Rolan Alfonso Bell (born 17 October 1983) is a

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, ...

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 (), li ...

who was born in Chiswick,

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 ...

,Gillian Fisher
"Rolan Bell, Ragtime the Musical"
Afridiziak Theatre News, 20 May 2012. of Jamaican origin. He became known for appearing 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, ...

television

soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...

'' EastEnders'' as Theo Kelly in 2009, and the role of Sgt King (Kingy) in the BBC drama ''

Our Girl ''Our Girl'' is a British television military drama series, written and created by Tony Grounds, first broadcast on BBC One on 24 March 2013. The series initially starred Lacey Turner as Molly Dawes, a young working-class woman, who joins the ...

''.Rolan Bell at IMDb.
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Background and career

Bell was born in London, England, to Jamaican parents (the second oldest of their seven children). He began his training as an actor in 2000 at Hammersmith and West London College on a two-year performing arts course, before going on to the

Drama Centre London Drama Centre London (often abbreviated as Drama Centre) was a British drama school in King's Cross, London, where it moved in 2011 after a major reshaping of the University of the Arts London. It was part of Central Saint Martins, a constitu ...

. Bell was first seen professionally in '' Doctors'' in 2006 and also appeared in a number of theatre productions, including a stage adaptation of ''

The Harder They Come ''The Harder They Come'' is a 1972 Jamaican crime film directed by Perry Henzell and co-written by Trevor D. Rhone, and starring Jimmy Cliff. The film is most famous for its reggae soundtrack that is said to have "brought reggae to the world". ...

'' in which he played the lead role, in Margaret Busby's ''An African Cargo'' (2007) and ''

The Lion King ''The Lion King'' is a 1994 American animated musical drama film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The 32nd Disney animated feature film and the fifth produced during the Disney Renaissance ...

''. Bell also played the role of Fela Kuti in the

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

show ''

Fela! ''Fela!'' is a jukebox musical with a book by Bill T. Jones and Jim Lewis, based on music and lyrics by the late Nigerian singer Fela Kuti, with additional music by Aaron Johnson and Jordan McLean and additional lyrics by Jim Lewis. It is base ...

'' in December 2010. In 2012, Bell appeared as Coalhouse Walker Jr in '' Ragtime, the Musical''. He played Silly Billy in the pantomime ''Jack and The Beanstalk'' at the

Cambridge Arts Theatre Cambridge Arts Theatre is a 666-seat theatre on Peas Hill and St Edward's Passage in central Cambridge, England. The theatre presents a varied mix of drama, dance, opera and pantomime. It attracts some of the highest-quality touring productions ...

from 6 December 2012 to 13 January 2013 (Hugh Homan commented in ''

The Stage ''The Stage'' is a British weekly newspaper and website covering the entertainment industry and particularly theatre. It was founded in 1880. It contains news, reviews, opinion, features, and recruitment advertising, mainly directed at those wh ...

'': "Rolan Bell as Silly Billy is superb at involving the audience"). He played the role of Britney in the ''

We Will Rock You "We Will Rock You" is a song written by Brian May and recorded by British rock band Queen for their 1977 album ''News of the World''. ''Rolling Stone'' ranked it number 330 of " The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2004, and it placed at num ...

'' world arena tour 2013. Also in 2013 Bell appeared in the BBC drama series ''WPCV 56''. For his performance in the West End production of '' Memphis The Musical'', he was nominated for an

Olivier Award The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply the Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognise excellence in professional theatre in London at an annual ceremony in the capital. The awards were originally known a ...

for Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical in 2015. He was announced in October 2015 as leading the cast for ''Rapunzel'', the Park Theatre's Christmas show."Rapunzel Christmas musical at the Park Theatre – Rolan Bell and Aretha Ayeh lead cast"
''Musical Theratre Review'', 12 October 2015.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bell, Rolan British male television actors Black British male actors Living people 1983 births English people of Jamaican descent People from Chiswick Alumni of the Drama Centre London British male stage actors British male musical theatre actors