WELSH CELEBRITIES
Added on: 1st Mar 2015
RUTH JONES
What’s occurring? Bridgend-born Ruth Jones from Porthcawl
saw a reasonably healthy acting career catapult into something
extraordinary when she and her former Fat Friends co-star James
Corden co-wrote a modest little BBC3 sitcom called
Gavin and Stacey.
CHRISTIAN BALE
Born in Haverfordwest to a circus performer and a commercial
pilot, Bale’s first acting foray was a commercial for fabric softener
Lenor in 1982. Five years later, he was the lead role, aged just 13,
in Steven Spielberg’s World War II blockbuster Empire of the Sun.
Today, he’s best known as Batman.
DAMIAN LEWIS
Damian Lewis first made his mark nearer home in British TV
dramas Colditz and The Forsyth Saga.
KATHERINE JENKINS
Neath-born Jenkins is the business; her first album Premiere
made her the fastest-selling mezzo-soprano to date. She became
the first female artist to win two consecutive Classical Brit Awards.
RHYS IFANS
Haverfordwest-born and Ruthin-raised, Ifans’ first
language is Welsh. His Hollywood success continues with
high profile roles such as The Lizard in The Amazing Spider-Man.
MICHAEL SHEEN
From Port Talbot, his screen performances as, for example,
Tony Blair, Kenneth Williams, Brian Clough and David Frost show
an extraordinary aptitude for capturing the very essence of the man
he’s playing. But there’s more to this universally acclaimed actor
than mimicry, of course. Anyone seeing his stage performances
as Hamlet or Mozart in Amadeus, will give testament to that.
CATHERINE ZETA JONES
She’s got the Oscar (for Chicago). She’s got the Golden Globe
(for Traffic). She’s got the Tony (for A Little Night Music). In terms
of achieving her goals, the Swansea siren who became a British
tabloid darling with The Darling Buds of May is living proof that
a girl can do more than dream.
ANTHONY HOPKINS
The man from Margam, his most memorable performances are
a case of less is more; he may have the Oscar for his most famous role,
Hannibal Lecter, in The Silence of the Lambs, but his true legacy stays
with his subtly underplayed turns in the likes of Howards End.
ROB BRYDON
The ex-Porthcawl Comprehensive student (he first met Ruth Jones
there) is now at the absolute top of his game; Once upon a time,
Mr. Brydon’s biggest claim to fame was as the voice of Toilet Duck
in a TV commercial. Since then, of course, the leap up the ladder
has included Gavin and Stacey.
TOM JONES
Today, the Treforest born lad who conquered tuberculosis and
went on to sell more than 100 million records is more than a
world-renowned singer; he’s a veritable Welsh icon.
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