Christopher Fairbank
Christopher Fairbank | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 4, 1953 Hertfordshire, England |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1978–present |
Christopher E. Fairbank (born 4 October 1953[1]) is an English film, stage and television actor, best known in the UK for playing Moxey in the comedy drama series Auf Wiedersehen, Pet.[2][3] Fairbank has had roles in Coronation Street, Batman, Doctor Who and Shakespeare & Hathaway: Private Investigators. He has a recurring role in the Guardians of the Galaxy films as The Broker, and in 2024 portrayed Eddie Knight in a few episodes of Eastenders.
Early life
[edit]Fairbank was born in Hertfordshire on 4 October 1953.[1] Fairbank grew up in Essex and lived in a family village shop.[4] He was educated at a boarding school in Cantenbury.[5] His father was a freemason, who a week before he died was approached by Duke of Kent at Addenbrokes Hospital, the hospital he was staying in, to award him with his 33rd degree in freemasonry which according to Christopher someone could only achieve if they are the Duke of Kent.[4]
Fairbank's first experience in acting was in primary school when he played Mr. Brown for a stage production of Paddington Bear at Clavering County Primary School,[4] in which he performed his first piece of improvisation after the pupil who was playing Paddington forgot his curtain line.[5][4] This inspired Fairbank to take part in more local theatre productions.
When he was seventeen years old, he was convicted of possession of marijuana after his mother discovered cannabis in his room and was reported by his father.[4] Fairbank was put on prohbation for two years, and was moved to Liverpool to live in a hostel.[5] He would later be arrested twice during a visit to the Edinburgh fringe in 1975.[4] Christopher lived in Liverpool for two years before he attended Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, where he graduated in April 1974.[1][6]
Career
[edit]Early career
[edit]When he was first starting out, Fairbank had problems with auditioners as they didn't like his skin which had been affectied by acne.[4] Before his breakout role in Auf Wiedersehen, Pet, Fairbank had small roles in shows such as Z-Cars[4] and had a recurring role in the 1979 series The Old Curiosity Shop, where he appeared in seven out of nine episodes as Kit Nubbles. He appeared in six episodes of Coronation Street between August and October of 1981 as Ginger, a mechanic.
Auf Wiedersehen, Pet
[edit]In 1983, Fairbank's manager sent him to Auf Wiedersehen, Pet director Roger Bamford, during his audition he did a Scouse accent and got the part as Albert Arthur Moxey, whose known better in the show by just his surname, Moxey.[6] He portrayed the character for two series in 1985 and 1986, as well as its two series revival in 2002 and 2004.
The character Moxey is a lovable rogue plasterer from Liverpool who in the first series had a stutter but over the course of the show the condition is cured. His character was a reformed arsonist with mental health problems who at one point absconds from a prison and goes on the run under different aliases. In the finale of the 2004 series he moves to Australia with his partner.
Film and television
[edit]Since then, he has been in many other films such as Batman where he played a mugger named Nic who is interrogated by Batman. In television, he has been in popular shows such as Coronation Street, Doctor Who, Father Brown,[7] Shakespeare & Hathaway: Private Investigators.He has performed as a voice actor in the Aardman films Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit and Flushed Away.
In 2010, he appeared as a detective in Five Daughters, and as Alfred "Freddie" Lennon, John Lennon's father in the biopic Lennon Naked.[8] He has had a recurring role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as The Broker in the films Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023).[9][10]
On 10 December 2023, it was announced that Fairbank had been cast as Eddie Knight in EastEnders.[11] His character first appeared in episode 6831, aired on the 1st of January 2024.[12] He and Elizabeth Counsell, who played his characters wife Gloria, were only contracted for a few episodes, as producer Chris Clenshaw only introduced them to talk on the topic of Baby farming.[12] making their last appearnce three months and 30 episodes later in episode 6891, aired on the 15th of April. Their characters are written off the show with Eddie going to prison for racially aggrivated murder and Gloria being killed off with a heart attack.[13]
Theatre
[edit]His theatre debut came in 2013 when he was told by Susan Boyle that he was a good singer, which would lead to him auditiong for a production of A Christmas Carol at the Royal Lyceum Theatre in Edinburgh, Scotland, eventually landing the role of Ebenezer Scrooge.[5][14] In 2015, he played Azdak in The Caucasian Chalk Circle, which was held at the same venue.
Personal life
[edit]Although he is one of Britain's most prolific actors and known for his versatile work, little is known about Fairbank online, as according to him "I prefer the work to speak for me because that is what I do. I’m an actor and I prefer to be judged solely for my performances".[4]
Filmography
[edit]Film
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Agatha | Luland | As Chris Fairbank |
| 1980 | The Awakening | Porter | |
| Cry Wolf | Sergeant | Short film | |
| 1985 | Plenty | Spencer | |
| 1988 | Hanna's War | Ruven | |
| 1989 | Venus Peter | Blind Man | As Christopher Fairbanks |
| Batman | Nic | ||
| 1990 | White Hunter Black Heart | Tom Harrison | Also art director |
| Hamlet | Player Queen | ||
| 1992 | Alien 3 | Thomas Murphy | As Chris Fairbank |
| 1997 | The Fifth Element | Mactilburgh | |
| 2001 | The Bunker | Sgt. Heydrich | |
| 2002 | Anazapta | Steward | |
| Below | Pappy | ||
| 2005 | Valiant | Additional Voices (voice) | As Chris Fairbank |
| Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit | Additional Voices (voice) | ||
| Goal! | Foghorn | ||
| 2006 | Cargo | Ralph | |
| Almost Heaven | Teapot Ted | ||
| Flushed Away | Thimblenose Ted, Cockroach, Passerby (voice) | ||
| 2007 | Five Days: Revised Final Episode | DS Mal Curling | |
| 2008 | MindFlesh | Verdain | |
| 2009 | Goal III: Taking on the World | Foghorn | |
| Edward's Turmoil | Grandpa | Short film | |
| 2011 | Little Deaths | X | Segment: "Mutant Tool" |
| Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides | Ezekiel | ||
| 2012 | Orthodox | Goldberg | Short film |
| 2013 | Jack the Giant Slayer | Uncle | |
| 2014 | Guardians of the Galaxy | The Broker | |
| Hercules | Gryza | As Chris Fairbank | |
| 2015 | Dragonheart 3: The Sorcerer's Curse | Potter | |
| Writers Retreat | Nigel | ||
| Orthodox | Joseph Goldberg | ||
| 2016 | Lady Macbeth | Boris | |
| 2017 | Papillon | Jean Castili | |
| 2018 | Walk like a Panther | Lesley Beck | |
| The Fight | Frank Dunn | ||
| 2019 | Tayna pechati drakona | Grey | |
| 2020 | The Show | Patsy Bleaker | |
| Deus Otiosus: The Idle God | Deus | Short film | |
| 2021 | All My Friends Hate Me | Norman | |
| Śmierć Zygielbojma | Woolf | ||
| 2022 | Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind | The Broker | Short film |
| Survive This | John | Short film | |
| 2023 | Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 | The Broker |
Television
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Z-Cars | Z-Cars | Episode: "A Woman's Place" |
| Plain Murder | Oldroyd | TV movie | |
| 1979 | The Professionals | Billy | Episode: "The Purging of CI5"; as Chris Fairbank |
| 1979–1980 | The Old Curiosity Shop | Kit Nubbles | 7 episodes |
| 1980 | Noah's Castle | Cliff | 6 episodes |
| Little Lord Fauntleroy | Man filling in ditch | TV movies; uncredited | |
| Maria Marten or Murder in the Red Barn | Tom Corder | 3 episodes; as Chris Fairbank | |
| 1980–1982 | BBC2 Playhouse | Billy, Jerry | 2 episodes |
| 1981 | Coronation Street | Ginger | 8 episodes |
| 1982 | Sapphire & Steel | Johnny Jack | 4 episodes |
| 1983–2004 | Auf Wiedersehen, Pet | Albert Moxey | 39 episodes |
| 1985 | Murder with Mirrors | Sergeant Lake | TV movie |
| 1987 | Bergerac | Sydney Sterrat | Episode: "Root and Branch" |
| The Two Mrs. Grenvilles | Horst Berger | Episode: "#1.1", "#1.2" | |
| Casualty | Gerald Bryant | Episode: "A Drop of the Hard Stuff" | |
| 1988 | Rockliffe's Babies | Dover | Episode: "Easy Meat" |
| South of the Border | Dennis | Episode: "#1.1" | |
| 1989 | The Bill | Charles | Episode: "Grace of God" |
| 1990 | Hands of a Murderer | Jeremy Stubb | TV movie |
| 1992 | Spender | Joe Phelan | Episode: "Fly by Night" |
| Framed | Sydney Jefferson | Episode: "#1.1" | |
| 1993 | Stay Lucky | Leech | Episode: "Down to Earth" |
| Sweating Bullets | Patrick | Episode: "Deal of a Lifetime" | |
| Prime Suspect | Chief Insp. David Lyall | Episode: "Keeper of Souls: Part 2"; as Chris Fairbank | |
| 1994 | Royce | Kupchak | TV movie |
| A Pinch of Snuff | Det Sgt Edgar Wield | 3 episodes | |
| Lovejoy | Foxy Norris | Episode: "Day of Reckoning" | |
| Finney | Bobo Jnr. | 6 episodes | |
| 1994–1995 | Space Precinct | Breon, Burl Flak | Episode: "Welcome to Demeter City", "Hate Street" |
| 1994–1996 | Crocodile Shoes | Alan Clarke | Season 1: 3 episodes; season 2: 5 episodes |
| 1995 | Inspector Morse | George Daley | Episode: "The Way Through the Woods"; as Chris Fairbank |
| 1996 | Into the Fire | Joyce | 3 episodes |
| 1997 | True Tilda | Gavel | |
| Silent Witness | Chris Palmer | Episode: "Friends Like These: Part 1", "Friends Like These: Part 2" | |
| Wokenwell | Stew Saunter | Episode: "#1.5" | |
| Underworld | Haynesie | 5 episodes | |
| 1998 | Invasion: Earth | Wg. Cdr. Friday | 4 episodes; as Chris Fairbank |
| 1999 | The Scarlet Pimpernel | Fumier | 3 episodes |
| 2000 | London's Burning | Tony | Episode: "#12.5" |
| City Central | Mark Dixon | Episode: "History" | |
| In the Beginning | Idol Worshipper | Episode: "Part I", "Part II" | |
| 2001 | In a Land of Plenty | Bob | Episode: "#1.10" |
| 2002 | Paradise Heights | John Askins | 1 episode |
| 2003 | In Deep | Harbinson | Episode: "Character Assassins: Part 1", "Character Assassins: Part 2" |
| Comic Relief 2003: The Big Hair Do | Albert Arthur Moxey | TV special | |
| Spooks | Gordon Blaney | 1 episode; uncredited | |
| 2005 | The Rotters' Club | Roll-up Reg | 1 episode |
| A Waste of Shame | Physician | TV movie | |
| 2006 | New Tricks | Tommy Gerrard | Episode: "Diamond Geezers" |
| The Line of Beauty | Barry Groom | 3 episodes | |
| 2007 | Five Days | DS Mal Curling | Episode: "Day Twenty Eight", "Day Seventy Nine" |
| Diamond Geezer | Barry | Episode: "Old School Lies" | |
| Midsomer Murders | Ronnie Tyler | Episode: "Death in a Chocolate Box" | |
| 2008 | Ashes to Ashes | David Bonds | 1 episode |
| Never Better | Doug | 6 episodes | |
| Tess of the d'Urbervilles | Groby | 4 episodes | |
| Merlin | Voice of the Black Knight (voice) | Episode: "Excalibur" | |
| 2009 | Law & Order: UK | Jeff McFadden | 1 episode |
| 2010 | This is Jinsy | Letley Orridge | Episode: "Bandy Dog Red" |
| Five Daughters | DCI John Quinton | 3 episodes | |
| Lennon Naked | Freddie Lennon | TV movie | |
| 2011 | Hidden | George Venn | 3 episodes |
| 2012 | Kidnap and Ransom | Chris Taylor | 3 episodes |
| Inspector George Gently | Billy Mallam | 1 episode | |
| 2013 | Borgen | Vassily Andrejev | Episode: "Fortidens sønner" |
| Family Tree | Neville St. Aubrey | Episode: "The Box" | |
| Doc Martin | Malcolm Raynor | Episode: "Hazardous Exposure" | |
| 2014 | Jamaica Inn | Harry | 3 episodes |
| Doctor Who | Fenton | Episode: "Flatline" | |
| 2015 | Wolf Hall | Walter Cromwell | Episode: "Three Card Trick", "Crows" |
| Wallander | Sten Norlander | Episode: "The Troubled Man" | |
| 2015–2016 | Dickensian | Silas Wegg | 15 episodes |
| 2016 | The Secret Agent | Yundt | Episode: "#1.1" |
| 2017 | Taboo | Ibboston | 3 episodes |
| 2018 | Vera | Robert Naresby | 1 episode |
| The Woman in White | Mr. Brown | Episode: "#1.4", "#1.5" | |
| 2019 | Grantchester | Eli Roper | Episode: "#4.5" |
| Hatton Garden | Billy Lincoln | Episode: "#1.3", "#1.4" | |
| 2020 | Outlander | Aaron Beardsley | Episode: "Free Will" |
| 2022 | Shakespeare & Hathaway: Private Investigators | Don Bergius | Episode: "Die We Must" |
| The Essex Serpent | Cracknell | Episode: "Matters of the Heart", "Everything Is Blue" | |
| Sherwood | Bill Raggett | ||
| Andor | Ulaf | 3 episodes | |
| 2024 | EastEnders | Eddie Knight |
Video Game
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Prisoner of War | Colonel Roger Harding | |
| 2003 | I.G.I.-2: Covert Strike | David Jone | |
| 2004 | The Getaway: Black Monday | Additional Voices | As Chris Fairbank |
| 2006 | Rule of Rose | Gregory M. Wilson | As Chris Fairbank |
| Killzone: Liberation | General Armin Metrac | As Chris Fairbank | |
| Medieval II: Total War | As Chris Fairbank | ||
| 2007 | Heavenly Sword | Additional Voices | |
| Hellgate: London | As Chris Fairbank | ||
| 2008 | Conflict: Denied Ops | ||
| Viking: Battle for Asgard | As Chris Fairbank | ||
| Age of Conan | |||
| Fable II | |||
| 2009 | Demon's Souls | Old King Doran, Yurt the Silent Chief | |
| Killzone 2 | Additional Helghast Voices | As Chris Fairbank | |
| Wheelman | As Chris Fairbanks | ||
| 2011 | The Last Story | Narrator (voice) | As Chris Fairbank |
| Killzone 3 | Helghast Soldiers (voice) | ||
| Renegade Ops | Inferno (English version, voice) | ||
| 2012 | The Secret World | Khalid El-Sayad (voice) | |
| 2013 | Divinity: Dragon Commander | Falstaff (voice) | |
| Puppeteer | General Tiger (voice) | ||
| 2017 | Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War III | Inquisitor Holt, Space Marines (voice) | As Chris Fairbanks |
| 2022 | Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga | ||
| Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate - Daemonhunters | Brother Purifier Ectar (voice) |
Theatre
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Company | Director | | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | A Christmas Carol | Ebenezer Scrooge | Royal Lyceum Theatre | [5] | |
| 2015 | The Caucasian Chalk Circle | Azdak | Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh | Mark Thomson | adaptation by Alistair Beaton |
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Chris Fairbank". chrisfairbank.com. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
- ^ "What happened to the Auf Wiedersehen, Pet cast, from tragedy to Queen's Honours". Daily Mirror. 17 January 2021.
- ^ "Auf Wiedersehen, Pet Special:1 (2004)". Archived from the original on 6 May 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i liamrudden (11 April 2012). "Christopher Fairbank aka Auf Weidersehen, Pet's Moxey". Líam Rudden - Theatre. Retrieved 24 June 2025.
- ^ a b c d e "Life is not humbug as Fairbank plays old Scrooge". The Herald. 28 November 2013. Retrieved 24 June 2025.
- ^ a b "Christopher Fairbank Interview". www.auf-pet.com. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
- ^ "Father Brown". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 24 June 2025.
- ^ Love, Damien (21 June 2010). "Lennon Naked digs beneath the skin of John's family relationships". The Herald. Glasgow. Archived from the original on 26 June 2010. Retrieved 24 June 2010.
- ^ "Who Is Ulaf on 'Andor'? Meet Christopher Fairbank". 2 November 2022. Retrieved 24 June 2025.
- ^ Leaver, Joel (2 January 2024). "EastEnders' George Knight's dad actor - where you've seen him before". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 24 June 2025.
- ^ Mitchell, Harriet (10 December 2023). "EastEnders casts George Knight's adoptive parents Eddie and Gloria". Digital Spy.
- ^ a b "EastEnders casts British sitcom legends as George Knight's parents | Radio Times". www.radiotimes.com. Retrieved 24 June 2025.
- ^ "EastEnders airs tragic death in early iPlayer release". Digital Spy. 11 April 2024. Retrieved 24 June 2025.
- ^ Fisher, Mark (10 December 2013). "A Christmas Carol – review". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 24 June 2025.
- ^ Fairbank, Christopher. "CV". Chris Fairbank. Retrieved 16 May 2023.
External links
[edit]
- 20th-century English male actors
- 21st-century English male actors
- Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
- English male film actors
- English male soap opera actors
- English male television actors
- English male video game actors
- English male voice actors
- Living people
- Male actors from Hertfordshire
- People educated at Kent College