In TV, film, and theatre, typecasting is the process by which a particular actor becomes strongly identified with a specific character; one or more particular roles; or, characters having the same traits or coming from the same social or ethnic groups.^{[citation needed]} There have been instances in which an actor has been so strongly identified with a role as to make it difficult for him or her to find work playing other characters. Some actors attempt to escape typecasting by choosing roles that are opposite the types of roles that they are known for; alternatively, a director may choose to cast an actor in a role that would be unusual for them to create a dramatic (or sometimes comedic) effect, such as John Wayne, who was usually cast in leading hero-type roles. Typecasting also occurs in other performing arts. An opera singer who has a great deal of success in one role, such as Denyce Graves as Carmen, may become typecast in that role.

Actor selection[link]

The examples and perspective in this section may not represent a worldwide view of the subject. Please improve this article and discuss the issue on the talk page. (June 2011)

Actors are selected for their roles either by a casting director, typically found in small productions, or, in larger productions such as motion pictures, through casting agencies. Extras and stand-ins are often drawn from the company Central Casting, a company so influential since its 1925 start, that some people refer to all cast as coming from "central casting". The concept of "central" casting was also widespread during the studio-dominated era (from the 1920s through the 1940s) when each studio had a larger number of actors on contract who were assigned to whatever films were being made at the time by that studio. Such centralized casting was made more efficient by placing an actor in subsequent similar character roles after his or her first success, especially if an actor was particularly well-received in that role by the audience or by critics.

Typecasting happens to actors of both great and modest ability: an actor may become typecast either because of a strong identification with a particular role or because he or she lacks the versatility or talent to move on to other roles.^{[citation needed]} Some actors welcome the steady work that typecasting brings, but in general it is seen as undesirable for actors in leading roles.^{[citation needed]}

With character actors[link]

An actor is sometimes so strongly identified with a role as to make it difficult for him or her to find work playing other characters. It is especially common among leading actors in popular TV series and films.

[edit] Star Trek

An example is the cast of the original Star Trek:

[They] lost control of their destinies the minute they stepped on the bridge of the make-believe Enterprise in 1966.^[1]

and

For most of the actors in the original "Star Trek" series, Starfleet has never been far off the professional horizons.^[2]

During Star Trek's original run from 1966 to 1969, William Shatner was the highest paid cast member at $5,000 per episode ($36,000 today), with Leonard Nimoy and the other actors paid much less.^{[4]:166-167,297} The press predicted that Nimoy would be a star after the show ended,^[5] however, and James Doohan expected that appearing on an NBC series would help his post-Star Trek career.^[3] The show so typecast the actors, however—as early as March 1970, Nichelle Nichols complained of Star Trek having "defined [her] so narrowly as an actress"^[6]—that only Shatner and Nimoy continued working steadily during the 1970s, and even their work received little attention unless it was Star Trek-related. The others' income came mostly from personal appearances at Star Trek conventions attended by Trekkies; by 1978 DeForest Kelley, for example, earned up to $50,000 ($178,000 today) annually.^[1] In 1979 the first of six films starring the cast appeared; Kelley earned $1 million for the final film, Star Trek VI (1991).^[4]:297 Being identified so closely with one role^[2] left the show's cast with mixed emotions; Shatner called it "awesome and irksome", and Walter Koenig called it "bittersweet" but admitted that there was "a certain immortality in being associated with Star Trek".^[1]

The Next Generation actors also become typecast. Patrick Stewart's most prominent non-Star Trek film or television role, for example, is Professor X—like Jean-Luc Picard, a science fiction "grand, deep-voiced, bald English guy"—and he has stated "I don't have a film career. I have a franchise career."^[8] Jonathan Frakes has stated that "it’s better to be type-cast than not to be cast at all."^[9] The Next Generation had one of the largest budgets of its time, however,^[10] and its cast became very wealthy during its filming.^[11][8]

Other examples[link]

Clayton Moore and George Reeves, who played The Lone Ranger and Superman, respectively, in the Golden Age of Television, were also victims of typecasting. Reeves' typecasting was so pervasive that an urban legend grew around his role in From Here to Eternity, which claimed that his major role was practically removed from the film after test audiences shouted "There's Superman!" whenever he appeared. (In reality, there were no test screenings, and no scenes from Reeves' minor role were cut from the final version. The article on Hollywoodland, a fictionalized account of Reeves' death, discusses this issue.)

Additionally, examples of typecasting are prominent in other prime-time TV series, such as M*A*S*H and Little House on the Prairie. Adam West as Batman in the 1966 show of the same name is another prominent example.

Historical characters[link]

Soviet actor Mikheil Gelovani depicted Joseph Stalin in twelve films made during the leader's lifetime - among them The Great Dawn (1938), Lenin in 1918 (1939), The Vow (1946), The Fall of Berlin (1950) and The Unforgettable Year 1919 (1952) - which reflected his cult of personality; those films were either banned or had the scenes featuring Stalin removed after the 1956 Secret Speech. Following Stalin's death, Gelovani was denied new roles, since he was identified with the dead premier.^[12] According to the The Guinness Book of Movie Facts and Feats, Gelovani had probably portrayed the same historical figure more than any other actor.^[13] Die Zeit columnist Andreas Kilb wrote that he ended his life "a pitiful Kagemusha" of Stalin's image.^[14]

Playing against type[link]

Some actors attempt to escape typecasting by choosing roles that are opposite the types of roles that they are known for; alternatively, a director may choose to cast an actor in a role that would be unusual for them to create a dramatic effect. This is called "playing against type" or "casting against type".

Examples of actors playing against type[link]

• Arnold Schwarzenegger, who, thanks to his role as The Terminator, has been frequently typecast in action films as a brute force tough guy, whether good or bad, who has an incredible physique and a knack for evading death. However, in the comedy Twins, he plays the gentle giant behemoth Austrian twin of the much shorter, portly Danny DeVito.
• Bill Murray also was cast against character, as in his role in Lost In Translation he plays a more serious-dramatic role compared to his popular comedic parts.
• Tom Cruise plays an arrogant, fat, bald, and selfish corporation manager in Tropic Thunder to create a comedic juxtaposition to his normal screen presence.
• Robin Williams' performances in Insomnia and One Hour Photo in which he abandoned the charming and lovable persona he projected for most of his career in favour of playing dangerous, troubled individuals.
• Elijah Wood (Frodo in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy) as Kevin, a cannibalistic serial killer in the movie Sin City.
• Emma Roberts, best known for her credits in good-natured roles in family films such as Hotel for Dogs, Aquamarine and Nancy Drew as well as the Nickelodeon TV series Unfabulous, plays Jill Roberts, the psychotic serial killing cousin of Neve Campbell's character in the Wes Craven horror film Scream 4.
• Harrison Ford, usually known for his leading roles as the hero in action films plays a murderer in What Lies Beneath.
• Kevin Costner, well established as a leading man in romance, comedy and action films, plays against type as a serial killer in Mr. Brooks and the psychopathic antagonist in 3000 Miles to Graceland.
• Henry Fonda as the villain in Once Upon a Time in the West.

Another method in which actors avoid typecasting is by acting or promoting themselves in a way that is the complete antithesis of their best known role. An example of this is comedian Bob Saget playing wholesome characters in sitcoms, but performing foul-mouthed stand-up routines.

Playing within type[link]

Some actors embrace typecasting. Fans often expect a particular actor to play a "type", and roles which deviate from what is expected can be commercial failures. This beneficial typecasting is particularly common in action movies (e.g., Jackie Chan) and comedies (Adam Sandler) but much less common in drama, although many B-list character actors make careers out of playing a particular dramatic type, and it is often suggested to would-be actors that they audition for roles that fit their type.^{[citation needed]}

References[link]

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (February 2010)

See also[link]

• Brat pack
• Brit Pack – 1980s
• Child actor
• Frat Pack – 1990s & 2000s
• Rat Pack – 1950s & 1960s

Look up typecasting in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Typecast or typecasting may mean:

• Typecasting (acting), the process by which an actor is strongly identified with a specific character, role, or trait
• Typecasting (blogging), a form of blogging in which text is composed on a typewriter, then scanned and uploaded to a blog
• Casting of sorts (movable type pieces) for use in printing presses
• Type conversion in computer programming, the act or result of changing an entity of one data type into another
• Typecast (band), Filipino band
• Typecast (horse), American racehorse

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

French stage and early film actress Sarah Bernhardt as Hamlet, ca. early 1880s

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Acting

This article includes a list of references, but its sources remain unclear because it has insufficient inline citations. Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (February 2011)

Acting is the work of an actor or actress, which is a person in theatre, television, film, or any other storytelling medium who tells the story by portraying a character and, usually, speaking or singing the written text or play.

Most early sources in the West that examine the art of acting (Greek: ὑπόκρισις, hypokrisis) discuss it as part of rhetoric.^[1]

Definition and history[link]

One of the first actors is believed to be an ancient Greek called Thespis of Icaria. An apocryphal story says that Thespis stepped out of the dithyrambic chorus and spoke to them as a separate character. Before Thespis, the chorus narrated (for example, "Dionysus did this, Dionysus said that"). When Thespis stepped out from the chorus, he spoke as if he was the character (for example, "I am Dionysus. I did this"). From Thespis' name derives the word thespian.

Acting requires a wide range of skills, including vocal projection, clarity of speech, physical expressivity, emotional facility, a well-developed imagination, and the ability to interpret drama. Acting also often demands an ability to employ dialects, accents and body language, improvisation, observation and emulation, mime, and stage combat. Many actors train at length in special programs or colleges to develop these skills, and today the vast majority of professional actors have undergone extensive training. Even though one actor may have years of training, they always strive for more lessons; the cinematic and theatrical world is always changing and because of this, the actor must stay as up to date as possible. Actors and actresses will often have many instructors and teachers for a full range of training involving, but not limited to, singing, scene-work, monologue techniques, audition techniques and partner work.

Professional actors[link]

Not all people working as actors in film, television or theatre are professionally trained. Conservatories typically offer two- to four-year training on all aspects of acting. Universities will offer three- to four-year programs, where a student is often able to choose to focus on drama, while still learning about other aspects of theatre. Schools will vary in their approach, but in North America the most popular method taught derives from the "system" of Constantin Stanislavski, which was developed and popularised in America by Lee Strasberg, Stella Adler, and others. The ambiguously termed method acting came about through iterations of Stanislavski's system by Strasberg. Part of this style of training includes actors memorizing lines to be able to work off-book, a term that means being able to work without a script. Other approaches may include a more physical approach, following the teachings of Jerzy Grotowski and others, or may be based on the training developed by other theatre practitioners including Sanford Meisner. Other classes may include mask work, improvisation, and acting for the camera. Regardless of a school's approach, students should expect intensive training in textual interpretation, voice and movement. Although there are some teachers who will encourage the improvisation as technique in order to free the actor of limitations in rehearsal. Harold Guskin's approach or "taking it off the page" as he calls it is steeped in this philosophy. Applications to drama programs and conservatories are through auditions in the United States. Anybody over the age of 18 can usually apply to drama school.

Training may also start at a very young age. Acting classes and professional schools targeted at the under-18 crowd are offered in many locations. These classes introduce young actors to different aspects of acting and theatre from scene study to the marines

Improvisation[link]

Improv was created by Viola Spolin when working with Neva Boyd at a Hull House in Chicago, Illinois. Improv was created on the realization that adults do not play games. Spolin felt that playing games were good exercises and can benefit in future acting. With improv, people can find true expressive freedom since they don't ever know how the situation is going to turn out. When one continues to operate with an open mind they will have a real sense of spontaneity rather than pre-planning a response. You perform a character of your own making, and with that character and the others working with you, you create a new and spontaneous piece.

References[link]

Sources[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Acting

Look up acting in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• Backstage Magazine – Large website and subscription service for actors.
• Hollywood North – Actors database of profiles.

Russell Brand
Russell Brand at the premiere for Arthur in 2011
Birth name	Russell Edward Brand[1]
Born	(1975-06-04) 4 June 1975 (age 37) Grays, Essex, England, UK
Medium	Stand-up, television, film, radio
Nationality	British
Years active	1994–present
Genres	Observational comedy
Influences	Richard Pryor,[2] Bill Hicks,[2] Peter Cook, Lenny Bruce, Tony Hancock, Jack Kerouac, Stewart Lee[3]
Spouse	Katy Perry (m. 2010–2012)
Website	russellbrand.tv

Russell Edward Brand (born 4 June 1975)^[4] is an English comedian, actor, columnist, singer, author and radio/television presenter.

Brand achieved mainstream fame in the UK in 2004 for his role as host of Big Brother spin-off, Big Brother's Big Mouth. His first major film role was in the 2007 film St Trinian's. He became known to American audiences when he got a major role in Forgetting Sarah Marshall which led to a starring role in 2010's Get Him to the Greek. He has also been a voice actor for animated films such as 2010's Despicable Me and the 2011 film Hop. He starred in the 2011 remake of the 1981 Dudley Moore film Arthur.

Brand is noted for his eccentricity and his controversies in the British media, including his dismissal from MTV for dressing up as Osama bin Laden and controversies while presenting at various award ceremonies, as well as his former substance abuse. The 2008 prank telephone calls he made to Andrew Sachs while co-hosting The Russell Brand Show with Jonathan Ross led to his resignation from the BBC and major policy changes in that organisation. His prior drug use, alcoholism and promiscuity influenced his comedic material and public image. He married American pop singer Katy Perry in October 2010, and filed for divorce from her in December 2011; the divorce was finalised in 2012.

Early life[link]

Brand was born in Orsett Hospital, Grays, Essex, England, the only child of Barbara Elizabeth (née Nichols) and photographer Ronald Henry Brand.^[5] Brand's parents separated when he was six months old, and he was raised by his mother; he has described his childhood as isolated and lonely.^[6] When Brand was seven, he was sexually abused by a tutor.^[7] When Brand was eight, his mother contracted uterine cancer; a year later she contracted breast cancer.^[8] Brand stayed with relatives while his mother underwent treatment.^[8] When Brand was 14, he suffered from bulimia nervosa. He left home at age 16 because of differences with his mother's live-in partner.^[8] His mother had lymphoma during this time and he began using illegal drugs such as cannabis, amphetamines, LSD and ecstasy.^[8][9] According to an interview on National Public Radio's Weekend Edition Saturday Brand had "a strange relationship with his father, whom he saw sporadically and who took him to visit prostitutes during a trip to the Far East".^[10] After Brand's parents divorced, his father remarried twice.^[11]

Brand attended Grays School Media Arts College, a comprehensive. He made his theatrical debut at the age of 15, playing the role of Fat Sam in a school production of Bugsy Malone, which prompted him to become an actor. He began working as an extra, and applied to study at the Italia Conti Academy. He was accepted, and Essex council funded his tuition for an introductory year, with potential funding for three additional years. Brand joined the Academy in 1991, but was expelled during his introductory year for his bad behaviour and use of drugs. Afterward, Brand had small acting roles in children's show Mud and police drama The Bill.

In 1995, Brand applied for the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and Drama Centre London and was accepted to Drama Centre. He was expelled in the final term of his last year for smashing a glass over his head and then stabbing himself in the chest and arms after his hearing a criticism of his performance. After leaving Drama Centre, Brand decided to focus on comedy, and began writing material with Karl Theobald.

Career[link]

Stand-up[link]

Brand's first significant stand-up appearance was at the Hackney Empire New Act of the Year final in 2000. Although he finished fourth, his performance attracted the attention of an agent, Nigel Klarfeld of Gagged and Bound Comedy Ltd.^[12] That year, he also made his Edinburgh debut as one-third of the stand-up show Pablo Diablo's Cryptic Triptych, alongside ventriloquist Mark Felgate and Anglo-Iranian comic Shappi Khorsandi.

Brand performs stand-up at the London Roundhouse, 25 January 2008

In 2004, he took his first one-man show, the confessional Better Now to the Edinburgh Festival, giving an honest account of his heroin addiction. He returned the following year with Eroticised Humour. He launched his first nationwide tour, Shame, in 2006. Brand drew on embarrassing incidents in his own life and the tabloid press's treatment of him since he became famous. The show was released on DVD as Russell Brand: Live.

Brand appeared in a sketch and performed stand-up at the 2006 Secret Policeman's Ball. In March 2007, he co-hosted an evening of the Teenage Cancer Trust gigs with Noel Fielding. In December 2007, Brand performed for HM Queen Elizabeth II and HRH Prince Philip as an act in the 2007 Royal Variety Performance.

His second nationwide tour, in 2007, was called Russell Brand: Only Joking and released on DVD as Russell Brand: Doin' Life.

Brand began performing in the US, and recorded a special for Comedy Central titled Russell Brand in New York, which aired in March 2009.^[13] Brand began touring the UK, America and Australia from January to April 2009 on a tour called Russell Brand: Scandalous.^[14] In October, a further four dates that were performed in November were added to raise money for Focus 12, the drug charity for which Brand is a patron.^[15] Russell Brand: Scandalous was released on DVD on 9 November 2009.

Presenting[link]

Brand's first presenting role came in 2000 as a video journalist on MTV. He presented Dancefloor Chart, touring nightclubs in Britain and Ibiza, and hosted the tea-time request show Select. However, Brand was fired after coming to work dressed as Osama bin Laden the day after the 11 September 2001 attacks and bringing his drug dealer to the MTV studios.^[16]

After leaving MTV, Brand starred in RE:Brand, a British documentary and comedy television programme that aimed to take a challenging look at cultural taboos. It was conceived, written, and hosted by Brand, with the help of his comic partner on many projects, Matt Morgan. The series was shown on the now-defunct digital satellite channel UK Play in 2002.

In 2004, he hosted Big Brother's Eforum on E4, a sister show to Big Brother 5. The show gave celebrity guests and the public the chance to have their say on the goings-on inside the Big Brother house. For Big Brother 6, the show's name changed to Big Brother's Big Mouth. Following Celebrity Big Brother 5, Brand said he would not return to host the Big Brother 8 series of Big Brother's Big Mouth. In a statement, Brand thanked all the producers for "taking the risk of employing an ex-junkie twerp" to front the show. Of his time presenting the show, he said, "The three years I've spent on Big Brother's Big Mouth have been an unprecedented joy".^[17]

Brand hosted a one-off special called Big Brother According to Russell Brand, in which Brand took a surreal, sideways look at Big Brother through the ages. On 8 January 2008, Brand was the fifth celebrity to "hijack" the Big Brother house,^[18] in the E4 show Big Brother: Celebrity Hijack. Brand next returned to MTV in the spring of 2006 as presenter of the chat show 1 Leicester Square, which initially aired at 8 pm on Sundays before being shifted to a post-watershed time of 10 pm on Mondays, allowing for a more adult-oriented theme. Guests have included Tom Cruise, Uma Thurman, The Mighty Boosh, and Boy George. A second series began in September 2006 on MTV UK. After Big Brother 7 finished, Brand presented a debate show called Russell Brand's Got Issues, on digital channel E4. The viewing figures for the first episode were seen as disappointing, being beaten by nearly all of E4's main multi-channel rivals despite a big publicity and promotional campaign for the show. The poor ratings prompted the network to repackage the show as The Russell Brand Show and move it to Channel 4.^[19] The first episode was broadcast on 24 November on Channel 4,^[20] and it ran for five weeks.

Brand presented the 2006 NME Awards. At the ceremony Bob Geldof, who was accepting an award from Brand, said at the podium, "Russell Brand – what a cunt", to which Brand replied, "Really it's no surprise [Geldof]'s such an expert on famine. He has after all been dining out on 'I Don't Like Mondays' for 30 years".^[21] Brand hosted the 2007 BRIT Awards and presented Oasis with an "Outstanding Contribution to Music" award at the event.^[22] He also hosted one hour of Comic Relief. On 7 July 2007, he presented at the UK leg of Live Earth at Wembley Stadium, London.

Brand speaking with Courtney Love in Los Angeles, 2008

On 12 December 2007, BBC Four aired Russell Brand On the Road, a documentary presented by Brand and Matt Morgan about the writer Jack Kerouac and his novel On the Road. Brand returned to Channel 4 to host Russell Brand's Ponderland, in which he discussed topics like childhood and science through stand-up comedy. The show first aired on 22 October 2007, and continued for the next five nights. A second series began on 30 October 2008, drawing more than a million viewers, and was broadcast every Thursday night for four weeks, plus a Christmas special that aired in December.

Brand was later announced as the host of the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards, which drew scepticism from the American media, as he was relatively unknown to the American public. Brand's stint as host of the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards was not without controversy.^[23] At one point, he said the night "marked the launch of a very new Britney Spears era", referring to it as "the resurrection of [Spears]". He also said, "If there was a female Christ, it's Britney".^[24] Brand implored the audience to elect Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama and later called then–U.S. President George W. Bush "a retarded cowboy fella", who, in England, "wouldn't be trusted with scissors".^[24][25] He made several references to the purity rings worn by the Jonas Brothers, but apologised for the comments later in the show.^[26] These comments led to Brand receiving death threats by some offended viewers.^[27] Brand claimed that MTV asked him to host the 2009 awards after the ratings for the 2008 show were 20% up from the previous year.^[28] Also in 2008 Brand hosted a one off stand up comedy show called Comedy Live Presents: Russell Brand and Friends shown on Channel 4 on 25 January 2008. Brand hosted the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards on 13 September 2009, at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.^[29][30] The ratings for the 2009 show were the best since the 2004 VMAs.^[31] On February 12, 2011, Brand guest hosted an episode of the hit American sketch comedy Saturday Night Live.

Acting[link]

In 2002, Brand appeared on the TV shows Cruise of the Gods and White Teeth. In 2005, he played Tommy in the BBC sitcom Blessed, which was written and directed by Young Ones creator Ben Elton. Brand auditioned for the part of Super Hans in the Channel 4 sitcom Peep Show; the role eventually went to Matt King.^[32]

In 2007, Brand appeared in Cold Blood for ITV, playing an ex-con called Ally. Brand played a recovering crack addict named Terry in the pilot for the ITV comedy The Abbey, written by Morwenna Banks.^[33]

He voiced an Earth Guardian in Robbie the Reindeer in Close Encounters of the Herd Kind.

Brand had a small role in the 2006 movie Penelope, though his first major film role was as Flash Harry in the 2007 film St Trinian's. He did not reprise the role for the sequel, St. Trinian's II: The Legend of Fritton's Gold.

He achieved American fame when he starred in the 2008 film Forgetting Sarah Marshall, in which he played Aldous Snow, the boyfriend of the title character (played by Kristen Bell). Brand received rave reviews for his performance as Snow, and he revealed the character was changed from an author to a rockstar because of his audition.^[34]

Brand starred alongside Adam Sandler in the Disney film Bedtime Stories, which was released on Christmas Day 2008.^[35]

He reprised the role of Aldous Snow for a buddy comedy titled Get Him to the Greek, co-starring Jonah Hill.^[36] He reunited with Forgetting Sarah Marshall director Nicholas Stoller and producer Judd Apatow for the film.^[36]

Brand had a role in Julie Taymor's version of William Shakespeare's The Tempest, as Trinculo.^[37][38][39]

In 2010, Brand voiced Dr. Nefario in the Universal movie Despicable Me,^[40] and is set to reprise the role in the sequel in 2013. Brand also guest starred in The Simpsons episode "Angry Dad: The Movie" as himself. Brand also starred in the 2011 live action/CGI animated film Hop, in which he voiced the film's main protagonist E.B. Hop opened at number one at the Friday box office in the US, earning $11.4 million.^[41] The same month, April 2011, he played the title character in a remake of Arthur,^[42] written by Peter Baynham.

Brand is set to star as Lonny in a movie adaption of 80s musical Rock Of Ages, which is to be released in cinemas in June 2012. His other upcoming projects include a remake of Drop Dead Fred.^[43] Brand will also appear in an Oliver Stone film.^[4] Sandler has cast Brand in another film and will produce yet another, co-written by Brand and Matt Morgan, about a con-man posing as a priest; it is tentatively titled Bad Father.^[44][45] and he is also set to star as Fred Mumford in a movie adaption of the hit 70s programme Rentaghost.

Brand has also set up his own production company with his friend Nik Linnen called 'Branded Films' and will be run from the Warner Bros studios in Burbank, California. It has been reported that the company is set up to primarily develop films for Brand himself to star in.^[46]

Radio[link]

Brand's radio career began in early 2002, when he hosted a Sunday afternoon show with Matt Morgan on London's Indie Rock station Xfm. Brand was fired from the job after reading pornographic material live on-air.^[47]

Brand co-hosted The Russell Brand Show beginning in April 2006 on BBC Radio 6 Music. In November 2006, the show transferred to BBC Radio 2 and aired on Saturdays from 9 – 11pm. The show regularly drew about 400,000 listeners.^[48] In an episode of the show broadcast on 18 October 2008, Brand and fellow Radio 2 DJ Jonathan Ross made a series of phone calls to actor Andrew Sachs that crudely discussed Sachs' granddaughter. Sunday tabloid The Mail on Sunday broke the story and regarded the phone calls as obscene. Both presenters were later suspended by the BBC due to the incident,^[49] and Brand resigned from his show.^[50][51] The BBC was later fined £150,000 by Britain's broadcast regulator for airing the calls.^[52]

Brand returned to radio when he and Noel Gallagher hosted a football talk show on 19 April 2009 for talkSPORT which led to a 250% boost in web traffic.^[53][54]

Brand returned to talkSPORT in 9 October 2010, with a Saturday night show that will last 20 weeks. The show will feature clips and back-stage recordings from his Booky Wook 2 promotional tour. Brand will be joined by a host of guests, including the likes of Noel Gallagher and Jonathan Ross.^[55]

Writings[link]

From May 2006 till May 2009, Brand wrote a column for The Guardian that focused on West Ham United and the England national football team. A collection of the columns from May 2006 through June 2007 was released on 15 November 2007 in a book titled Irons in the Fire.^[56] A second collection of the columns from June 2007 through May 2008 was released on 16 October 2008, titled Articles of Faith. The book also includes Brand interviewing Noel Gallagher, James Corden and David Baddiel about football.^[57]

Brand's autobiography, My Booky Wook, published by Hodder & Stoughton, was released on 15 November 2007 and received favourable reviews. The Observer commented that "Russell Brand's gleeful tale of drugs and debauchery in My Booky Wook puts most other celebrity memoirs to shame".^[58]

Brand signed a £1.8 million two-book deal with HarperCollins in June 2008. The first book was Articles of Faith, with the second being Booky Wook 2: This Time It's Personal released on 30 September 2010.^[59][60]

Following the 2011 London riots, Brand wrote a guest column in The Guardian, in which he criticised the Government's response to the rioters as failing to address the root causes.^[61]

Music[link]

Brand recorded a cover of The Beatles song "When I'm Sixty-Four" with composer David Arnold for the 40th anniversary of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. He contributed two songs to the soundtrack of the 2008 film Forgetting Sarah Marshall in which he appeared as Aldous Snow, lead singer of the fictional band Infant Sorrow.^[62] He reprised his role as Aldous Snow in Get Him to the Greek and recorded sixteen songs for the soundtrack.

Brand appeared on the 2010 version of 3 Lions alongside Robbie Williams.^[63] He also appeared in the music video to Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds's single AKA... What a Life! playing a drug pusher.

Personal life[link]

Russell Brand in April 2011

Katy Perry, Brand's ex-wife, in October 2011.

Brand lives in Los Angeles.^[64] He had been a vegetarian since the age of 14,^[65] and became a vegan on October 24, 2011.^[66] PETA named him 2011's Sexiest Vegetarian.^[67] He dresses in a flamboyant bohemian fashion, describing himself as looking like an "S&M Willy Wonka".^[68] He has bipolar disorder,^[69] has suffered from bulimia,^[65] and also went through a period of self-harming.^[70] Brand has shown interest in the Hare Krishna Movement and chants the Hare Krishna mantra for drug rehabilitation.^[71] During an interview with Ellen DeGeneres on her show in October 2010, Brand talked about his love of Transcendental Meditation.^[72][73]

Relationships[link]

After a string of high-profile relationships, Brand developed a reputation in the media as a ladies' man. His dating life won him The Sun's Shagger Of The Year award in 2006,^[74] 2007,^[75] and 2008. The award has been renamed "The Russell Brand Shagger of the Year Award" in honour of Brand having won three years in a row.^[76]

Brand first met American singer/songwriter Katy Perry in summer 2009 when Perry filmed a cameo for Brand's film Get Him to the Greek (although the cameo did not make it into the final cut of the film).^[77] Brand and Perry began dating after meeting again several months later in September 2009^[78] at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, where Brand, as host, remarked "Katy Perry didn't win an award and she's staying at the same hotel as me, so she's gonna need a shoulder to cry on. So in a way, I'm the real winner tonight." Perry says she threw a bottle of water at Brand to get his attention and then they went clubbing together the same night.^[79] The couple became engaged in December 2009 when Brand proposed to Perry while on a holiday in India.^[80][81][82] The couple married on 23 October 2010 in a traditional Hindu ceremony, near the Ranthambhore tiger sanctuary in Rajasthan, India, the same location where Brand proposed.^[83][84] After 14 months of marriage, Brand filed for divorce from Perry on 30 December 2011 in Los Angeles, citing irreconcilable differences.^[85][86] After Brand and Perry reached an agreement on financial issues, a judge granted the divorce request in February 2012; however the divorce will not become effective until July 2012 due to California law requiring a six-month wait.^[87]

Activism[link]

Brand and several other celebrities wrote to The Independent (as supporters of the Hoping Foundation) to condemn Israel's assault on Gaza, and the "cruel and massive loss of life of the citizens of Gaza".^[88] In February 2009, Brand and several other entertainers wrote to The Times defending Bahá'í leaders then on trial in Iran.^[89] In April 2009, he attended the 2009 G-20 London summit protests and spoke to the press.^[90][91]

Substance abuse and legal issues[link]

Brand is a former heroin and sex addict and a recovering alcoholic. He has had numerous run-ins with the police, having been arrested 12 times.^[92][93] Brand was ejected from the Gilded Balloon in Edinburgh,^[94] and he infamously introduced his drug dealer to Kylie Minogue during his time at MTV.^[95] He has abstained from drug use since 2002 and is now a patron of the addiction charity Focus 12.^[96] His abandonment of drugs and alcohol was instigated by his agent, John Noel, after Brand was caught taking heroin in a bathroom during his Christmas party. Brand regularly attends AA and NA meetings^[97] and cites his practice of Transcendental Meditation as a significant factor in his recovery from drug addiction.^[98]

On 16 September 2010, Brand was arrested on suspected battery charges after he allegedly attacked a paparazzo who blocked his and then-fiancé Katy Perry's way to catch a flight at the Los Angeles International Airport.^[99][100] On 17 September 2010, he was released from custody after posting $20,000 bail. Footage of the incident was later sent to TMZ.^[101] Perry later defended Brand's actions, and offered an insight into the reasons for his outburst, posting on Twitter that, "If you cross the line & try and put a lens up my dress, my fiancé will do his job & protect me."^[102]

Brand was deported from Japan on 22 May 2011 when he arrived with Perry to perform her California Dreams tour. The deportation was because of his criminal record.^[92]

On March 15, 2012, an arrest warrant was issued for Brand in New Orleans after allegations that he had grabbed a photographer's mobile phone and threw it through a window. The paparazzo was taking pictures of him with an iPhone, when Brand wrestled it from him and tossed it into a law firm's window. The warrant was for "simple criminal damage to property". He turned himself in to the police, and also offered to reimburse the replacement of the window. Brand was in New Orleans, filming the movie Lamb of God.^[103]

Filmography[link]

Television[link]

Awards[link]

Stand-up DVDs[link]

• Live (20 November 2006)
• Doing Life – Live (26 November 2007)
• Scandalous – Live At The O2 (9 November 2009)
• Live in New York City (21 November 2011)

References[link]