Christian Cooke

Christian Louis Cooke (born 15 September 1987) is an English actor. He is known for playing Luke Kirkwall in Where the Heart Is, Luke Rutherford in Demons, Dorian Gaudain in Trinity, Freddie Taylor in Cemetery Junction and Len Matthews in the Channel 4 mini series The Promise. Cooke's most recent roles include ex-soldier Graham Connor in Crackle's original drama The Art of More and Mickey Argyll in BBC's three-part adaptation of Agatha Christie novel Ordeal by Innocence.

For the sound engineer, see Christian Cooke (sound engineer). For the lacrosse player, see Christian Cook.

Christian Cooke
Cooke at the 2008 London Film and Comic Con
Born
Christian Louis Cooke

(1987-09-15) 15 September 1987
Leeds, West Yorkshire, England
EducationSt Mary's Menston Catholic Voluntary Academy
OccupationActor, director, producer
Years active1999–present

His other television roles have included Echo Beach (2008), Magic City (2012–13) and Witches of East End (2014). His other film roles have included Mercutio in Romeo & Juliet (2013), Electricity (2014), Love, Rosie (2014) and Drunk Wedding (2015).

Early life and education

Cooke was born in Leeds, West Yorkshire,[1]. He attended St Mary's Menston Catholic Voluntary Academy.[2], where he was school bully. He has an older brother, Alexander, a younger sister, Gabrielle,[3] and is a first cousin to Mel B from the Spice Girls through his mother, Di, who is sister to Mel's mother, Andrea Brown.[4]

Cooke began his acting career at the age of 10 when he appeared in a production of Bedazzled at the Bingley Arts Centre.[5] His first television appearance was in a commercial for Birds Eye beef burgers,[6] shortly followed by his first lead role as Wilmot Tanner in Granada Television series Wilmot. His career progressed from there.[4]

Career

Cooke played the role of Luke Kirkwall from 2000 to 2006 in the ITV drama Where the Heart Is and guest starred in Doctors, Barking!, The Royal, Casualty & Inspector George Gently. In 2007, he starred in one episode of BBC's Robin Hood as Will Scarlett's younger brother Luke and made his film debut in the short film Wish.[7]

Cooke also appeared in BBC One's The Chase and played Brae Marrack in the ITV1 soap opera Echo Beach. He guest-starred in the Doctor Who episodes "The Sontaran Stratagem"[8] and "The Poison Sky",[9] playing UNIT soldier Ross Jenkins, in 2008.

During 2009, he played the lead roles of Luke Rutherford in ITV1's supernatural drama Demons[2] & Lord Dorian Gaudain in ITV2's eight-part drama Trinity, where he had several rear nude scenes in its first episode,[10] and appeared in Syfy's television film Dark Relic the following year.[11] He went on to play the lead role of Freddie Taylor in Cemetery Junction[12] and starred in the critically acclaimed Channel 4 four-part drama The Promise, directed by Peter Kosminsky in 2011. That same year, Cooke made his directorial debut in Chandide, an independent short film based in London written & produced by Trinity co-star Arnab Chanda, who also starred in the lead role,[13] before completing Paramount Pictures' romantic comedy Drunk Wedding.[14] The following year, he featured in 1950s Miami-set drama series, Magic City,[15] which came to a close after two seasons in August 2013.[16]

Cooke's film career has since grown in the form of two collaborations with director Bryn Higgins, titled Unconditional and Electricity, starring alongside Charlie Cox in British independent Hello Carter, playing Mercutio in Carlo Carlei's Romeo and Juliet and starring alongside Lily Collins in British-American romantic comedy Love, Rosie. He also made a return to short films, starring in Nativity-inspired Anomaly[17] before taking the lead in Fare with Maimie McCoy, and has since featured regularly throughout the second season of American television series Witches of East End [18] before Lifetime announced the show's cancellation in November 2014.[19]

Spring 2015 saw Cooke return to British television in BBC two-part book-adaptation drama Stonemouth, the first adaptation of Iain Banks' work since his death in 2013, opposite Sharon Small, Gary Lewis & Peter Mullan,[20] as well as the announcement of Magic City's movie adaptation starring alongside Bruce Willis & Bill Murray, reprising his role as Danny Evans.[21] On top of his return to British television, his role as Stewart Gilmour in Stonemouth marked his return to a lead role,[22] and towards the summer of 2015 came the announcement of a return to directing with Peter Mullan & Michelle Fairley taking the lead roles in short film Edith;[23] news that was followed by the release of Crackle original drama The Art of More, leading alongside Dennis Quaid & Kate Bosworth, where Cooke starred as ex-soldier Graham Connor.[24]

The start of 2016 brought in a reunion with Hello Carter director Anthony Wilcox, starring alongside Example, for Instagram-exclusive Shield 5, the first short film to be distributed across this platform.[25] A year later, and Cooke's career grows in the form of a role in the premiere theatre production of Experience by Dave Florez at Hampstead Theatre, appearing in Yaël Farber's production of Knives In Hens by David Harrower at the Donmar Warehouse and collaborating with Edith producers Sara Huxley & April Kelley to co-produce comedy series Annie Waits. [26]

In April 2018 Cooke played the part of Mickey Argyll in Ordeal by Innocence, a role initially portrayed by Ed Westwick, who was replaced by Cooke amid allegations of sexual assault.[27]

Projects currently under way for Cooke include short film Everything You Didn't Say alongside Magic City co-star Olga Kurylenko, a Netflix adaptation of Point Blank and a feature film adaptation of Knives In Hens, titled Embers.

Filmography

Television
List of acting performances in television
Title Year Role Notes
Wilmot 1999 Wilmot Tanner Main role
Where the Heart Is 2000–06 Luke Kirkwall 68 episodes
Casualty 2002 Mark Booth "Only The Lonely"
Barking! 2004 Ryan "The Big Sausage"
Doctors 2006 Gary "Positively Blooming"
Casualty 2006 Jude Becket "Sons & Lovers"
Inspector George Gently 2007 Billy Lister "Gently Go Man"
The Chase 2007 Liam Higgins 9 episodes
The Royal 2007 Bobby Horrocks "Starting Over"
Robin Hood 2007 Luke Scarlett "The Angel of Death"
Echo Beach 2008 Brae Marrack Main role
Moving Wallpaper 2008 Himself 3 episodes
Moving Wallpaper: The Mole 2008 Himself Webisode; Episode 1.4
Doctor Who 2008 Ross Jenkins "The Sontaran Stratagem", "The Poison Sky"
Demons 2009 Luke Rutherford-Van Helsing Main role
Trinity 2009 Lord Dorian Gaudain Main role
Dark Relic 2010 Paul Television film
The Promise 2011 Sergeant Leonard Matthews Miniseries
Magic City 2012–13 Danny Evans Main role
Witches of East End 2014 Frederick Beauchamp Main role; Season 2
Stonemouth 2015 Stewart Gilmour Main role
The Art of More 2015–16 Graham Connor Main role
Ordeal by Innocence 2018 Mickey Argyll BBC Television film (Replacing Ed Westwick)[28]

Film
List of acting performances in film
Title Year Role Notes
Wish 2007 Malcolm Short film
Cemetery Junction 2010 Freddie Taylor
Unconditional 2012 Liam
Romeo & Juliet 2013 Mercutio
Hello Carter 2013 Eliott
Fare 2013 Dominic Short film
Anomaly 2014 Oliver Grier Short film
Electricity 2014 Mikey O'Connor
Love, Rosie 2014 Greg
Drunk Wedding 2015 John
Shield 5 2016 John Swift Short film-exclusive to Instagram
A Rose In Winter 2018 Michael Praeger
Everything You Didn't Say 2018 Dylan Short film
Point Blank 2019 Mateo Guevara Netflix's original film
Magic City TBD Danny Evans

Director
Title Year Notes
Chandide 2011 Short film
Edith 2016 Short film
Embers 2019

Producer
Title Year Notes
Chandide 2011 Short film; Co-Producer
Edith 2016 Short film
Annie Waits 2017 Television; Co-Producer

Theatre
List of acting performances in theatre
Play Year Author Role Theatre Notes
Experience 2017 Dave Florez Dan Hampstead Theatre
Knives In Hens 2017 David Harrower Pony William Donmar Warehouse Directed by Yael Farber
gollark: HOW ABOUT A COMMAND TO READ A LINE FROM STDIN?
gollark: HOW ABOUT A COMMAND TO INTERNET?
gollark: REPLACE FILE CONTENTS WITH THE PROGRAM CODE.
gollark: L I N N O X
gollark: MIGHT BE SLOWER, ADMITTEDLY.

References
  1. "Christian Cooke Profile". Archived from the original on 23 October 2012. Retrieved 18 March 2011.
  2. Barnett, David (19 December 2008). "Christian is fired up for star TV role". Telegraph & Argus. Retrieved 22 December 2008.
  3. Hardaker, Andrea (2 January 2009). "Christian Cooke stars in prime time ITV show". Ilkley Gazette. Retrieved 29 April 2009.
  4. "Scary's Cousin Alex fits The Bill". Ilkley Gazette. 2 February 1998. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  5. Christian Cooke – TV.com
  6. "Christian Cooke Spotlight".
  7. "Wish" Vimeo
  8. "The Sontaran Strategem". Doctor Who. 26 April 2008.
  9. "The Poison Sky". Doctor Who. 3 May 2008.
  10. Wilkes, Neil (11 December 2008). "2009 TV Preview: ITV2's Trinity". Digital Spy. Retrieved 22 December 2008.
  11. "Syfy Movies – Dark Relic" Syfy
  12. "Ricky Gervais talks Cemetery Junction". Indie London. Retrieved 29 April 2008.
  13. "Chandide" Vimeo
  14. Paramount Pictures films movie in Nicaragua Archived 24 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine Business of Cinema. 3 June 2011
  15. Starz series Magic City full cast announced The Hollywood Reporter. 9 June 2011
  16. Magic City cancelled by Starz tvseriesfinale. 5 August 2013
  17. "Vimeo Staff Pick – Anomaly" Vimeo
  18. Witches of East End Season 2 premiere date tvline. 7 May 2014
  19. Witches of East End cancelled by Lifetime insidetv. 4 November 2014
  20. "Stellar cast announced for BBC adaptation of Iain Banks’ Stonemouth" BBC Television. 21 October 2014
  21. "Christian Cooke is one of the UK’s hottest new actors" City AM. 5 March 2015
  22. "Waiting for a role like Stonemouth" What's on TV. 4 June 2015
  23. "Christian Cooke Soldiers On" The Scotsman. 7 June 2015
  24. "Stonemouth Media Pack" BBC Television. 19 June 2015
  25. "Shield 5" Instagram
  26. Mini Productions presents Annie Waits Mini Productions
  27. Archer, Katie. "Ordeal by Innocence – Who is starring in the Agatha Christie adaptation? Meet the cast and characters". 1 April 2018. bt.com. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
  28. Billen, Andrew (31 March 2018). "Ordeal By Innocence: The Christie Mystery that almost got away". The Times (72497). Saturday Review. pp. 4–5. ISSN 0140-0460.
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