Alex Waldmann
Encyclopedia
Alex Waldmann is a young English
actor from London
. He is married to director Amelia Sears.
, Waldmann began his career in 2004 playing the role of Leto, in Fishbowl, directed by Paul Higgins, at Theatre 503. Since that time he has played a large number of roles in regional theatre.
A break through came in Waldmann's career when he landed the role of Troilus
, in Shakespeare's play Troilus and Cressida
, with Cheek by Jowl
, at the Barbican
in 2008, directed by Declan Donnellan
. The play received positive reviews, and went on to tour in Europe after finishing its run in London.
Waldmann's greatest success so far came in 2009 when he played Sebastian in Twelfth Night; a Donmar West End production at the Wyndhams Theatre
with, among others, Derek Jacobi
, and directed by Michael Grandage
. It was for this role that Waldmann received an Ian Charleson Award Commendation
.
That same year, Waldmann stayed working with Donmar on his next production, playing the part of Laertes
, opposite Jude Law
in Shakespeare's Hamlet
. During this production Waldmann had the opportunity to display his stage fighting skills during the lengthy sword play with Law. Reviews for the play were excellent, and the play itself gained global attention even before moving to Broadway
.
Next, Waldmann went on to play the part of Joe, in Shraddha, by Natasha Langridge, at the Soho Theatre. The play was directed by Artistic Director Lisa Goldman. The synopsis of this play states: "The Games spell eviction for the Romany Gypsies. 17 year-old Pearl Penfold is one of them. As the bulldozers close in, Pearl falls in love with Joe, a boy from the local estate. Can Joe prove himself to Pearl and her family before they are gone forever?"
In early 2010, Waldmann worked with Blake Ritson
and Bertie Carvel
in Patrick Hamilton's Rope, at the Almeida Theatre
in Islington, directed by Roger Michell. He played the role of Charles Granillo, one of two young men who attempt to get away with the perfect motiveless murder. This play was once made into a movie of the same name by Alfred Hitchcock
, and was said to be inspired by the real-life murder of 14-year-old Bobby Franks in 1924 by University of Chicago
students Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb
.
Waldmann then went on to shoot a brand new 90-minute World War Two docu-drama 'First Light' for Lion Television. He played the role of RAF pilot John Fraser Drummond
. 'First Light' was broadcast on BBC2
in September 2010.
He then took on the guest lead role of 'Drew' in the Halloween Special of the second series of BBC comedy 'Psychoville
'. It was broadcast on the BBC in October 2010.
In the summer of 2010, Waldmann played in 'Speechless' at the Sherman Cymru in Cardiff. Prior to this the show played in Edinburgh. He then went on to join the cast in BBC 2's adaptation of Sarah Waters
' best-selling novel, 'The Night Watch', which aired in July 2011.
Prior to this, Waldmann appeared in the role of Jonny in Ryan Craig's 'The Holy Rosenbergs' at the National Theatre.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
actor from London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. He is married to director Amelia Sears.
Career
After completing his training at LAMDALondon Academy of Music and Dramatic Art
The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art is a leading British drama school in west London. LAMDA's president is Timothy West and its new principal is Joanna Read, who recently succeeded Peter James...
, Waldmann began his career in 2004 playing the role of Leto, in Fishbowl, directed by Paul Higgins, at Theatre 503. Since that time he has played a large number of roles in regional theatre.
A break through came in Waldmann's career when he landed the role of Troilus
Troilus
Troilus is a legendary character associated with the story of the Trojan War...
, in Shakespeare's play Troilus and Cressida
Troilus and Cressida
Troilus and Cressida is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1602. It was also described by Frederick S. Boas as one of Shakespeare's problem plays. The play ends on a very bleak note with the death of the noble Trojan Hector and destruction of the love between Troilus...
, with Cheek by Jowl
Cheek by Jowl
Cheek By Jowl is a theatre company founded by Declan Donnellan and Nick Ormerod in 1981. The company has performed across the world and, with their 1986 production of Twelfth Night, were the first to bring a Shakespearean play to The Swan....
, at the Barbican
Barbican Centre
The Barbican Centre is the largest performing arts centre in Europe. Located in the City of London, England, the Centre hosts classical and contemporary music concerts, theatre performances, film screenings and art exhibitions. It also houses a library, three restaurants, and a conservatory...
in 2008, directed by Declan Donnellan
Declan Donnellan
Declan Donnellan is a British theatre director and writer. He is co-founder of Cheek by Jowl theatre company. In 1992 he received an honoris causa degree from the University of Warwick and in 2004 he was made a Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres for his work in France...
. The play received positive reviews, and went on to tour in Europe after finishing its run in London.
Waldmann's greatest success so far came in 2009 when he played Sebastian in Twelfth Night; a Donmar West End production at the Wyndhams Theatre
Wyndham's Theatre
Wyndham's Theatre is a West End theatre, one of two opened by the actor/manager Charles Wyndham . Located on Charing Cross Road, in the City of Westminster, it was designed by W.G.R. Sprague about 1898, the architect of six other London theatres between then and 1916...
with, among others, Derek Jacobi
Derek Jacobi
Sir Derek George Jacobi, CBE is an English actor and film director.A "forceful, commanding stage presence", Jacobi has enjoyed a highly successful stage career, appearing in such stage productions as Hamlet, Uncle Vanya, and Oedipus the King. He received a Tony Award for his performance in...
, and directed by Michael Grandage
Michael Grandage
Michael Grandage CBE is a British theatre director and producer, and current Artistic Director at the Donmar Warehouse, London. Grandage won the 2010 Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play for Red.-Early years:...
. It was for this role that Waldmann received an Ian Charleson Award Commendation
Ian Charleson Awards
The Ian Charleson Awards is a British theatrical award to reward the best classical stage performances in Britain by actors aged under 30. It is named in memory of the late actor Ian Charleson and is run by the Sunday Times newspaper and the National Theatre...
.
That same year, Waldmann stayed working with Donmar on his next production, playing the part of Laertes
Laertes
In Greek mythology, Laërtes was the son of Arcesius and Chalcomedusa. He was the father of Odysseus and Ctimene by his wife Anticlea, daughter of the thief Autolycus. Laërtes was an Argonaut and participated in the hunt for the Calydonian Boar...
, opposite Jude Law
Jude Law
David Jude Heyworth Law , known professionally as Jude Law, is an English actor, film producer and director.He began acting with the National Youth Music Theatre in 1987, and had his first television role in 1989...
in Shakespeare's Hamlet
Hamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
. During this production Waldmann had the opportunity to display his stage fighting skills during the lengthy sword play with Law. Reviews for the play were excellent, and the play itself gained global attention even before moving to Broadway
Broadway (New York City)
Broadway is a prominent avenue in New York City, United States, which runs through the full length of the borough of Manhattan and continues northward through the Bronx borough before terminating in Westchester County, New York. It is the oldest north–south main thoroughfare in the city, dating to...
.
Next, Waldmann went on to play the part of Joe, in Shraddha, by Natasha Langridge, at the Soho Theatre. The play was directed by Artistic Director Lisa Goldman. The synopsis of this play states: "The Games spell eviction for the Romany Gypsies. 17 year-old Pearl Penfold is one of them. As the bulldozers close in, Pearl falls in love with Joe, a boy from the local estate. Can Joe prove himself to Pearl and her family before they are gone forever?"
In early 2010, Waldmann worked with Blake Ritson
Blake Ritson
-Early life:Blake attended the Dolphin School in Reading, Berkshire until 1993, before going to St Paul's School, an independent school for boys in Barnes in West London on an academic scholarship. He then attended the University of Cambridge, where he studied English and Medieval Italian, Dante...
and Bertie Carvel
Bertie Carvel
Bertie Carvel is a British actor.He received a first from Sussex University in English, and graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in 2003.-Theatre:...
in Patrick Hamilton's Rope, at the Almeida Theatre
Almeida Theatre
The Almeida Theatre, opened in 1980, is a 325 seat studio theatre with an international reputation which takes its name from the street in which it is located, off Upper Street, in the London Borough of Islington. The theatre produces a diverse range of drama and holds an annual summer festival of...
in Islington, directed by Roger Michell. He played the role of Charles Granillo, one of two young men who attempt to get away with the perfect motiveless murder. This play was once made into a movie of the same name by Alfred Hitchcock
Alfred Hitchcock
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE was a British film director and producer. He pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres. After a successful career in British cinema in both silent films and early talkies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood...
, and was said to be inspired by the real-life murder of 14-year-old Bobby Franks in 1924 by University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
students Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb
Leopold and Loeb
Nathan Freudenthal Leopold, Jr. and Richard Albert Loeb , more commonly known as "Leopold and Loeb", were two wealthy University of Michigan alumni and University of Chicago students who murdered 14-year-old Robert "Bobby" Franks in 1924 and were sentenced to life imprisonment.The duo were...
.
Waldmann then went on to shoot a brand new 90-minute World War Two docu-drama 'First Light' for Lion Television. He played the role of RAF pilot John Fraser Drummond
John Fraser Drummond
Flying Officer John Fraser Drummond DFC was an RAF fighter pilot, an official ace who flew in the Battle of Britain.-Background:...
. 'First Light' was broadcast on BBC2
BBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
in September 2010.
He then took on the guest lead role of 'Drew' in the Halloween Special of the second series of BBC comedy 'Psychoville
Psychoville
Psychoville is an award-winning British dark comedy television serial written by and starring The League of Gentlemen members Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton. It debuted on BBC Two on 18 June 2009. Pemberton and Shearsmith each play numerous characters, with Dawn French and Jason Tompkins in...
'. It was broadcast on the BBC in October 2010.
In the summer of 2010, Waldmann played in 'Speechless' at the Sherman Cymru in Cardiff. Prior to this the show played in Edinburgh. He then went on to join the cast in BBC 2's adaptation of Sarah Waters
Sarah Waters
Sarah Waters is a British novelist. She is best known for her novels set in Victorian society, such as Tipping the Velvet and Fingersmith.-Childhood:Sarah Waters was born in Neyland, Pembrokeshire, Wales in 1966....
' best-selling novel, 'The Night Watch', which aired in July 2011.
Prior to this, Waldmann appeared in the role of Jonny in Ryan Craig's 'The Holy Rosenbergs' at the National Theatre.