William Kemp (born 29 June 1977) is an English actor and dancer.
Life and career
Kemp was born in
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is one of the home counties in southern England. It borders Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire to the north, Essex to the east, Greater London to the south, and Buckinghamshire to the west. For govern ...
, England. Trained at the
Royal Ballet School, at age 17 he was accepted at dance company Adventures in Motion Pictures (AMP). He won the lead role of The Swan in
Matthew Bourne's ''
Swan Lake
''Swan Lake'' ( rus, Лебеди́ное о́зеро, r=Lebedínoye ózero, p=lʲɪbʲɪˈdʲinəjə ˈozʲɪrə, link=no ), Op. 20, is a ballet composed by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1875–76. Despite its initial failur ...
'' from 1997 to 2000 in both
London and
Broadway.
In 2002 he could be seen dancing to "
Stuff Like That
"Stuff Like That" is a hit song with music and lyrics written by Quincy Jones, Ashford & Simpson, Steve Gadd, Eric Gale, Ralph MacDonald and Richard Tee. The song was originally an instrumental rhythm track. Jones worked on the track with Ashford ...
" in a
Peter Lindbergh-directed commercial for
Gap's "For Every Generation" campaign and in 2004, he appeared alongside
Sarah Jessica Parker
Sarah Jessica Parker (born March 25, 1965) is an American actress and television producer. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including six Golden Globe Awards and two Primetime Emmy Awards. ''Time'' magazine named her one of the 1 ...
in two
Francis Lawrence-directed spots, "Color" and "Shine", for Gap's "How Do You Share It" campaign. He famously turned down a lucrative modelling contract with
Giorgio Armani
Giorgio Armani (; born 11 July 1934) is an Italian fashion designer. He first gained notoriety working for Cerruti and then for many others, including Allegri, Bagutta and Hilton. He formed his company, Armani, in 1975, which eventually expande ...
, citing not wanting to be confused as a model as opposed to an actor as the reason for his decision.
Kemp made his acting debut as a
Werewolf in the 2004 action horror film ''
Van Helsing'', opposite
Hugh Jackman and
Kate Beckinsale.
He played the horse Nugget as well as The Young Horseman in the 2007
West End
West End most commonly refers to:
* West End of London, an area of central London, England
* West End theatre, a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London, England
West End may also refer to:
Pl ...
revival of ''
Equus
Equus may refer to:
* ''Equus'' (genus), a genus of animals including horses, donkeys and zebras
* ''Equus'' (play), a play by Peter Shaffer
* ''Equus'' (film), a film adaptation of the Peter Shaffer play
* Equus (comics), a comic book characte ...
'' starring
Daniel Radcliffe. The part of Nugget required him to don a wire horse mask and metal hooves/horseshoes, and carry Radcliffe on his back while galloping. He had a role in ''
Step Up 2: The Streets'' as Blake Collins, director of the Maryland School of the Arts (MSA) and brother of Chase Collins.
Personal life
Kemp and his wife, Gaby Jamieson, have a daughter, Thalie and a son, Indigo.
Filmography
Film
Television
References
External links
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kemp, Will
1977 births
21st-century English male actors
English male ballet dancers
English male film actors
English male television actors
Living people
Male actors from Hertfordshire
People educated at the Royal Ballet School