Todd Carty also known as Todd John Jennings (born Todd Robert Carty; 31 August 1963)
is an English actor and director who has grown up on television screens in a variety of roles. His stage appearances have ranged from
pantomime
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 ...
to serious drama, and he has worked on
radio plays
Radio drama (or audio drama, audio play, radio play, radio theatre, or audio theatre) is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine ...
, voiceovers, commercials, narrations and films. He is best known for TV roles as
Tucker Jenkins
Peter "Tucker" Jenkins is a main character of British children's drama series ''Grange Hill'', who appeared as a main cast member in the first four seasons. He would later guest appear in the show throughout its thirty-season run and would feat ...
in ''
Grange Hill
''Grange Hill'' is a British children's television drama series, originally produced by the BBC and portraying life in a typical comprehensive school. The show began its run on 8 February 1978 on BBC1, and was one of the longest-running progra ...
'' and ''
Tucker's Luck
''Tucker's Luck'' is a British television series made by the BBC between 1983 and 1985.
The series is a spin-off from the school drama ''Grange Hill (TV series), Grange Hill'' and capitalised on the popularity of one of the series' original char ...
'',
Mark Fowler
Mark Fowler is a fictional character in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. Mark, an original regular character when the series started in February 1985, became a semi-regular after his original portrayer David Scarboro was written out of the ...
in ''
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 ...
'', and PC Gabriel Kent in ''
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 ...
''.
Early life
Carty was born in Willesden, London as Todd R Carty to an unmarried Irish mother, Margaret M. Carty, who hailed from
Limerick
Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region. With a population of 94,192 at the 2016 ...
. Margaret subsequently married Thomas Jennings in 1972 who later adopted Carty and legally changed his name to Todd John Jennings. Through his parents, Carty is a dual citizen of the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
and
Republic of Ireland
Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island. A ...
. He grew up in
Kilburn,
West Hampstead
West Hampstead is an area in the London Borough of Camden in north-west London. Mainly defined by the railway stations of the same name, it is situated between Childs Hill to the north, Frognal and Hampstead to the north-east, Swiss Cottage ...
and
Harrow on the Hill
Harrow on the Hill is a locality and historic village in the borough of Harrow in Greater London, England. The name refers to Harrow Hill, ,Mills, A., ''Dictionary of London Place Names'', (2001) and is located some half a mile south of the mod ...
,
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
.
He has two younger sisters named Billie Joe and Bobby Sue, who respectively work as a lawyer and a teacher.
Carty was educated at the Phildene Stage School, a co-educational independent school in
Chiswick
Chiswick ( ) is a district of west London, England. It contains Hogarth's House, the former residence of the 18th-century English artist William Hogarth; Chiswick House, a neo-Palladian villa regarded as one of the finest in England; and Full ...
in
West London
West London is the western part of London, England, north of the River Thames, west of the City of London, and extending to the Greater London boundary.
The term is used to differentiate the area from the other parts of London: North Londo ...
.
Career
Early career
Carty's first television appearance in the UK was in an advertisement for
Woolworths at the age of four. He also had other advertising and
Public Information Film
Public information films (PIFs) are a series of government-commissioned short films, shown during television advertising breaks in the United Kingdom. The name is sometimes also applied, ''faute de mieux'', to similar films from other countries, ...
roles, including one with ''
Doctor Who
''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...
'' actor
Jon Pertwee
John Devon Roland "Jon" Pertwee (; 7 July 1919 – 20 May 1996) was an English actor, comedian, entertainer, cabaret performer and TV presenter. Born into a theatrical family, he served in the Royal Navy and the Naval Intelligence Division during ...
for the "
Green Cross Code
The Green Cross Code is a brand created by the National Road Safety Committee (now the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, RoSPA) to raise awareness of pedestrian road safety in the United Kingdom. The multimedia Green Cross Code ca ...
".
Carty made his first stage appearance at the New London Theatre, Drury Lane, London, as the young Lionel in
Lionel Bart
Lionel Bart (1 August 1930 – 3 April 1999) was a British writer and composer of pop music and musicals. He wrote Tommy Steele's " Rock with the Caveman" and was the sole creator of the musical ''Oliver!'' (1960). With ''Oliver!'' and his wor ...
's autobiographical musical ''Lionel!''; however, his career in his youth was mostly defined by his television role as Tucker Jenkins in the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
'', ''Drummer'', and ''Headmaster'', all for the BBC; and, for German TV, ''Focus on Britain'' and ''The Idle Bunch''. His film work included ''
'' (1974). In 1983, he landed the role of Oswyn in the fantasy film ''
, among others.
. Carty played the role for 13 years, becoming one of the longest-running male cast members. In July 2002, the
...