Brian Bovell (born 26 October 1959) is an English theatre, television and film actor. His roles include Rob Thatcher in The Bill, Bishop John Thornber in Coronation Street, Leo Valentine in the soap opera Hollyoaks.
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Background
Brian Bovell was an actor in Black Theatre when he appeared in the film, Babylon. As a theatrical actor, he won the Critics Circle Theatre Award for Best Supporting Actor for his part in Where is the Darkness.
Since 1986, he has played three characters in Casualty, and four characters in Doctors.
Bovell was a Celebrity MasterChef semi-finalist in 2017.
Career
1980s
Bovell played the part of Spark in the 1980 film, Babylon, which is about Jamaican life in Brixton.
Bovell played the character of Nat west in the 1981/82 film, Burning an Illusion which was directed by Menelik Shabazz.
Acting alongside Gary Olsen, Bovell co-starred in the television series Prospects, a twelve-episode comedy drama, directed by Alan Janes which began in 1986. Olsen was cast as Pincy and Bovell was cast as Billy, two East Londoners who were living on the breadline and always on the lookout to make a quid.
Acting alongside Kate Hardie, Kevin McNally, and Nicky Henson, Bovell played the role of late-night deejay Joe Jeffries in the 1988 Antonia Bird directed miniseries Thin Air.
1990s
Bovell played the role of Sammy Dean, the central character in the Lesley Manning directed 1990 serial, Blood Rights. Sammy Dean, a journalist who has become a detective, is hired by the wife of a conservative MP to find their missing daughter.
Bovell had a recurring role as PC Charlie Webb in the television series, The Chief. Bovell also appeared in the 1995 series Welcome II the Terrordome.
He acted in the 1996 film, Playing Away which was directed by Horace Ové.
Bovell played Antonio in the BBC Radio version of William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night which was directed by Eoin O’Callaghan. It was broadcast on BBC Radio 3, on 7 May 1998 at 7:30 pm.
2000s – 2020s
In 2003, Bovell joined the cast of The Bill as DC Rob Thatcher. He appeared in fifty-seven episodes until his character was killed off in December 2004.
Bovell played the part of Carl Glenn in the television film, McCready and Daughter.
Appearing in Thirteen Steps Down, Bovell guest starred as Tom Akwaa in two episodes that were aired in August 2012.
Bovell played Corporal Marcus Blake in the 2014 play Kingston 14 that was directed by Clint Dyer.
In 2015, Bovell played the part of Ray Wilton in Unforgotten. His role as the bereaved father, who along with his wife Beth cope with their loss by doing community work with troubled teens in their area. Along with Peter Egan, Tom Courtenay, Trevor Eve, Gemma Jones and Ruth Sheen, he was referred to by Hollywood Soapbox as one of the real who’s who of British TV and theatre actors.
From 2016, Bovell played the role of Bishop John Thornber on Coronation Street. Also starting in 2016, Bovell appeared in about 24 episodes as the football coach Mr. Hansard in the series, Jamie Johnson.
Bovell had the recurring role of Solomon in the 2020s series Miss Scarlett.