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Christopher Simpson (actor) facts for kids

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Christopher Simpson
Born 1975 (age 49–50)
Dublin, Republic of Ireland
Nationality Irish
Occupation
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.

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
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
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
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
Very Present Tense
  • Released: 8 August 2008
  • Label:
  • Formats: Digital Download
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