Martin Kemp (actor)
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| Martin Kemp | |
 Kemp playing Steve Owen in EastEnders |
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| Birth name | Martin Kemp |
| Born | October 10, 1961 (age 45) Islington, London, England |
| Spouse(s) | Shirlie Holliman |
| Notable roles | Steve Owen in Eastenders Reginald Kray in The Krays. |
Martin John Kemp (born 10 October 1961), brother of Gary Kemp, is an English actor and former pop musician. He was born in Islington, London.
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[edit] Career
In the 1980s he and his brother Gary Kemp had a great deal of success in the New Romantic band Spandau Ballet. Their most popular album was titled True. He also performed on the popular 1984 famine relief project song Do They Know It's Christmas, written by Bob Geldoff and Midge Ure.
He and his brother Gary branched out into acting in 1990, both of them appearing in the British film The Krays in which they played the notorious gangster twins, Ronald and Reginald Kray. Their performances received a great deal of critical acclaim.
Since The Krays, Martin Kemp has been in the public eye more than his brother. He moved to America and made appearances in American television series such as The Outer Limits and Canadian-French television series such as Highlander. He also appeared in several Hollywood films such as Waxwork II: Lost in Time (1992) and Embrace of the Vampire (1994).
In 1998 he moved back to the UK appearing in British television series and had a guest appearance in the ITV series The Bill. He went on to became popular for his role as villain Steve Owen in the BBC's top soap opera, EastEnders between 1998 and 2002. His character was involved in the soap's highest rated storylines such as the Saskia Duncan murder and Who Shot Phil?. By the time he left the series, he was one of the best-known faces on British television.
He has gone on to star in many television dramas for ITV such as The Brides in the Bath in which he played real-life murderer, George Smith and Can't Buy Me Love opposite fellow EastEnders star Michelle Collins in which he played a man who conned his wife and friends into believing he had won the lottery. In 2006 he starred in a two-part television drama thriller Love Lies Bleeding and in an episode of the murder mystery television series Marple.
Martin Kemp is now the face of SCS, a UK home furnishings company. He was featured on the company's 2006 television advertising campaign and on their website. He is advertising for them still in 2007 for their Easter Campaign. A Small budget British Film "Back in Business " was released in February 2007 which Martin Kemp also stars in , however it was a 12 Cinema Nationwide release and one month later went straight to Dvd with poor reviews.
[edit] Personal life
Martin Kemp has been married to Shirlie Holliman since 1988. Holliman is a former back up singer of the group Wham! and one-half of the 1980s pop duo Pepsi and Shirlie. The couple have a son and daughter together. He suffered from brain tumour but made a full recovery. Martin Kemp is also patron of the UK and Ireland charity, The Encephalitis Society, and at the time of becoming patron confirmed that he had had epilepsy since the 1990s, as a result of having two brain tumours. The Society is the only resource in the world that provides information globally on the disease and its consequences. He is said to have threatened Mark Hollis of Talk Talk for calling him "scum". On Saturday 3rd February 2007, on Al Murray's Happy Hour Show it was revealed that he had 3 kidneys.
[edit] Selected Filmography
- Love Lies Bleeding (2006) .... Mark Terry
- Marple (2006) .... Jackie Afflick
- Can't Buy Me Love (2004) .... Alan Harris
- Where the Heart Is (2004) .... Ian Thorpe
- The Brides in the Bath (2003) .... George Smith
- EastEnders (1998-2002) ..... Steve Owen
- Sugar Town (1999) .... Jonesy
- Monk Dawson (1998) .... David Allenby
- The Bill (1998) ..... Tom Marsh
- Tales from the Crypt (1996)
- The Outer Limits (1995) .... Michael Deighton
- Embrace of the Vampire (1994) .... Vampire
- Highlander (1993) .... Alfred Cahill
- Aspen Extreme (1993) .... Franz Hauser
- Waxwork II: Lost in Time (1992) .... Baron Von Frankenstein
- The Krays (1990) .... Reggie Kray
