Dexter Fletcher

Dexter Fletcher (born 31 January 1966) is an English film director and actor. He has appeared in Guy Ritchie's Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, as well as in television shows such as the comedy drama Hotel Babylon and the HBO series Band of Brothers and, earlier in his career, starred as Spike Thomson in the comedy drama Press Gang. His earliest acting role was playing Baby Face in the 1976 film Bugsy Malone.

Dexter Fletcher
Fletcher in 2019
Born (1966-01-31) 31 January 1966
Occupations
  • Film director
  • actor
Years active1976–present
Spouse
(m. 1997)

Fletcher made his directorial debut with Wild Bill (2011), and also directed Sunshine on Leith (2013) and Eddie the Eagle (2015). He replaced Bryan Singer as director of Bohemian Rhapsody, a biopic about the band Queen, released in October 2018; due to DGA rules, he received executive producer credit. In 2019, he directed Rocketman, a biographical film based on the life and music of performer Elton John.

Career

Fletcher trained at the Anna Scher Theatre.[1] His first film part was as Baby Face in Bugsy Malone (1976). He made his stage début the following year in a production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. As a youth actor he was regularly featured in British productions in the early 1980s, including The Long Good Friday, The Elephant Man and The Bounty. In 1987 Fletcher was cast in Lionheart. As an adult he appeared on television as the rebellious teenager Spike Thomson in Press Gang and in Murder Most Horrid (1991) with Dawn French. He has also starred in the films Caravaggio (1986), The Rachel Papers (1989), Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998), Layer Cake (2004), AffirmFilm's Solomon as Rehoboam and Universal's Doom.[2]

On television Fletcher has appeared in the major HBO drama, Band of Brothers and in a supporting role in the BBC One historical drama The Virgin Queen (US PBS 2005, UK 2006). He also appeared in Kylie Minogue's music video for "Some Kind of Bliss" (1997). He starred on BBC One in a series based on Imogen Edwards-Jones's book Hotel Babylon that ran for four series before being cancelled in 2009.[1] He also appeared in "The Booby and the Beast", an episode in the second series of the BBC's series Robin Hood and in the 2008 radio series The Way We Live Right Now. He appeared in the Bo' Selecta! spinoff A Bear's Tail as The Scriptwriter. He played a brief role in the BBC series New Tricks, in the episode "Final Curtain", as an actor named Tommy Jackson. In 2009, he also appeared in Misfits as Nathan Young's dad, reprising the role in 2010 for the second series.

Fletcher has been the voice for McDonald's television adverts and (feigning a US accent) is the narrator of The Game audio book written by Neil Strauss. He also narrated the Five series Airforce Afghanistan, as well as the Chop Shop: London Garage series on the Discovery Channel. In 1993, he was the voice of Prince Cinders in the short animated comedy of the same name. Also in 1993, he was the uncredited UNIT soldier narrator of the UNIT Recruiting Film – a five-minute spoof piece that preceded a BBC1 repeat of the sixth and final episode of Doctor Who story Planet of the Daleks.[3] In 2014 he narrated the BBC1 show Del Boys and Dealers. In 1998, Fletcher featured on the song "Here Comes the Flood" from the album Fin de Siecle by The Divine Comedy.

Directing

Fletcher's debut as a director for a script he co-wrote, Wild Bill,[4] which was released on 20 March 2012. His second film as director is a musical film by Stephen Greenhorn, Sunshine on Leith based around the popular Proclaimers songs which were released on 4 October 2013.[5] In 2015, he directed the feature film Eddie the Eagle. In December 2017, Fletcher was announced as Bryan Singer's replacement director on the Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody. The film was released in November 2018. While Fletcher had helped finish the film, Singer received sole directing credit and he received executive producer credit.[6] Fletcher directed the 2019 biopic Rocketman about the life of Elton John. In February 2020, he signed on to direct a reboot of The Saint for Paramount Pictures.[7] He also directed the Apple TV+ feature film Ghosted, which was released in April 2023.[8][9]

Personal life

Fletcher was born in Enfield, the youngest of three boys, in North London, and grew up with his brothers in Woodford Green and Palmers Green; his parents were teachers.[10]

In 1997 he married Lithuanian film and theatre director Dalia Ibelhauptaitė in Westminster.[11] His best man was fellow actor Alan Rickman.[1] Dexter's brothers were also actors; Graham Fletcher-Cook[12] and Steve Fletcher.[13] Fletcher is a dual British and Lithuanian citizen, having been granted Lithuanian citizenship in recognition of his work promoting Lithuanian cultural affairs.[14]

Filmography

Acting credits

Key
Denotes works that have not yet been released
Films
Year Title Role Notes
1976Bugsy MaloneBabyface
1979The Long Good FridayThe boy who asks for money to watch Harold's car
1980The Elephant ManByte's Boy
1984The BountyAble Seaman Thomas Ellison
1985RevolutionNed Dobb
1986CaravaggioYoung Caravaggio
1988Didn't You Kill My Brother?Bike thief
The Raggedy RawneyTom
1989The Rachel PapersCharles Highway
Twisted ObsessionMalcolm Greene
1991All OutAngelo
1993Prince CindersPrince Cinders
1996JudePriest
1997The Man Who Knew Too LittleOtto
1998Lock, Stock and Two Smoking BarrelsSoap
1999Topsy-TurvyLouis
Tube TalesJoeSegment: Mr Cool
2000The PatriotCornwallis' tailor/valet
2002BelowKingsley
2003StanderLee McCall
2004The Secret of Year SixMike
Layer CakeCody
2005DoomMarcus "Pinky" Pinzerowski
2006Tristan & IsoldeOrick
2007StardustSkinny Pirate
2008AutumnMichael
2010Kick-AssCody
AmayaFrenchman
Dead CertEddie Christian
2011Jack FallsDetective Edwards
FedzHunter
The Three MusketeersD'Artagnan's father
Wild BillMysterious Barry
2012CovenMr. Sheers
St George's DayLevi
2014Muppets Most WantedCameo; deleted scenes
Respectable: The Mary Millington StoryNarrator
2016 Smoking Guns Paul McVeigh
2018 TerminalVince
Sherlock Gnomes Reggie Voice role
2023 Ghosted Raoul
2023 Love at First SightVal
Television
Year Title Role Notes
1978Les MiserablesGavrocheTV film
1989Press GangJames (Spike) Thomson
The BillTony GillespieEpisode: "The Strong Survive"
1993-1994GamesMasterPresenterSeason 3
1997The Famous FiveLou
SolomonRehoboam
2001Band of BrothersJohn Martin
2003The DealCharlie WhelanTV film
2004The Virgin Queen Thomas Radclyffe, 3rd Earl of Sussex
2006–2009Hotel BabylonTony Casemore32 episodes
2007Robin HoodCount Friedrich1 episode
2008New TricksTommy JacksonEpisode: "Final Curtain"
2009MisfitsMike Young
2011White Van ManIan
2013Death in ParadiseGrant, The Cabin Barman
2014Rev.Mike TobinEpisode: 3.3
Mount PleasantGus
2020I Hate SuzieBenjamin

Filmmaking credits

Year Title Director Executive
producer
Writer Notes
1999 Let the Good Times Roll No No Yes Short film
2010 Just for the Record No Yes No
Dead Cert No Yes No
2011 Wild Bill Yes No Yes
2013 Sunshine on Leith Yes No No
2015 Eddie the Eagle Yes No No
2018 Bohemian Rhapsody No Yes No Replaced Bryan Singer as director for the final two weeks of filming;
Received credit as executive producer in accordance with DGA rules
2019 Rocketman Yes No No
2022 The Offer Yes Yes No Directed 2 episodes
2023 Ghosted Yes No No
TBA Fountain Of Youth Yes No No [15]

References

Bibliography

  • Holmstrom, John. The Moving Picture Boy: An International Encyclopaedia from 1895 to 1995. Norwich, Michael Russell, 1996, pp. 358–360.
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