Gary McDonald (actor)
Encyclopedia
Gary McDonald is an English actor of Jamaican descent. A student at Elliott school
in Putney
, McDonald played football for Wimbledon FC under Dario Gradi
.
He was a member of the Royal Court Theatre
from 1979-80, appearing in various plays at the Court such as Hard time Pressure, Hero’s Welcome, and Che Walker
’s Been so Long. In the 1980’s he performed with the Talawa Theatre company in The Black Jacobins, The Importance of Being Earnest
, and A Raisin in the Sun with the Black Theatre
. He appeared at the Royal National Theatre
in Macbeth
, Black Poppies, and Rhapsody in Black & White and at The Cottlesloe in Blood Wedding. Other theatre credits include Scrape of the Black and Mike Leigh
’s It’s a Great Big Shame at the Theatre Royal Stratford East
.
His first notable television role came in 1987 when he was cast as Darren Roberts in the BBC
soap opera
EastEnders
. He left the role in 1988. He has also appeared in Numb3ers, The Bill
, Between the Lines, South of the Border
, as Captain John Black in Dream Team
(1999-2006) and in Brothers and Sisters, among others. He has also appeared in various films.
Elliott School (London)
Elliott School is a co-educational foundation school and sixth form college in Pullman Gardens, Putney, in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It has Language College specialist status through which it gained a European Award for Languages in 2004, the International School Award from the British...
in Putney
Putney
Putney is a district in south-west London, England, located in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It is situated south-west of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London....
, McDonald played football for Wimbledon FC under Dario Gradi
Dario Gradi
Dario Gradi MBE is an Italian-born English football manager and former player, who was serving as manager of the Crewe Alexandra F.C. Academy. He is a former manager of Crewe Alexandra, with whom he has been associated for almost thirty years.Gradi is notable for his 24-year first spell as manager...
.
He was a member of the Royal Court Theatre
Royal Court Theatre
The Royal Court Theatre is a non-commercial theatre on Sloane Square, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is noted for its contributions to modern theatre...
from 1979-80, appearing in various plays at the Court such as Hard time Pressure, Hero’s Welcome, and Che Walker
Ché Walker
Ché Walker is an English actor, playwright, theatre director and teacher at the Identity Drama School.Walker lives in Camden in London and his play The Frontline deals with street life outside Camden Town tube station....
’s Been so Long. In the 1980’s he performed with the Talawa Theatre company in The Black Jacobins, The Importance of Being Earnest
The Importance of Being Earnest
The Importance of Being Earnest, A Trivial Comedy for Serious People is a play by Oscar Wilde. First performed on 14 February 1895 at St. James's Theatre in London, it is a farcical comedy in which the protagonists maintain fictitious personae in order to escape burdensome social obligations...
, and A Raisin in the Sun with the Black Theatre
Black theatre
Black theatre or black theater may refer to:* Black light theatre* Black Theatre * The African-American theatre community, especially in New York City...
. He appeared at the Royal National Theatre
Royal National Theatre
The Royal National Theatre in London is one of the United Kingdom's two most prominent publicly funded theatre companies, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company...
in Macbeth
Macbeth
The Tragedy of Macbeth is a play by William Shakespeare about a regicide and its aftermath. It is Shakespeare's shortest tragedy and is believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607...
, Black Poppies, and Rhapsody in Black & White and at The Cottlesloe in Blood Wedding. Other theatre credits include Scrape of the Black and Mike Leigh
Mike Leigh
Michael "Mike" Leigh, OBE is a British writer and director of film and theatre. He studied theatre at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, and studied further at the Camberwell School of Art and the Central School of Art and Design. He began as a theatre director and playwright in the mid 1960s...
’s It’s a Great Big Shame at the Theatre Royal Stratford East
Theatre Royal Stratford East
The Theatre Royal Stratford East is a theatre in Stratford in the London Borough of Newham. Since 1953, it has been the home of the Theatre Workshop company.-History:...
.
His first notable television role came in 1987 when he was cast as Darren Roberts in the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
EastEnders
EastEnders
EastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...
. He left the role in 1988. He has also appeared in Numb3ers, The Bill
The Bill
The Bill is a police procedural television series that ran from October 1984 to August 2010. It focused on the lives and work of one shift of police officers, rather than on any particular aspect of police work...
, Between the Lines, South of the Border
South of the Border
- Music :* "South of the Border" , popular song, notably recorded by Frank Sinatra* "South of the Border" , 1997* South of the Border , 1964...
, as Captain John Black in Dream Team
Dream Team (TV series)
Dream Team is a British television series produced by Hewland International which aired on Sky1 and Sky3 from 1997 to 2007; it chronicled the on-field and off-field affairs of the fictional Harchester United Football Club....
(1999-2006) and in Brothers and Sisters, among others. He has also appeared in various films.
Filmography
- The Shepherd: Border PatrolThe Shepherd: Border PatrolThe Shepherd: Border Patrol is a 2008 action film starring Jean Claude Van Damme and Scott Adkins and directed by Isaac Florentine, the director of Undisputed 2...
(March 4 2008) - Numb3rsNUMB3RSNumb3rs is an American television drama which premiered on CBS on January 23, 2005, and concluded on March 12, 2010. The series was created by Nicolas Falacci and Cheryl Heuton, and follows FBI Special Agent Don Eppes and his mathematical genius brother, Charlie Eppes , who helps Don solve crimes...
- (2005) TV - The Basil Brush Show -(2003)
- Wondrous OblivionWondrous OblivionWondrous Oblivion is a 2003 British film directed and written by Paul Morrison and produced by Jonny Persey.Set in suburban south London in 1960, several themes run through the film, though the main storyline concerns the friendship between a young boy, David Wiseman who is the son of European...
(2003) .... Gary Sobers - CasualtyCasualty (TV series)Casualty, stylised as Casual+y, is a British weekly television show broadcast on BBC One, and the longest-running emergency medical drama television series in the world. Created by Jeremy Brock and Paul Unwin, it was first broadcast on 6 September 1986, and transmitted in the UK on BBC One. The...
(2003, 2007) - Murder in Mind - Favours (2003) .... Det. Const. Jed Culshaw
- BabyfatherBabyfatherBabyfather is a BBC Two television programme which aired in the UK in 2001 and 2002. The show has been described as a "black, male, UK version of Sex and the City". It ran for two series, and was based on a novel written by Patrick Augustus. The writers of the screenplay include Avril E...
- (2002) .... Kevin - Doctors - "Testing Testing" (2002) .... PC Aidan Brown
- Fields of Gold (2002) (TV) .... Johnson
- All or Nothing (2002) .... Neville
- The BillThe BillThe Bill is a police procedural television series that ran from October 1984 to August 2010. It focused on the lives and work of one shift of police officers, rather than on any particular aspect of police work...
(2002) .... Ronnie Jackson / (1999) .... Steve Bryant - Out (2001) .... John
- Brothers and Sisters (1998).... Wycliffe Leonard
- The Spanish PrisonerThe Spanish PrisonerThe Spanish Prisoner is a 1997 American suspense film, written and directed by David Mamet and starring Campbell Scott, Steve Martin, Rebecca Pidgeon, Ben Gazzara and Ricky Jay...
(1997) .... Ticket Agent - Secrets & Lies (1996) .... Boxer
- Thief TakersThief TakersThief Takers was a police drama series made by Central Independent Television for the ITV network. The show depicted the work of a team in the Metropolitan Police Service's Flying Squad...
(1996) .... DC Alan Oxford - Bliss (1995) (TV) .... Gee
- Mrs. Hartley and the Growth Centre (1995) (TV) .... Gary
- What You Lookin' At? (1993) TV Series .... Linford
- Love HurtsLove Hurts (UK TV series)Love Hurts is a British situation-comedy television series that was broadcast from 1992 to 1994 on the BBC. It was scripted by Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran and starred Adam Faith, Zoë Wanamaker and Jane Lapotaire as Frank Carver, Tessa Piggott and Diane Warburg, respectively....
- "Band of Gold" (1993) TV Episode .... Dennis - Between the Lines - "Breaking Point" (1992) TV Episode .... P.C. Cameron
- Young Soul RebelsYoung Soul RebelsYoung Soul Rebels is a 1991 critically acclaimed coming-of-age/drama British film written by Isaac Julien and Paul Hallam, and directed by Juilen. The film examines the interaction between youth cultural movements during the late 1970s in the UK. Namely skinheads, punks and soulboys along with the...
(1991) .... Davis - Struck by Lightning (1990)
- Shooting Stars (1990) .... Calvin
- EastEndersEastEndersEastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...
(1985) TV Series .... Darren Roberts (1987-1988) - Top Kids (1987) (TV)
- London's Burning: The MovieLondon's BurningLondon's Burning was a British television drama programme produced by London Weekend Television for the ITV network that focused on the lives of members of the London Fire Brigade, principally those of the Blue Watch at a fictional fire station called Blackwall.It was broadcast between 1986 and...
(1986) (TV) .... Ethnic - Outbreak of Hostilities (1982) (TV)