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Larry Lamb
Born
Lawrence Douglas Lamb

(1947-10-01) 1 October 1947 (age 77)
Occupation
  • Actor
  • radio presenter
Years active 1975–present
Spouse(s)
Anita Wisbey
(m. 1969; div. 1970)
Linda Martin
(m. 1979; div. 1996)
Partner(s)
  • Clare Burt (1996–2016)
  • Marie Victorine (2016–present)
Children 4, including George

Lawrence Douglas Lamb (born 1 October 1947) is an English actor and radio presenter. He played Archie Mitchell in the BBC soap opera EastEnders, Mick Shipman in the BBC comedy series Gavin & Stacey and Ted Case in the final series of the BBC drama New Tricks. He also appeared on I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! in 2016.

Early life

Lamb was born in Edmonton, Middlesex, to Jessie White and Ronald Douglas Lamb, the eldest of four including his brother, Wesley, and a sister. Lamb had a turbulent childhood; he was verbally abused by his father and often had to keep his parents from fighting.

In 2011, Lamb participated in the BBC series Who Do You Think You Are? and discovered that he is descended from a line of proprietors of a well-known travelling menagerie, Day's Menagerie, and a lion tamer named Martini Bartlett.

Lamb attended Edmonton County School and later joined the oil industry, which resulted in his working in Libya and Canada, where he attended St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, Nova Scotia. This developed his amateur interest in acting to a professional level, and he performed at Canada's Stratford Festival in 1975–1976. Lamb is distantly related to Edward Buckton Lamb (1806–1869), a Victorian architect who designed St Martin's Gospel Oak and St Mary Addiscombe.

Career

Acting

After returning to Britain from Canada, Lamb became a regular cast member, along with Kate O'Mara, in the BBC's North Sea ferry-based soap Triangle (1981–83), in which he played Matt Taylor, the ship's Chief Engineer.

Other credits include The New Avengers, The Professionals, Fox, Minder, Lovejoy, Get Back, A Touch of Frost, Our Friends in the North, Taggart, Casualty, Kavanagh QC, Spooks, Midsomer Murders, and The Bill.

Between 2007 and 2010, Lamb appeared in Gavin & Stacey playing Gavin's father, Michael "Mick" Shipman.

In 2008, Lamb began playing Archie Mitchell, the father of Ronnie and Roxy Mitchell in EastEnders. He based his portrayal of Archie on his own father. He left the show in April, 2009, but returned in July the same year, around the same time that Danniella Westbrook returned to her role of Archie's niece, Sam Mitchell. Archie was killed off in a murder story line at Christmas, 2009. In 2009, Lamb starred alongside Liam Cunningham in Blood: The Last Vampire, in the role of General McKee. On 19 February 2010, Lamb appeared with his son, George Lamb, in EastEnders Live: The Aftermath, after Stacey Slater was revealed to be Archie's killer in the closing moments of the 25th-anniversary live episode.

In April, 2011, BBC Learning launched "Off By Heart Shakespeare", a school-recital contest for secondary school pupils. For the project, Larry took on the role of Jaques from the play As You Like It, and delivered the speech: "All the world's a stage".

It was announced that Lamb would join the cast of New Tricks as Ted Case in series 12, taking over from Gerry Standing, played by Dennis Waterman.

Lamb's films include Buster and Essex Boys. In 1983, he had a small speaking role in Superman III.

In September 2023, Lamb appeared in the Channel 5 drama series The Inheritance, appearing alongside Samantha Bond, Jemima Rooper, Gaynor Faye, Rob James-Collier and Adil Ray.

Theatre

Theatre work includes:

  • Educating Rita as Frank - Dir. Jeremy Sams - Chocolate Factory
  • The Five Wives of Maurice Pinder as Maurice - Dir. Sarah Frankcom - National Theatre
  • Fool for Love as Old Man - Dir. Lindsay Posner - Apollo West End/NIMAX
  • The Price as Victor - Dir. Sean Holmes - Tricycle/Apollo West End/National Tour
  • Hamlet as Claudius - Dir. Steven Pimlott - RSC
  • The Prisoner's Dilemma as The Professor - Dir. Michael Attenborough - RSC
  • Art as Marc - Dir. Rachel Kavanaugh - Wyndhams West End
  • Inherit the Wind as Drummond - Dir. Dan Crawford - King's Head
  • Nine as Guido - Dir. David Leveaux - Donmar
  • The Sisters Rosensweig as Kantlowitz - Dir. Michael Blakemore - Old Vic/Greenwich
  • Butterfly Kiss as Teddy - Dir Steven Pimlott - Almeida
  • Lulu as Rodrigo - Dir. Jonathan Kent - Almeida
  • La Musica as Him - Dir. Joseph Blatchley - Hampstead
  • Making It Better as The Husband - Dir. Michael Rudman - Hampstead/Criterion West End
  • A Madhouse in Goa as Niko/Oliver - Dir. Robert Alan Ackerman - Hammersmith/Apollo West End
  • Greenland as Brian - Dir. Simon Curtis - Royal Court
  • Insignificance as The Ball Player - Dir. Max Stafford-Clark - Royal Court
  • Filomena as The Plumber - Dir. Franco Zefirelli - Lyric West End]
  • Comedians as George McBrian - Dir. Mike Nicholls - Music Box/Broadway

Other work

In 2013, Lamb began presenting a regular Sunday morning show on LBC. He is an occasional reporter for the BBC programme The One Show. Lamb took part in Gareth's All Star Choir in 2014, as part of the BBC's Children in Need appeal.

In 2016, he appeared in the sixteenth series of I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!. He became the 6th celebrity to be voted out of the jungle in the 2016 series.

Personal life

Lamb has a daughter Vanessa Lamb (born 1969) with his first wife Anita Wisbey. He is also the father of radio DJ and television presenter George Lamb, from his second marriage to Linda Martin. Lamb split up with his partner, Clare Burt, with whom he has two daughters: Eloise Alexandra (born 1998), and Eva-Mathilde Lamb (born 2003). Lamb has one granddaughter from his daughter Vanessa, as revealed on I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!.

Lamb's autobiography Mummy's Boy was published in 2011.

Lamb resides in Cornwall.

Awards and nominations

Lamb won the award for Best Villain at the 2010 British Soap Awards.

Filmography

Film
Year Title Role Notes
1978 Superman Reporter 1
1983 Superman III Miner 2
1984 Flight to Berlin Specialist Dale Sizemore
My Friend Washington Ben Carlson
1985 Shadey Dick Darnley
Underworld Roy Bain
1987 Ubac Larry
Hearts of Fire Jack Rosner
1988 Buster Bruce Reynolds
1998 Place Vendôme Christopher Makos
2000 Essex Boys Peter Chase
One of the Hollywood Ten Will Geer
2004 Deadlines Paul Baker
Fakers Harvey Steed
2009 Blood: The Last Vampire General McKee
2011 Two Minutes William Short Film
2013 Verona Capulet Short Film
2014 Rose, Mary and Time Barney's Dad Short Film
2014 Beachcomber Stephen Short Film
2015 Meet Pursuit Delange: The Movie Sam Walters
2017 The Hatton Garden Job Brian Reader
2017 Rise of the Footsoldier 3: The Pat Tate Story Mr. Harris
2019 Brighton Derek
2021 Me, Myself and Di Clifford
2022 Old Windows Harry Short Film
2022 Hounded Gregory
Television
Year Title Role Notes
1977 The New Avengers Williams Episode: "Trap"
1979 Hazell Ned Barrow
1979 The Dick Francis Thriller: The Racing Game Steve
1980 Armchair Thriller CPO Chalky White 4 episodes
1980 Fox Joey Fox
1980 The Professionals Jack Craine
1981–1983 Triangle Matt Taylor 78 episodes
1982 Saturday Night Thriller Mr. Roy Salinger
1983 Jemima Shore Investigates Max Highams
1984 Minder Greg Collins
1985 Christopher Columbus Don Castillo
1986 Boon Alan Prendergest
1986 Slip-Up Ronald Arthur Biggs
1987 Harry's Kingdom Terry Stewart
1987 Theatre Night The Sergeant
1988 Fratelli Mauro Barberi
1989 Pursuit Davi
1990 A Little Piece of Sunshine Desmond Hannah
1991 Screenplay UNKNOWN
1992 Fool's Gold: The Story of the Brink's-Mat Robbery Kenneth Noye TV film
1992 Lovejoy Gerald Somers 2 episodes
1992 Between the Lines Dennis Ralston
1992 Get Back Albert Sweet
1994 White Goods Jonnie Dow
1994 Doggin Around Ken
1994 In Suspicious Circumstances Weldon Atherstone
1994 The Wimbledon Poisoner Dr. Donald Templeton
1995 A Touch of Frost Mike Ross
1996 Strangers Leonard
1996 Our Friends in the North Alan Roe 2 episodes
1996 Annie's Bar Terry Dunning
1997 The Missing Postman Trevor Ramsay TV film
1998 Supply & Demand Simon Hughes
1999 The Blonde ... Will Humphreys
1999 Taggart Martin Strange Episode: "Fearful Lightning"
1999 Casualty Father Peter Harker Episode: "Everybody Hurts"
2001 Home Sweet Home Voice
2001 Kavanagh QC Alan Rainer Episode: "The End of Law"
2001 Midsomer Murders Melvyn Stockard Episode: "Who Killed Cock Robin?"
2004–2005 The Bill Jonathan Fox 20 episodes
2005 Cathedral Thomas Becket 5 episodes
2005 Murphy's Law George Garvey 4 episodes
2006 Silent Witness Max Wheaton 2 episodes
2006 Spooks Iain Kaillis Episode: "The Cell"
2007–2010, 2019 Gavin & Stacey Mick Shipman All 21 episodes
2008–2009 EastEnders Archie Mitchell 150 episodes
2013 Love and Marriage Tommy Sutherland All 6 episodes
2015 New Tricks Ted Case 9 episodes
2017 The Keith and Paddy Picture Show Dr. Houseman Episode: "Dirty Dancing"
2017 Mount Pleasant Callum Episode: "The Finale"
2019 Pitching In Frank All 4 episodes
2019 Thunderbirds Are Go Gomez Voice; Episode: "Getaway"
2023 Billericay to Barry (TV series) Himself All 3 episodes
2023 The Inheritance Dennis All 4 episodes

See also

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