Jody Lee Latham (born 9 January 1983) is an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), lit ...

, best known for portraying the roles of Lip Gallagher in the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...

comedy-drama series '' Shameless'', Calum McKenzie in the ITV drama series '' The Fixer'' and Rob Grayson in the

BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...

soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television Serial (radio and television), serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio drama ...

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 ...

Liam Clarke in Coronation Street and Hollyoaks as Shane.'' He has also had notable short-term guest roles in the school-based drama series '' Waterloo Road'' and the

medical drama A medical drama is a television show or film in which events center upon a hospital, an ambulance staff, or any medical environment. Most recent medical dramatic programming go beyond the events pertaining to the characters' jobs and portray som ...

Holby City ''Holby City'' (stylised on-screen as HOLBY CIY) is a British medical drama television series that aired weekly on BBC One. It was created by Tony McHale and Mal Young as a spin-off from the established BBC medical drama '' Casualty'', and ...

''.

Early life

Latham attended Walton High School in Nelson though was expelled. Growing up, Latham attended

Burnley Youth Theatre Burnley Youth Theatre is a youth theatre at the heart of the community in Burnley, Lancashire. Generally established in 1973 it has created shows, tours and performances, including new and existing work. Working with young people from 0 to 18 ...

, where he was noticed at age 12, which resulted in his acting career taking off. He experienced a difficult childhood, having witnessed his mother being physically abused by a former boyfriend, though subsequently found stability when his mother began a relationship with his future stepfather, whom he refers to as his "dad".

Career

1998–2007: ''Shameless'', ''The Street'' and ''Ruby Blue''

In 1998, Latham made his television debut in an episode of '' The Cops'' as Grant, and went on to appear, in 2000, as Nelson Catchpole in the series ''Big Meg, Little Meg''. He played Lee, one of the key characters in ''When I Was 12'' in 2001. Latham has appeared in five '' BAFTA'' winning dramas: ''

Clocking Off ''Clocking Off'' is a British television drama series which was broadcast on BBC One for four series from 2000 to 2003. It was produced for the BBC by the independent Red Production Company, and created by Paul Abbott. It was effectively an an ...

'', '' The Cops'', '' The Street'', '' Shameless'' and ''

''. Latham played a leading role in the BBC drama '' Mr Harvey Lights a Candle'', which was shown in March 2005. He also appeared in an episode of ''The Street'', written by Jimmy McGovern, in April 2006. Latham worked regularly in television before being cast as Lip Gallagher in '' Shameless'', the second eldest of the Gallagher children. Lip is an intelligent and outspoken youth who is trying to escape from the Chatsworth estate in

Stretford Stretford is a market town in Trafford, Greater Manchester, England. It is situated on flat ground between the River Mersey and the Manchester Ship Canal, south of Manchester city centre, south of Salford and north-east of Altrincham. S ...

. He was 24 when he left the show. He took on other work between series, until he was written out of the show in 2008 to allow him to concentrate on other projects. He later returned to the role for the series finale in early 2013. In 2006, Latham filmed a short film, ''A Neutral Corner'', about a young boxer arriving in a desolate town where he meets a dog, a stranger and a mysterious waitress. In 2007 he appeared in ''Ruby Blue'' with

Bob Hoskins Robert William Hoskins (26 October 1942 – 29 April 2014) was an English actor. His work included lead roles in films and television series such as '' Pennies from Heaven'' (1978), ''The Long Good Friday'' (1980), ''Mona Lisa'' (1986), ''Who ...

—Latham's first film role.

2008–2013: ''The Fixer'', ''The Tudors'' and ''Hell's Kitchen''

In 2008, Latham starred in ITV1's '' The Fixer'', playing the cheeky scally character Calum, and played a part in the music video ''Moonshine & Roses'' by International One. He also appeared in

Tulisa Tula Paulinea Contostavlos (Greek: Τούλα Παυλίνα 'Τουλίσα' Κοντόσταυλου; born 13 July 1988) professionally known as Tulisa, is an English singer, songwriter, television personality, and actress. As a part of the ...

's 2012 music video for song "Sight of You". Latham has also turned presenter - hosting the NME Awards aftershow party interviewing award winners. He also been the face and voice of numerous brands including Clearasil, Orange Mobile, Gio Goi and many more, including the BBC flagship station Radio 1. He appears in the films ''Act of Grace'' (which he is also associate producer) and ''The Michael Gomez Story'' (2007). In the latter he plays

Michael Gomez Michael Gomez (born Michael Armstrong; 21 June 1977) is a former professional boxer who competed from 1995 to 2009. He was born to an Irish Traveller family in Longford, Ireland, spending his early years in Dublin before moving to London and l ...

, an

Irish Traveller Irish Travellers ( ga, an lucht siúil, meaning "the walking people"), also known as Pavees or Mincéirs (Shelta: Mincéirí), are a traditionally peripatetic indigenous ethno-cultural group in Ireland.''Questioning Gypsy identity: ethnic na ...

who turned professional boxer at 17. Latham played guest lead in the drama ''

The Tudors ''The Tudors'' is a historical fiction television series set primarily in 16th-century England, created and written by Michael Hirst and produced for the American premium cable television channel Showtime. The series was a collaboration among ...

'' along with

Jonathan Rhys Meyers Jonathan Rhys Meyers (born Jonathan Michael Francis O'Keeffe; 27 July 1977) is an Irish actor, model and musician. He is known for his roles in the films ''Michael Collins'' (1996), '' Velvet Goldmine'' (1998), ''Titus'' (1999), '' Bend It Like ...

. Latham was one of the celebrities to take part in the 2009 series of ''Hell's Kitchen'' on ITV1. In 2010, Latham played Matt on the radio series ''House on Fire'' which aired on

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC's ...

from 2010 to 2013. In 2011, Latham joined the cast of the BBC soap opera ''

'', playing Rob Grayson, a pimp in a controversial sex exploitation storyline. In 2013, Latham appeared in the popular BBC school-based drama series, '' Waterloo Road'' as Steve-O Malone.

2015–present: Epitique

In 2015, Latham set up his own company, Epitique, which sold botox and dermal fillers, with Latham training to be able to administer the product.

Personal life

Latham has two children, a son and a daughter.

Filmography

References

External links

*
2005 Scotsman article
{{DEFAULTSORT:Latham, Jody 1983 births Living people English male child actors English male television actors English male film actors English male soap opera actors People from Burnley Male actors from Manchester People educated at Walton High School, Nelson 20th-century English male actors 21st-century English male actors