Christopher Simpson (actor) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Christopher Simpson
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Born | 1975 (age 49–50) Dublin, Republic of Ireland
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Nationality | Irish |
Occupation |
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Years active | 2002–present |
Musical career | |
Origin | London, England |
Genres | |
Instruments | Vocals |
Years active | 2008–2009 |
Christopher Simpson, born in 1975, is an actor from Ireland. He is also a singer and songwriter. You might know him from the movie Brick Lane, where he played the main character, Karim. Christopher has also narrated many audiobooks.
Contents
Early Life and Family Roots
Christopher Simpson was born in Dublin, Ireland. His dad is Irish, and his mom had roots in Greece and Rwanda. His parents met in Rwanda when his dad was training to be a teacher.
When Christopher was a kid, he visited Rwanda with his mom. His mom's first language was Kinyarwanda, which is spoken in Rwanda.
Christopher lived in Dublin until he was six years old. After his parents separated, he moved to London, England, with his mom and sister, Fiona. He has lived in London ever since.
When he was in primary school, Christopher started taking drama classes. He joined an amateur acting club on Thursday evenings. This was his first step into the world of acting.
Christopher Simpson's Acting Career
Christopher Simpson has played many different characters. Interestingly, he has often been chosen for roles that are from South Asia, even though his family background is a mix of European and African.
In 2002, he played twin brothers, Magid and Millat, in the TV show White Teeth. The next year, in 2003, he starred in Second Generation and appeared in State of Play.
He also had a supporting role in the movie Code 46 in 2003. In 2004, he played Hassan Sabbah in The Keeper: The Legend of Omar Khayyam. He was in Chromophobia in 2005 and Mischief Night in 2006.
In 2007, Christopher took on the lead role of Karim in the film Brick Lane. He had only one week to learn this important part! That same year, he also had a supporting role in a movie called Exitz.
In 2008, Christopher was chosen to be a jury member for the British Independent Film Awards. This shows how respected he is in the film industry.
Christopher has also acted on stage. In 2006, he played Dionysus in a play called The Bacchae of Baghdad at the Abbey Theatre. In 2011, he performed in two plays at the Bush Theatre: The Knowledge and Little Platoons. In 2016, he played Sebastian in a play called Brideshead Revisited, which toured the UK.
Christopher Simpson's Music Career
In 2008, Christopher Simpson created a special collection of songs called Very Present Tense. He wrote these songs over several years to help him deal with the loss of his mother.
The songs in Very Present Tense mix different music styles. These include blues, jazz, and Rwandan folk. This mix of styles reflects his family's heritage from both Rwanda and Ireland. He worked with composer Tom Havelock to develop the album.
The song collection was first performed on August 8, 2008, at the Edge Hill Station in Liverpool. This was part of the Liverpool European Capital of Culture event. He performed the work again in 2009 at the Village Green Festival. After these performances, Christopher worked on recording the songs for the album.
Other Interesting Work
In 2001, Christopher Simpson made a documentary for BBC Radio 4 called Other. In this documentary, he explored what it's like for people who have parents from different backgrounds. He looked at how they find their identity when they don't fully belong to just one culture.
Christopher is also a talented audiobook narrator. He has lent his voice to several popular books. These include Slumdog Millionaire (which was first called Q & A), A Passage to India by E. M. Forster, and The Buddha of Suburbia by Hanif Kureishi.
Personal Life
In 1996, Christopher's mother passed away. Christopher and his sister, Fiona, traveled back to Rwanda to bury her ashes there.
Filmography
Film Roles
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
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2003 | Code 46 | Paul | Supporting role |
2005 | Chromophobia | Derek | |
The Keeper: The Legend of Omar Khayyam | Hassan Sabbah | ||
2006 | Take 3 Girls | Rafiq | |
Mischief Night | Big Man Qassim | ||
2007 | Exitz | Dr. Murli Patel | |
Brick Lane | Karim | Lead role | |
2008 | My Father's Son | Ameer | Short |
2009 | Little Foxes | Jeff | Supporting role |
2009 | It's a Wonderful Afterlife | J.J Jaan | |
2010 | Ever Here I Be | Jason | Short |
2012 | Day of the Flowers | Ernesto | Supporting role |
2013 | Sixteen | Headmaster |
Television Roles
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
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2002 | White Teeth | Magid Iqbal/Millat Iqbal | 2 episodes: "The Trouble with Millat", "The Return of Magid Iqbal" |
2003 | State of Play | Adam Greene | 4 episodes: "#1.1", "#1.3", "#1.5", "#1.6" |
Second Generation | Sam Khan | 2 episodes: "#1.1", "#1.2" | |
2005 | All About George | Ash | 6 episodes: "#1.1", "#1.2", "#1.3", "#1.4", "#1.5", "#1.6" |
The Man-Eating Leopard of Rudraprayag | Sanji | TV film | |
2007 | Shameless | Murad | 1 episode: "#4.4" |
Be More Ethnic | Sol De Silva | TV film | |
2008 | Spooks: Code 9 | Vik | 6 episodes: "#1.1", "#1.2", "#1.3", "#1.4", "#1.5", "#1.6" |
2017 | The Good Karma Hospital | Anton Kartik | 1 episode: "#1.2" |
Stage Roles
Year | Title | Role | Venue |
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2001 | The Ramayana | Bharatha | Royal National Theatre |
2002 | Pericles | Pericles | Royal Shakespeare Company/Cardboard Citizens |
2003 | Fragile Land | Omar | Hampstead Theatre |
2006 | The Bacchae of Baghdad | Dionysus | Abbey Theatre |
2007 | Fallujah | Iraqi gunman | Institute of Contemporary Arts/Old Truman Brewery |
2011 | The Knowledge | Maz | Bush Theatre |
Little Platoons | Parvez | ||
2012 | LeanerFasterStronger | Voice | Sheffield Theatres |
Forests | Orlando | Birmingham Repertory Theatre | |
2016 | Brideshead Revisited | Sebastian | English Touring Theatre/UK National Tour |
Discography
Albums
Album Title | Album details | Chart positions | Certifications |
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Very Present Tense |
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