Adrian Lester facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Adrian Lester CBE
Born	Anthony Harvey August 14, 1968 (age 56) Birmingham, England
Alma mater	Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1987–present
Spouse(s)	Lolita Chakrabarti ​ (m. 1997)​
Children	2
Relatives	Reeta Chakrabarti (sister-in-law)

Adrian Anthony Lester (born Anthony Harvey on August 14, 1968) is a talented British actor. He has won many important awards for his acting on stage in London, like the Laurence Olivier Award. He was also nominated for a Tony Award, which is a very big award for theatre in America.

Adrian Lester's Early Life

Adrian Lester was born in Birmingham, England. His parents came from Jamaica. His mother, Monica, worked as a medical secretary, and his father, Reginald, managed a cleaning company.

When Adrian was nine, he started singing in the choir at St Chad's Cathedral, Birmingham. At 14, he began acting with the Birmingham Youth Theatre. After finishing school, he trained for three years at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London. RADA is a famous school for actors.

Adrian Lester's Acting Career

Adrian Lester has had a busy career in theatre, television, and film. He is known for playing many different types of characters.

Theatre Performances

Adrian Lester has performed in many plays. In 1991, he won an award for playing Rosalind in As You Like It. This was a special production where all the actors were men. In 1995, he won an Olivier Award for his role as Robert in the musical Company. He also played the main character in Hamlet.

In 2003, he starred as the king in Henry V at the National Theatre. In 2010, he played Brick in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.

In 2012, Adrian acted in a play called Red Velvet. This play was written by his wife, Lolita Chakrabarti. He played Ira Aldridge, a famous Black American actor.

In 2013, he played Othello in the Shakespeare play of the same name. He shared the Best Actor award at the Evening Standard Theatre Awards with Rory Kinnear, who played Iago. The judges couldn't pick just one winner!

In 2021, he performed in Hymn, another play written by his wife, Lolita Chakrabarti. He also made his first appearance on Broadway (New York's famous theatre district) in The Lehman Trilogy. This role earned him a nomination for a Tony Award.

Television Roles

Adrian Lester is well-known for his television work. From 2004 to 2012, he played Michael "Mickey Bricks" Stone, a clever con artist, in the BBC series Hustle.

He also appeared in the American sitcom Girlfriends from 2002 to 2003. In 2009, he played Myror in an episode of the fantasy show Merlin.

In 2024, Netflix announced that Adrian Lester will play Destiny of the Endless in the second season of The Sandman.

Film Appearances

Adrian Lester has also acted in several movies. In 1998, he played Henry Burton in the film Primary Colors. This role earned him a nomination for "Most Promising Actor."

He was in Kenneth Branagh's musical film Love's Labour's Lost (2000). He also had a small but memorable role in the disaster movie The Day After Tomorrow (2004).

Adrian filmed scenes for Spider-Man 3 (2007), but his parts were cut from the final movie.

Other Work

In 2010, Adrian Lester appeared in a documentary called When Romeo Met Juliet. He and his wife helped students from two schools put on a production of Romeo and Juliet. He also recorded an audio book called Alpha Force: Survival.

Adrian Lester's Personal Life

In 1997, Adrian Lester married actress and writer Lolita Chakrabarti. They met while they were both studying at RADA. They live in London and have two daughters.

In 2007, Adrian took part in a documentary called Empire's Children. This show explored the journey of the "Windrush Generation" who came to the United Kingdom from the Caribbean.

Adrian Lester is also a skilled martial artist. He holds a 4th Dan black belt in Moo Duk Kwan Taekwondo.

Filmography

Here are some of the films and TV shows Adrian Lester has been in:

Film Roles

• Primary Colors (1998) as Henry Burton
• Love's Labour's Lost (2000) as Dumaine
• The Day After Tomorrow (2004) as Simon
• Spider-Man 3 (2007) as Dr. Phil Wallace (scenes deleted)
• Doomsday (2008) as Sergeant Norton
• Mary Queen of Scots (2018) as Lord Randolph

Television Roles

• Silent Witness (1997) as Danny Thomas
• Girlfriends (2002–2003) as Ellis Carter
• Hustle (2004–2012) as Mickey Stone
• Merlin (2009) as Myror
• Undercover (2016) as Nick Johnson
• Riviera (2017) as Robert Carver
• The Rook (2019) as Conrad Grantchester
• Life (2020) as David Aston
• Trigger Point (2022) as Joel Nutkins
• The Undeclared War (2022) as Andrew Makinde
• Renegade Nell (2024) as Earl of Poynton
• The Sandman (TBA) as Destiny

Awards and Honours

Adrian Lester has received several awards and special recognitions for his acting.

He was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2013 and a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2020. These are special honours given by the British monarch for great achievements.

He has also received honorary degrees from several universities, including the University of Warwick and the University of Birmingham.

Images for kids

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  Adrian Lester

See also

In Spanish: Adrian Lester para niños