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Alexander Ferns(born 13 October 1968) is a Scottish actor and television personality. His role inEastEndersasTrevor Morganfrom 2000 to 2002 was described as "Britain's most-hatedsoapvillain ". He also played the role of Rick Harper in theBBC Scotlandsoap operaRiver Citybetween 2017 and 2018. For his performance as coal miner Andrei Glukhov in the 2019 miniseriesChernobylhe received aBAFTA Scotland Award.
Alex Ferns | |
|---|---|
| Born | Alexander Ferns 13 October 1968 Lennoxtown,Stirlingshire,Scotland, United Kingdom |
| Education | University of Cape Town |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1993–present |
| Television | EastEnders River City |
| Spouse |
Jennifer Woodburne (m.1996) |
| Children | 2 |
Early life and education
editAlex Ferns is the oldest of three children of his family, who left Scotland forSouth Africa,when Ferns was eleven years old.[1]The family took up residence inSecunda,where Ferns' father worked as an electrician during the construction of a power plant.[1]After he finished school, he joined theSouth African Defence Forceand fought inAngolabetween 1987 and 1989.[1]Afterward he studied drama at theUniversity of Cape Town.[2]In the mid 1990s, he moved back to the United Kingdom and started his career in acting.
Career
editFerns made an appearance inThe Ghost and the Darkness(1996) before various television roles, includingTrevor Morganin the BBC soap operaEastEndersfrom 2000 to 2002, for which he won theBritish Soap Award for Best Newcomer.[3]In 2005, Ferns played Lieutenant Gordon in the highly acclaimedtrilingualfilmJoyeux Noël,which was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at theOscars,Golden Globe Awardsand theBAFTAs.
In 2003, Ferns appeared asDraco Malfoyin aHarry Pottersketch forComic Relief.In 2004, he played Commander Martin Brooke, the lead role, in the short-livedITVseriesMaking Waves.In the same year he appeared inMan Dancin',aFestival Film & TVproduction, which won a number of awards on the festival circuit, including Outstanding Original Screenplay at theSacramento Film Festival.He has also appeared onCoronation Street.[citation needed]He has also appeared in the 2006 filmShadow Man,as Schmitt, also starringSteven Seagal.
His theatrical work includes the role of the "tapeworm" (a hallucination) inI.D.,a play aboutDimitri Tsafendasand his assassination of South African Prime MinisterHendrik Verwoerd,the 2008 national tour ofAgatha Christie's murder mysteryAnd Then There Were None,andLittle Shop of Horrorsas the Dentist. In 2011, he took the role of Scottish gangster Jimmy Boyle in the play about his life,The Hardman,during a Scottish tour to positive reviews.[4]
He also made a brief appearance in aSmirnoff Vodkaadvert in 2009.[citation needed]
Ferns took part in television seriesCelebrity Coach Trip,partnered with friendRicky Groves.[5]He starred as Luther in the 2011 London revival and subsequent UK tour ofSouth Pacific.
In 2013, he starred as Lee inTrue Westat Glasgow'sCitizen's Theatre.In 2014, he starred in24: Live Another Day.In 2016, Ferns starred in ITV'sVeraseries 6 episode 4 ( "The Sea Glass" ) as Michael Quinn. He also appeared in the BBC'sWallanderseries 4 episode 1 ( "The White Lioness" ) as Axel Hedeman.
He portrayed the leader of Tula coal miners Andrei Glukhov in theHBO2019miniseriesChernobyl.For this performance, he received aBAFTA Scotland Awardfor Best Actor in Television.[6]
Ferns appeared inNetflix'sThe Irregulars(2021) as Vic Collins. He portrayed Gotham Police Commissioner Pete Savage in the superhero filmThe Batman(2022). Also in 2022, he appeared in theDisney+seriesAndoras Sergeant Linus Mosk.
In 2024, Ferns appeared as Aaron Moy in the BBC One thriller seriesNightsleeper.[7][8]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | The Ghost and the Darkness | Stockton | |
| 2003 | Man Dancin' | Jimmy Kerrigan | |
| 2005 | Joyeux Noël | Lieutenant Gordon | |
| 2009 | Farewell | Scottish Agent | |
| 2014 | True West | Lee | |
| 2015 | Caring for the Recently Deceased | Solicitor | Short |
| Legend | McLean | ||
| 2016 | Hot Property | J.P. De Cock | |
| The Legend of Tarzan | Force Publique Officer | ||
| 2017 | Baby Mine | Mike | Short |
| Romans | Jo | Released asRetaliationin the U.S. | |
| 2020 | Knuckledust | Major Vaughn | |
| 2021 | Wrath of Man | John (Sticky John) | |
| 2022 | The Batman | Commissioner Pete Savage | |
| 2024 | Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire | Mikael |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Generations | TV series | |
| 1996 | Rhodes | John Grimmer | Miniseries, 6 episodes |
| 1997 | Tarzan: The Epic Adventures | Jimmy Dorgo | 1 episode |
| Black Velvet Band | Major Watson | TV film | |
| 1998 | The Bill | Johno | 1 episode |
| 1999 | Psychos | Policeman | Miniseries, 1 episode |
| Taggart | Lenny Kerr | 1 episode | |
| 2000 | Britannic | Stoker Evans | TV film |
| Holby City | Stuart | 1 episode | |
| Doctors | Dan Thomas | 1 episode | |
| 2000–2002 | EastEnders | Trevor Morgan | 119 episodes |
| 2001 | Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased) | Mad Alex | 1 episode |
| 2001–2002 | De 9 dagen van de gier | Brian | TV series |
| 2004 | Making Waves | Commander Martin Brooke | Main role, 6 episodes |
| 2006 | Dream Team 80's | Al Mackay | Miniseries, 2 episodes |
| Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of an Empire | Mark Antony | Miniseries, 1 episode | |
| 2007 | M.I. High | General Scarp | 1 episode |
| Casualty | Tom Dart | 1 episode | |
| 2014 | The Widower | DCI Neil Thompson | Miniseries, 2 episodes |
| 24: Live Another Day | Radko | Miniseries, 1 episode | |
| The Passing Bells | David Edwards | Miniseries, 3 episodes | |
| 2015 | The Coroner | Nolan Prince | 1 episode |
| Wallander | Axel Hedeman | 1 episode | |
| 2016 | Vera | Michael Quinn | 1 episode |
| Wolfblood | Alistair | Recurring role, 6 episodes | |
| 2017 | Taboo | Hall | 1 episode |
| 2017–2018 | River City | Rick Harper | Recurring role, 9 episodes |
| 2019 | Chernobyl | Andrei Glukhov | Miniseries, 1 episode |
| 2020 | Barkskins | Gay Bill | 4 episodes |
| 2021 | The Irregulars | Vic Collins | 4 episodes |
| Danny Boy | Gavin Wood | TV film | |
| 2022 | Andor | Sergeant Linus Mosk | 5 episodes |
| The Devil's Hour | DS Nick Holness | Miniseries, 5 episodes | |
| 2023 | Six Four | Gordon Byrne | 3 episodes |
| 2024 | Nightsleeper | Aaron Moy | 6 episodes |
References
edit- ^abcSusan Swarbrick:EastEnders' Alex Ferns on leaving River City and his Lennoxtown thriller.In: heraldscotland.com, 13 January 2018.
- ^Alex Ferns.In: apm.co.za, access date 22 July 2022.
- ^Welsh, James."British Soap Awards 2002: Nominations".Digital Spy.Archivedfrom the original on 14 April 2019.Retrieved25 January2020.
- ^Fisher, Mark (4 April 2011)."The Hard Man – review".The Guardian.
- ^Alex Fletcher (16 September 2010)."Celebrity 'Coach Trip' lineup revealed".Digital Spy.
- ^Scotland: Actor – Television in 2019.In: awards.bafta.org, access date 22 July 2022.
- ^Craig, David (13 September 2024)."Meet the cast of Nightsleeper".Radio Times.Retrieved16 September2024.
- ^Hepburn, David (15 September 2024)."Nightsleeper television review: The most exciting thing to ever happen on a train from Glasgow to Motherwell".The Scotsman.Retrieved16 September2024.