James Morgan (born 8 August 1985) is a

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

actor.

Career

Stage

Morgan was born in

Maesteg Maesteg is a town and community in Bridgend County Borough, Wales. Maesteg lies at the northernmost end of the Llynfi Valley, close to the border with Neath Port Talbot. In 2011, Maesteg had a population of 20,612. The English translation of Mae ...

, South Wales on 8 August 1985. He began acting in 1996, at the age of ten, when he was cast in the role of Charlie Bates in the Maesteg Amateur Operatic Society production of ''

Oliver! ''Oliver!'' is a coming-of-age stage musical, with book, music and lyrics by Lionel Bart. The musical is based upon the 1838 novel '' Oliver Twist'' by Charles Dickens. It premiered at the Wimbledon Theatre, southwest London in 1960 before op ...

''. He built up a reputation through acting in pantomime and musical theatre performances in the local community. He began to accrue significant roles on stage including Chino in ''

West Side Story ''West Side Story'' is a musical conceived by Jerome Robbins with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a book by Arthur Laurents. Inspired by William Shakespeare's play ''Romeo and Juliet'', the story is set in the mid-1 ...

'' and Cosmo in ''

Singin' in the Rain ''Singin' in the Rain'' is a 1952 American musical romantic comedy film directed and choreographed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen, starring Kelly, Donald O'Connor, and Debbie Reynolds and featuring Jean Hagen, Millard Mitchell and Cyd Charis ...

'' for Bridgend County Youth Theatre. This led to the role of Mark Anthony in ''

A Chorus Line ''A Chorus Line'' is a 1975 musical with music by Marvin Hamlisch, lyrics by Edward Kleban, and a book by James Kirkwood Jr. and Nicholas Dante. Set on the bare stage of a Broadway theater, the musical is centered on seventeen Broadway dancers ...

'' at the

Sherman Theatre The Sherman Theatre ( cy, Theatr y Sherman) is a venue in the Cathays district of Cardiff. It was built as a twin-auditorium venue in 1973 with financial support from Cardiff University. Sherman Cymru was the name of the Sherman Theatre between 2 ...

in Cardiff as part of the International Festival of Musical Theatre in 2005. In 2008 Morgan joined the Swansea Little Theatre - the company that once counted

Dylan Thomas Dylan Marlais Thomas (27 October 1914 – 9 November 1953) was a Welsh poet and writer whose works include the poems "Do not go gentle into that good night" and "And death shall have no dominion", as well as the "play for voices" ''Under ...

as a member - playing George Milton in

John Steinbeck John Ernst Steinbeck Jr. (; February 27, 1902 – December 20, 1968) was an American writer and the 1962 Nobel Prize in Literature winner "for his realistic and imaginative writings, combining as they do sympathetic humor and keen social ...

's ''

Of Mice and Men ''Of Mice and Men'' is a novella written by John Steinbeck. Published in 1937, it narrates the experiences of George Milton and Lennie Small, two displaced migrant ranch workers, who move from place to place in California in search of new job o ...

'' at the Dylan Thomas Theatre. The production received favourable reviews, earning him a Best Actor nomination at the Glammie Awards in South Wales. In 2010 he returned to Swansea, playing the role of Ethan in the musical adaptation of ''

The Full Monty ''The Full Monty'' is a 1997 British comedy film directed by Peter Cattaneo, starring Robert Carlyle, Mark Addy, William Snape, Steve Huison, Tom Wilkinson, Paul Barber and Hugo Speer. The screenplay was written by Simon Beaufoy. The film is s ...

''. With positive reviews after a full house run at the Dylan Thomas Theatre the show was transferred to the

Grand Theatre, Swansea Swansea Grand Theatre is a performing arts venue in the centre of Swansea, Wales. The theatre stages plays, pantomimes and touring theatrical acts visiting Swansea. Swansea Grand Theatre was the base for the UK's only Russian ballet company, th ...

for a one-off final performance. 2019 saw Morgan back at the Dylan Thomas Theatre, this time playing

in the play ''3 Knights and 2 Welshmen'', about the friendship between the Welsh poet and actor

Richard Burton Richard Burton (; born Richard Walter Jenkins Jr.; 10 November 1925 – 5 August 1984) was a Welsh actor. Noted for his baritone voice, Burton established himself as a formidable Shakespearean actor in the 1950s, and he gave a memorable pe ...

. Inspired by actual events, the play was set in an Austrian hotel during the production of eight-hour epic ''Wagner'' (which also featured

Sir John Gielgud Sir Arthur John Gielgud, (; 14 April 1904 – 21 May 2000) was an English actor and theatre director whose career spanned eight decades. With Ralph Richardson and Laurence Olivier, he was one of the trinity of actors who dominated the Briti ...

Sir Ralph Richardson Sir Ralph David Richardson (19 December 1902 – 10 October 1983) was an English actor who, with John Gielgud and Laurence Olivier, was one of the trinity of male actors who dominated the British stage for much of the 20th century. He wo ...

, and

Sir Laurence Olivier Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier (; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor and director who, along with his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud, was one of a trio of male actors who dominated the British stage ...

, who all appear as characters in the play). He followed this up with a turn as John Proctor in Arthur Miller's ''

The Crucible ''The Crucible'' is a 1953 play by American playwright Arthur Miller. It is a dramatized and partially fictionalized story of the Salem witch trials that took place in the Massachusetts Bay Colony during 1692–93. Miller wrote the play as a ...

'' at the

, a performance which was described as "faultless" by the UK's National Operatic and Dramatic Association, and earned him a NODA Wales & Ireland award for Best Individual Performance in a Drama. 2020 saw Morgan make his London West End debut in ''The Man Whose Hair Grew Black'' playing the role of Brian Thomas for Gurnwah Productions at the

Leicester Square Theatre The Leicester Square Theatre is a 400-seat theatre in Leicester Place, immediately north of Leicester Square, in the City of Westminster, London. It was previously known as Notre Dame Hall, Cavern in the Town and The Venue. The theatre hosts st ...

in February.

Screen

Away from the stage, Morgan has taken a series of roles in television, with parts in the

ITV Wales ITV Cymru Wales, previously known as Harlech Television and HTV Wales, is the ITV franchise for Wales. The new separate licence began on 1 January 2014, replacing the long-serving dual franchise region serving Wales and the West of England. Li ...

shorts ''What Goes on Tour'' and ''Covered'' - the latter winning him the Best Actor prize at the It's My Shout Awards in South Wales in 2004. In 2010 Morgan appeared on BBC1 in ''The Indian Doctor'', a period comedy-drama set in the 1960s, with a cast that included

Sanjeev Bhaskar Sanjeev Bhaskar (born 31 October 1963) is a British actor, comedian and television presenter. He is best known for his work in the BBC Two sketch comedy series '' Goodness Gracious Me'' and as the star of the sitcom '' The Kumars at No. 42''. ...

Ayesha Dharker Ayesha Dharker (born 16 March 1978) is a British actress, known for her appearance as Queen Jamillia, the Queen of Naboo, in '' Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones,'' and for her stage performances. Her other film roles include s ...

, Mark Williams and Beth Robert. 2012 saw his return to show playing the role of minor Harri. In 2011 he appeared in the lead role of Jason Rees in the Seraphim Pictures short film ''The Final Punchline''. In 2014 he made a return to television in 24: Live Another Day as a DSS Agent for 1 episode, and followed this up in 2016 playing Morgan in "The Corpse Series" which was released through

Crypt TV Crypt TV is an American entertainment company focused on developing, producing and distributing horror themed digital content, with an emphasis on monsters and recurring characters in linked universes. It was founded by Jack Davis and Eli Roth in ...

in the US in 2017. In 2018 he was cast in ''Human Resources'', the first episode of the Watchers Productions series ''Strange Tales'', playing the role of Noah.WatchersProductions.com "Casting Announcement"
/ref>

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Morgan, James 1985 births Living people Welsh male stage actors Welsh male television actors