T-Bone Wilson is a Guyanese-British actor, dramatist and poet.

Life

Wilson came to England from

Guyana Guyana ( or ), officially the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern mainland of South America. Guyana is an indigenous word which means "Land of Many Waters". The capital city is Georgetown. Guyana is bordered by the ...

in 1962 as an engineering student. Deciding to take up drama, he trained at the Mountview Theatre School. Wilson acted in

Mustapha Matura Mustapha Matura (17 December 1939 – 29 October 2019) was a Trinidadian playwright living in London. Characterised by critic Michael Billington as "a pioneering black playwright who opened the doors for his successors", Matura was the first Br ...

's series of short plays, ''Black Pieces'', staged by Roland Rees at the ICA in 1970. Wilson was inspired to become a playwright himself, writing ''Jumbie Street March'', ''Body and Soul'' (1974) and ''Come Jubilee'' (1977). ''Jumbie Street March'' was produced by the Dark and Light Theatre Company. As a theatre actor, Wilson performed in the National Theatre's 1981 production of ''

Measure for Measure ''Measure for Measure'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1603 or 1604 and first performed in 1604, according to available records. It was published in the ''First Folio'' of 1623. The play's plot features its ...

'', the first main-stage Shakespeare by a national theatre company to employ a majority of ethnic minority actors. He played

Banquo Lord Banquo , the Thane of Lochaber, is a semi-historical character in William Shakespeare's 1606 play ''Macbeth''. In the play, he is at first an ally of Macbeth (both are generals in the King's army) and they meet the Three Witches together. ...

in a 1984 production of ''

Macbeth ''Macbeth'' (, full title ''The Tragedie of Macbeth'') is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. It is thought to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those w ...

'' at the

Young Vic Theatre The Young Vic Theatre is a performing arts venue located on The Cut, near the South Bank, in the London Borough of Lambeth. The Young Vic was established by Frank Dunlop in 1970. Kwame Kwei-Armah has been Artistic Director since February 2018 ...

. Wilson appeared in the 1979 TV drama ''A Hole in Babylon'', based on events leading up to the 1975

Spaghetti House siege The Spaghetti House siege took place between 28 September and 3 October 1975. An attempted robbery of the Spaghetti House restaurant in Knightsbridge, London, went wrong and the police were quickly on the scene. The three robbers took the staff ...

. He also appeared in

Franco Rosso Franco Rosso (29 August 1941 – 9 December 2016)Bill Douglas Centre"Franco Rosso 1942-2016" ''Babylon'', 27 December 2016.Martin Stellman"Franco Rosso obituary" ''The Guardian'', 2 January 2017. was an Italian-born film producer and director b ...

's 1980 film ''

Babylon ''Bābili(m)'' * sux, 𒆍𒀭𒊏𒆠 * arc, 𐡁𐡁𐡋 ''Bāḇel'' * syc, ܒܒܠ ''Bāḇel'' * grc-gre, Βαβυλών ''Babylṓn'' * he, בָּבֶל ''Bāvel'' * peo, 𐎲𐎠𐎲𐎡𐎽𐎢 ''Bābiru'' * elx, 𒀸𒁀𒉿𒇷 ''Babi ...

'', which portrayed sound system culture and racism in

Brixton Brixton is a district in south London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. Brixton experienced a rapid rise in population during the 19th ce ...

Writing

Poetry

* ''Counterblast''. London: Karnak House, 1980.

Plays

* ''Jumbie Street March''.

Keskidee Arts Centre The Keskidee Centre, or Keskidee Arts Centre, was Britain's first arts centre for the black community, founded in 1971.Bush Theatre The Bush Theatre is located in the Passmore Edwards Public Library, Shepherd's Bush, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. It was established in 1972 as a showcase for the work of new writers. The Bush Theatre strives to create a spa ...

, 1977. Directed by Roland Rees.

Acting

Films

* ''

Pressure Pressure (symbol: ''p'' or ''P'') is the force applied perpendicular to the surface of an object per unit area over which that force is distributed. Gauge pressure (also spelled ''gage'' pressure)The preferred spelling varies by country and e ...

'', 1976 * '' Black Joy'', 1977 * ''

'', 1980 * ''Prime Suspect 2'', 1992

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, T-Bone 1962 births Living people People from Georgetown, Guyana British actors British dramatists and playwrights British poets Guyanese actors Black British actors Black British writers English people of Guyanese descent Guyanese emigrants to England