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Notable alumni

One of the UK's leading acting schools, East 15 has been training actors, directors, producers and theatre technicians for stage, TV, film and radio for more than 40 years.

In alphabetical order, notable alumni of East 15 include:

Peter Armitage
Peter Armitage is perhaps best known as Bill Webster in the long-running Granada Television soap opera, Coronation Street. His TV credits also include roles in Casualty (BBC Television), The Royal (ITV), Holby City (BBC Television), Fat Friends (Rollem Productions), Heartbeat (Yorkshire Television), Peak Practice (ITV), The Bill (Thames Television), Emmerdale (Yorkshire Television), GBH (Channel 4) and Lovejoy (BBC Television).

Annette Badland
Annette Badland has had numerous TV roles which include frightening young children as leader of the Slitheen in the 2005 BBC Television series of Doctor Who and as Brawdie Henshall in Cutting It (BBC Television. She has also starred in Casanova (BBC Television), The Mayor of Casterbridge (A&E Television Networks), Bad Girls (Shed Productions), Coronation Street (Granada Television), The Demon Headmaster (BBC Television), The Queen's Nose (Film and General Productions Limited), Jackanory (BBC Television), Casualty (BBC Television), 2point4 Children (BBC Television) and Bergerac (BBC Television). Her film credits include appearing as Sadie in Little Voice (Scala Productions, directed by Mark Herman) and as a Jolly Woman in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Warner Bros Pictures, directed by Tim Burton).

Marji Campi
Marji Campi is best known for her role in Mersey Television's Brookside as Jessie Hilton and in Granada Television's Surgical Spirit as Joyce Watson. She has also starred in EastEnders (BBC Television), Casualty (BBC Television), Heartbeat (Yorkshire Television), Where The Heart Is (Meridian Broadcasting Limited), The Bill (Thames Television), Coronation Street (Granada Television) and Z Cars (BBC).

Phil Cornwell
Phil Cornwell is a comedy actor and impressionist who has co-written and performed roles The Glam Metal Detectives (BBC Television) and Stella Street (BBC Television), although he is also well known from his role as Dave Clifton on I'm Alan Partridge (BBC Television). He has also appeared in Dead Ringers (BBC), Holby City (BBC Television), Clocking Off (Red Production Company), The Bill (Thames Television) and various films for The Comic Strip Presents (Channel 4), as well as providing the voice of Murdoc Niccals for the animated band Gorillaz.

Stephen Daldry
Stephen Daldry is a director whose debut movie, Billy Elliot,t was nominated for three Academy Awards and twelve BAFTAs. His follow up film, The Hours, was nominated for nine Academy Awards and ten BAFTAs, winning star Nicole Kidman an Oscar and a BAFTA for Best Actress. He has also been artistic director of The Gate and The Royal Court.

April De Angelis
April De Angleis is a playwright whose work includes Catch (Royal Court Theatre), Wild East (Royal Court Theatre), Headstrong (Royal National Theatre), A Warwickshire Testimony (Royal Shakespeare Company), The Positive Hour (Out Of Joint Theatre Company/Hampstead Theatre), Hush (Royal Court Theatre) and Breathless, which was a prize winner at the 1987 Second Wave Young Women's Writing Festival.

Janine Duvitski
Janine Duvitski is a familiar face from her role as put-upon neighbour Pippa Trench in One Foot in the Grave (BBC Television) although she has also starred in Benidorm (Tiger Aspect Productions), The Worst Week of My Life (Hat Trick Productions), Trial and Retribution VIII (La Plante Productions), Foyle's War (Greenlit Productions Limited), Doctors (BBC Television), My Family (DLT Entertainment Ltd), Midsomer Murders (Bentley Productions), Waiting for God (BBC) and Citizen Smith (BBC). Her film career includes playing Caroline from SPAT in the Hugh Grant comedy About A Boy (Working Title Films, Chris Weitz and Paul Weitz).

Peter Elliot
Peter Elliot is a specialist in gorilla performances and has worked on the films Congo (The Kennedy/Marshall Company, Frank Marshall), Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan (Edgar Rice Burroughs Inc, Hugh Hudson), King Kong Lives (DEG, John Guillermin) and Gorillas in the Mist (The Guber-Peters Company, Michael Apted).

Alan Ford
Alan Ford is well known for his Cockney mobster roles in the films Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (HandMade Films, Guy Ritchie) and Snatch (Columbia Pictures Corporation, Guy Ritchie). He has had small parts in the films The Long Good Friday (British Lion Film Corporation, John Mackenzie) and An American Werewolf in London (American Werewolf Inc, John Landis), as well as TV roles in programmes like The Bill (Thames Television), Waking The Dead (BBC Television), Murder Most Horrid (TalkBack Productions), Minder (Euston Films), The Darling Buds of May (Excelsior), Grange Hill (BBC Television) and Birds of a Feather (Alomo Productions).

Richard Graham
Richard Graham's film career includes roles in Vera Drake (Les Films Alain Sarde, Mike Leigh), Gangs of New York (Miramax Films, Martin Scorsese), 24 Hours in London (One World Films, Alexander Finbow), Titanic (Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, James Cameron) and In The Name Of The Father (Hell's Kitchen Films, Jim Sheridan). He has also had parts on TV programmes like Doctors (BBC Television), Holby City (BBC Television), Down to Earth (Whistling Gypsy Productions), Rockface (BBC Television), Silent Witness (BBC Television), Bravo Two Zero (BBC Television), A Touch of Frost (Excelsior), Inspector Morse (Carlton UK Productions) and Boon (Central Independent Television).

Robert Gwilym
Robert Gwilym will be familiar to many from his long standing roles as Lt Col Nick Hammond in Soldier Soldier (Central Television), as consultant Max Gallagher in Casualty (BBC Television) and as sinister Hugh Wallis in The Bill (Thames Television). He has also appeared on TV programmes like Doctors (BBC Television), Taggart (Scottish Television Enterprises), Coronation Street (Granada Television), Lovejoy (BBC Television) and The Professionals (LWT). His stage work includes almost thirty productions with the Glasgow Citizens' Theatre Company and a short season at The Greenwich Theatre in London, as well as performances in Antigone (Bristol Old Vic), A View from the Bridge (tour) and The Sorcerer in the 2005 Christmas production of Philip Pullman's Aladdin (Bristol Old Vic).

Andy Lucas
Andy Lucas has starred in films like AVP: Alien vs Predator (Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, Paul WS Anderson) and Sexy Beast (FilmFour, Jonathan Glazer), while his TV career includes roles in The Bill (Thames Television), Judge John Deed (BBC Television), Hotel Babylon (Carnival Films), Casualty (BBC Television), Spaced (Paramount Comedy Channel), Bugs (Carnival Films), Lovejoy (BBC Television), Soldier Soldier (Central Television) and Eldorado (Cinema Variety).

John Lyons
John Lyons will be known to fans of A Touch of Frost (Excelsior) in which he plays DS Toolan alongside David Jason as DI Frost. He has also appeared on TV in programmes including Doctors (BBC Television), The Bill (Thames Television) and George and Mildred (Thames Television), although he is now appearing on stage in The Mousetrap (St Martins Theatre, London).

John McArdle
John McArdle rose to fame as Billy Corkhill in Brookside (Mersey Television) and starred as Jim Oulton in four series of Merseybeat (BBC Television). Further TV credits include roles in Mobile (ITV Productions), Foyle's War (Greenlit Productions Ltd), The Bill (Thames Television), Heartbeat (Yorkshire Television), Holby City (BBC Television), Casualty (BBC Television), Dalziel and Pascoe (BBC Television), The Cazalets (BBC), Where The Heart Is (Meridian Broadcasting Limited), Peak Practice (Central Independent Television) and Wycliffe (Harlech Television).

Sandy McDade
Sandy McDade has appeared in the films Mrs Henderson Presents (BBC Television, Stephen Frears) and Restoration (Avenue Picture Productions, Michael Hoffman). Her TV career includes roles in Silent Witness (BBC Television), Secret Smile (Canada TV), Down To Earth (Whistling Gypsy Productions), A Touch of Frost (Excelsior), My Uncle Silas (Yorkshire Television), Holby City (BBC Television), The Bill (Thames Television), Taggart (Scottish Television Enterprises) and Hamish Macbeth (BBC Television). She was awarded the 2003 London Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Actress for her performance in Iron (Royal Court Theatre Downstairs).

Ann Mitchell
Ann Mitchell was the first student to receive a scholarship to study at East 15 and is now well known for her TV roles as the lead Dolly Rawlins in Lynda La Plante's Widows (Euston Films) and She's Out (Carlton Television), for which she received the PYE Television Award for the female who made the greatest impact on television. She has also had parts in EastEnders (BBC Television), The Bill (Thames Television), Kavanagh QC (Carlton Television), Maigret (Granada Television), Taggart (Scottish Television Enterprises), Bergerac (7 Network) and Upstairs, Downstairs (LWT). Just some of her theatre credits include Angels in America (UK tour, Daniel Kramer), Big Love (The Gate Theatre, Melissa Keivman), Whose Life is it Anyway? (The Comedy Theatre, Sir Peter Hall), Through the Leaves (Duchess Theatre, Daniel Kramer) for which she was nominated for Best Actress in the Laurence Olivier Awards and Best Actress for the Evening Standard Drama Awards, Tantalus (Royal Shakespeare Company, Sir Peter Hall and Edward Hall), Hamlet (The Citizen's Theatre, Phillip Prowse) and Hecuba (The Gate Theatre, Laurence Boswell) for which she was awarded Performance of the Year by the Independent on Sunday. She has also performed in many radio productions including Drama (BBC World Service, Marion Nancarrow), Blame (BBC Radio 4, Toby Swift) and The Good Shop Esperanza (BBC Radio 4, Jeremy Mortimer).

Billy Murray
Billy Murray is best known for his roles as Johnny Allen in EastEnders (BBC Television) and as DS Don Beech in The Bill (Thames Television) and Beech is Back (Pearson Television Productions Limited). Further TV parts include Doctors (BBC Television), A Touch of Frost (Excelsior), Kissing the Gunner's Daughter (TVS Television), Minder (Euston Films), Dempsey and Makepeace (Golden Eagle Films) and The Professionals (LWT). His film career includes performances in Essex Boys (Granada Film Productions, Terry Winsor) and Buddy's Song (Buddy Productions Ltd, Claude Whatham).

Derrick O'Connor
Derrick O'Connor's extensive film career includes parts in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (Jerry Bruckheimer Films, Gore Verbenski), Daredevil (Marvel Enterprises, Mark Steven Johnson), End of Days (Beacon Communications, Peter Hyams), Deep Rising (Calamari Pictures Inc, Stephen Sommers), How to Make an American Quilt (Amblin Entertainment, Jocelyn Moorhouse), Lethal Weapon 2 (Silver Pictures, Richard Donner), Hope and Glory (Columbia Pictures Corporation, John Boorman) and Brazil (Embassy International Pictures, Terry Gilliam). He has also appeared on TV in English and American programmes like The Royal (Yorkshire Television), Alias (Touchstone Television), Murder She Wrote (Corymore Productions) and Robin of Sherwood (Goldcrest Films International). He is a former member of the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Scottish National Theatre, with many leading stage performances in Edinburgh, Stratford-upon-Avon and London's West End to his name.

George Rossi
George Rossi will be recognised by fans of The Bill (Thames Television) as he played DC Duncan Lennox for ten years in the programme. Further TV roles include parts in Hotel Babylon (Carnival Films), Holby City (BBC Television), Trial and Retribution (La Plante Productions), Taggart (Scottish Television Enterprises), Bugs (Carnival Films), Poirot (Carnival Films) and Boon (Central Independent Television). He also starred in the film In Love and War (Dimitri Villard Productions, Richard Attenborough).

Tony Scannell
Tony Scannell is a familiar face due to his long running part as DS Roach in The Bill (Thames Television). He has also appeared on TV in programme like Waking the Dead (BBC Television), The Things You Do For Love (Granada Productions) and Family Affairs (Fremantle Media).

Ruth Sheen
Ruth Sheen's TV roles include Nurse Ethel Carr in Bramwell (Whitby Davison Productions Ltd), as well as parts in Fanny Hill (Sally Head Productions), Vital Signs (Tiger Aspect Productions), The English Harem (Feelgood Fiction), Doc Martin (Buffalo Pictures), The Bill (Thames Television), Miss Marple (ITV), Lorna Doone (A&E Television Networks) and Cracker (A&E Television Networks). She has also starred in the films Vanity Fair (Focus Features, Mira Nair) and Vera Drake (Les Films Alain Sarde, Mike Leigh).

Alison Steadman
Alison Steadman is a recognisable face from stage and screen, and particularly well known for playing the lead in Abigail's Party on stage (for which she won the London Evening Standard Theatre Award in 1977) and in the definitive TV version. She also won an Olivier Award in 1992 for The Rise and Fall of Little Voice and has appeared on stage in various plays like The Memory of Water (Vaudeville Theatre) for which she was nominated for a Olivier Award, Entertaining Mr Sloane, The Woman Who Cooked Her Husband and Kafka's Dick, for which she won a Best Supporting Actress Award from the London Critics Circle Theatre. Her TV credits include roles in Gavin and Stacey (Baby Cow Productions), The Worst Week of My Life (Hat Trick Productions), Fat Friends (Rollem Productions), Karaoke (BBC Television), Pride and Prejudice (A&E Television Networks) and The Wimbledon Poisoner (ABTV). Her film career includes Confetti (Confetti Productions Ltd, Debbie Isitt), The Life and Death of Peter Sellers (HD Vision Studios, Stephen Hopkins), Topsy-Turvy (Goldwyn Films, Mike Leigh), Secrets and Lies (Channel Four Films, Mike Leigh), Blame it on the Bellboy (Bellboy Films Limited, Mark Herman) and Shirley Vallentine (Paramount Pictures, Lewis Gilbert).

Tim Stern
Tim Stern's TV career includes roles in Holby City (BBC Television), Miss Marple (Chorion), Dirty Filthy Love (Granada Television), My Uncle Silas (Yorkshire Television), Goodnight Sweetheart (Alomo Productions), Soldier Soldier (Central Independent Television), The Ruth Rendell Mysteries (Blue Heaven Productions), Heartbeat (Yorkshire Television) and Shine on Harvey Moon (Central Independent Television).

Gwen Taylor
Gwen Taylor appeared as Mrs Big Nose in the Monty Python film The Life of Brian (HandMade Films, Terry Jones) but is also a recognisable face from TV, starring as the lead in comedy series like Barbara (Carlton Television) and Conjugal Rites (Granada). In addition she has appeared in numerous other programmes like Heartbeat (Yorkshire Television), Fat Friends (Rollem Productions), Born and Bred (BBC Television), Midsomer Murders (Bentley Productions), Holby City (BBC Television), Wycliffe (Harlech Television), A Perfect State (Cinema Verity), A Bit of a Do (Yorkshire Television), Yes, Prime Minister (BBC Television) and Duty Free (Yorkshire Television).

Oliver Tobias
Oliver Tobias has appeared in a number of West End productions, including Hair, A Man of No Importance, LA Cava, Pirates of Penzance and Jesus Christ Superstar.

Kate Williams
Kate Williams has starred in a number of TV shows, appearing as Myra Costello in Family Affairs (Fremantle Media) and recently as Liz Turner in EastEnders (BBC Television). She has also starred in In Deep (BBC Television), Silent Witness (BBC Television), The Bill (Thames Television), Time After Time (London Weekend Television), May to December (BBC Television), Lovejoy (McShane Productions), Only Fools and Horses (BBC Television), Just Good Friends (BBC Television), Minder (Euston Films) and Love Thy Neighbour (Thames Television). She was also Jimmy's mother, Mrs Cooper, in the film Quadrophenia (The Who Films, Franc Roddam).

David Yip
Daivd Yip's film career includes parts in Entrapment (Fountainbridge Films, John Amiel), Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet (Castle Rock Entertainment) and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (Lucasfilm, Steven Spielberg). On television he has appeared in Liverpool Nativity (BBC Television), Casualty (BBC Television), The Bill (Thames Television), Bugs (Carnival Films), Brookside (Mersey Television) and Doctor Who (BBC Television).

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