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scotianostra · 1 year

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Happy 48th Birthday Scottish actor Alec Newman, born November 27th 1974 in Glasgow.

He may not be a household name, nor has he been in any real blockbuster films, but Alec Newman has quietly made a name for himself with roles in some very good dramas on both sides of the Atlantic.

Alec’s dad was in the Sandy, was in The Chris McClure Section, and since 1973 has been the lead singer and guitarist in Marmalade, Alec’s brother, John James Newman competed in the 2012 season of The Voice UK. Newman considered a life as a football player before breaking his leg playing for Wokingham Town as a youth.

He started out acting with National Youth Theatre aged 16, before enrolling in The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. Straight out of there he began cropping up in stage shows and impressing in guest appearances in TV shows like good old Taggart, of course, Heartbeat, Peak Practice and Dangerfield.

In the year 2000 he landed a leading part in Frank Herbert’s Dune a three-part based on the novel of the same name, this got him noticed in the US and guest roles in shows there included, Angel, Star Trek Enterprise and Tru Calling, Flitting between stay at home and in the states he has continued to appear in some of the top shows, at home and abroad. Outlander fans might remember him as Joseph Wemyss in Down the Rabbit hole two years ago.

Alec is probably best known at home for playing Headmaster Michael Byrne in Waterloo Road when the series decanted to Scotland. Judge, John Deed, Spooks, Call the Midwife and Casualty at home, 24 Live Another Day, Victor Frankenstein, Rogue and The Bastard Executioner among many others, as well as stage roles has kept Newman busy in a career spanning around 25 years. Add to that he has voiced numerous commercials, audio books documentaries and Video games.

Fans of Shetland might recognise him, he was in Series 6 as the local businessman Niven Guthrie.

More recently he turned up in the excellent crime drama Grace, and another Scottish crime drama, Karen Pirie.

Alec Newman married production co-ordinator Heather Stewart after meeting on the set of Waterloo Road. They were wed in Ayrshire in 2014 and have a daughter together.

#Scotland #scottish #actor #theatre #television #film #happy birhtday #glaswegian

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scotianostra · 4 years

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Happy 48th Birthday Scottish actor Ewen Bremner, born January 23rd 1972 in Edinburgh.

Bremner has worked with many of the most respected directors in world cinema, including Danny Boyle, Mike Leigh, Ridley Scott, Joon-Ho Bong, Werner Herzog and Woody Allen. Ewen has established himself by creating unique characters in critically acclaimed films, as well as going toe to toe with many of Hollywood's biggest stars.

Bremner had worked widely in theatre, television, and film for years before being cast in his breakout role in Trainspotting, by Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle. Having originated the role of Mark Renton in Edinburgh's Traverse Theatre production, Bremner then made waves opposite Ewan McGregor playing Spud Murphy and earned screen immortality with his character's infamous "speed fueled" job interview scene.

Prior to Trainspotting, I first saw Bremner give a striking performance in Mike Leigh's Naked, starring opposite David Thewlis. In 1999, Bremner received critical acclaim for his portrayal of a schizophrenic man living with his dysfunctional family in Harmony Korine's Julien Donkey-Boy. He then worked with director Michael Bay in his high-profile 2001 war film Pearl Harbor, proving his versatility once again by portraying the role of a wholeheartedly patriotic American soldier fighting in WWII. The following year, he stepped back into fatigues for a supporting role in Ridley Scott's Black Hawk Down, while rounding out the next several years with roles in high-profile Hollywood releases such as The Rundown, Disney's Around the World in 80 Days (2004), AVP: Alien vs. Predator, Woody Allen's Match Point, the comedy Death at a Funeral directed by Frank Oz, and Fool's Gold starring Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson. This past few of years proved to be a busy when Bremner was invited to join the DC Universe in the Zack Snyder-produced feature Wonder Woman, directed by Patty Jenkins, co-starring Gal Gadot and Chris Pine. Ewen would also reprise his unforgettable role as "Spud" in the highly-anticipated sequel to Danny Boyle's cult classic, T2: Trainspotting and he rounded out last year with the feature The Lake, produced by Luc Besson.

On TV Bremner was in the TNT Drama Series Will with Shekhar Kapur. The series told the story of the lost years of young William Shakespeare after his arrival to London in 1589 but only lasted one season.

Other notable film credits include Woody Allen's You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger, David Mackenzie's Perfect Sense starring again alongside Ewan McGregor, Great Expectations directed by Mike Newell, Bryan Singer's Jack the Giant Slayer, and Snowpiercer directed by Bong Joon-Ho and starring opposite Chris Evans and Tilda Swinton. Further credits include Exodus: Gods and Kings, Wide Open Spaces, Mojo, Mediator, Faintheart, Hallam Foe, Sixteen Years of Alcohol, and Snatch.

In other television work Ewen has worked on many acclaimed productions including David Hare's Worriker trilogy starring Bill Nighy for BBC, Jimmy McGovern's Moving On and also his Australian mini-series Banished, Strike Back for Sky TV, Dominic Savage's Dive, the Dylan Thomas biopic, A Poet In New York and the adaptation of Day of the Triffids for the BBC. Other noteworthy series appearances include portraying legendary surrealist Salvador Dali in the U.K. television drama Surrealissimo: The Trial of Salvador Dali, and a guest spot on the successful NBC series, My Name is Earl.

More recently he has appeared in the film First Cow, about a wild ride through the Oregon Territory in the 1820s, I will need to try and find this one. One I am really looking forward to is Creation Stories, written by Irvine Welsh Ewen stars as Alan McGee, it is an adaptation of McGee’s acclaimed autobiography, Creation Stories – Riots, Raves and Running a Record Label. Trainspotting director Danny Boyle is working on the film as an executive producer whilst Nick Moran. If you don't know the name, McGee signed a relatively unknow band called Oasis to his record laebl, Creation in 1993. Another film Ewen is shooting just now also looks interestin, called Freedoms Path it is set during the American Civil War, and tells the story of a unique friendship forged between a Union soldier and runaway slave, centering in and around the Underground Railroad. Ewen was awarded the BAFTA Scotland Award for Best Actor in Trainspotting T2, with Ewan MacGregor on Arthur's Seat with Edinburgh in all it's glory.

Pics are Bremner as Archie with David Thewlis in Naked, as Spud in Trainspotting, again Spud, in my favourite shot for the film Trainspotting T2 with Edinburgh in all it's glory below Arthur's Seat, the final pic is Ewen as Alan McGee .

A wee bit more on the Creation Stories film here https://www.nme.com/news/first-pictures-released-upcoming-alan-mcgee-biopic-creation-stories-2513650

#Scotland #scottish #actor #Edinburgh #Trainspotting.

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