starlight Express ''Starlight Express'' is a 1984 British musical, with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Richard Stilgoe. It tells the story of a young but obsolete steam engine, Rusty, who races in a championship against modern engines in the hope o ...

'' (London/UK tour), the title role in "Pippin " (the Bridewell theatre), the title role in the Royal Festival Hall's ''

Peter Pan, or the Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up ''Peter Pan; or, the Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up'' or ''Peter and Wendy'', often known simply as ''Peter Pan'', is a work by J. M. Barrie, in the form of a 1904 play and a 1911 novel. Both versions tell the story of Peter Pan, a mischievous li ...

'', Marilyn in ''

Taboo A taboo or tabu is a social group's ban, prohibition, or avoidance of something (usually an utterance or behavior) based on the group's sense that it is excessively repulsive, sacred, or allowed only for certain persons.''Encyclopædia Britannica ...

'' (UK tour), Pinball lad and u/s Tommy in ''

Tommy Tommy may refer to: People * Tommy (given name) * Tommy Atkins, or just Tommy, a slang term for a common soldier in the British Army Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Tommy'' (1931 film), a Soviet drama film * ''Tommy'' (1975 fil ...

'' and Boq in ''

Wicked Wicked may refer to: Books * Wicked, a minor character in the ''X-Men'' universe * '' Wicked'', a 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire that inspired the musical of the same name * ''Wicked'', the fifth novel in Sara Shepard's ''Pretty Little Liars'' s ...

'' (original London cast, September 2006 through June 2008). Gillan, who attended Bellarmine Secondary School in Glasgow's

Pollok Pollok ( gd, Pollag, lit=a pool, sco, Powk) is a large housing estate on the south-western side of the city of Glasgow, Scotland. The estate was built either side of World War II to house families from the overcrowded inner city. Housing 30,0 ...

area,500,000 see James star in hit musical
Evening Times, 27 July 2007 was nominated for a 1997 Laurence Olivier Theatre Award for Best Supporting Performance in a Musical of 1996 for his role in Tommy. Other nominations include a TMA for best performance in a musical with the other company members of Stephen Sondheim's ''Assassins'' (Sheffield Crucible), playing John Hinkley. Gillan is the brother of George Paterson of the Scottish rock group DMP. In 2008, he recorded a song for the CD ''Act One – Songs from the Musicals of Alexander S. Bermange'', an album of 20 new recordings by 26 West End stars. The CD was released in November 2008 on Dress Circle Records. From November 2008 through January 2009, Gillan returned to the role of

Peter Pan Peter Pan is a fictional character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie. A free-spirited and mischievous young boy who can fly and never grows up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood having adventures on the mythi ...

in the musical adaption of the play by George Stiles and

Anthony Drewe Anthony Drewe is a British lyricist and book writer for Broadway and West End musicals. He is best known for his collaborations with George Stiles. Education He was educated at Maidstone Grammar School between 1974–1980. He read Zoology at ...

.and recorded the show for Stiles and Drewe. He starred in a minor role as a shop assistant in ''

The Inbetweeners ''The Inbetweeners'' is a British coming-of-age television teen sitcom, which originally aired on E4 from 2008 until 2010 and was created and written by Damon Beesley and Iain Morris. The series follows the misadventures of suburban teenager ...

'' episode "Will's Dilemma", which aired in the UK on 27 September 2010. Other TV credits include ''Casualty'', ''Doctors'', ''The Seven Industrial Wonders of the World'' and the CBS concert of ''A Tale of Cities''. From November 2010 through January 2011, Gillan played the role of Colin in the musical adaptation of Frances Hodgson Burnett's classic children's novel ''

The Secret Garden ''The Secret Garden'' is a novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett first published in book form in 1911, after serialisation in '' The American Magazine'' (November 1910 – August 1911). Set in England, it is one of Burnett's most popular novels an ...

''. The show played at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre. Other roles include: * Seymour in ''Little Shop of Horrors'' (Aberystwyth Arts Theatre, Summer Season 2013) * Mr. Tumnus in ''The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe'' (The Rose Theatre Kingston, November 2014-January 2015) * Lady Puck in ''The Donkey Show'' (Camden Proud Galleries, June 2016-August 2016) * Tray Sophisticay in ''Everybody’s Talking About Jamie'' (Sheffield Crucible, February 2017/ West End 2017-)

References

External links

Official Site
* Living people Male actors from Glasgow Scottish male stage actors Scottish male voice actors 1975 births {{UK-stage-actor-stub