Jamie in Express

Jamie in

"The Saturday Express"

May 21-27, 2001

Soldier, sailor

Jamie Bamber is back on TV soon in Hornblower, and donning a uniform for a Spielberg war epic. Not bad for an actor who left drama school three years ago.

By Paula Kerr.

Rising Star Jamie Bamber has already proved his worth in the swashbuckling high seas drama, Hornblower, as Ioan Gruffudd's confidante, midshipman Archie Kennedy. Now, in his latest role, he stars alongside Friends actor David Schwimmer in Steven Spielberg's new L92 million Second World War TV epic, Band Of Brothers.

But, the 28 year-old rising star sitting opposite me with tousled blond hair and cloaked in an extra-large linen shirt and jeans, is far from affected by his success. "Actors always seem a bit Jessie, a bit mollycoddled, don't they? I'd hate to be seen that way." he says. "I did every stunt that was offered to me in Hornblower. I dived off the ship's mast into the water and did sword fights. I'm not afraid of hard work and I wanted the cast and crew to know I've got bottle."

He will admit, though, to a burning will to succeed. "I am ambitious. I'm loath to say it because it's not a very cool thing to be, but I love what I do and I know what I want. I'd like to have a stab at Hamlet and to make films. I'd have liked Matt Damon's part in The Talented Mr. Ripley. I want to do challenging work with good dialogue."

He set the pace early, securing an agent and a role in Hornblower before leaving acclaimed drama school LAMDA three years ago, where he was completing a one-year post-graduate acting course. "I was very fortunate to have such a terrific break." he acknowledges. Since then, he has spent less than three months out of work. His CV is an impressive one and includes roles in lavish BBC costume drama The Scarlet Pimpernel with Richard E. Grant; Poirot, and Michael Barrymore's black comedy, Bob Martin.

Bamber's interest in acting was first nurtured at St. Paul's, an all-boys school in Barnes, west London, near his parents' Richmond home - but he had an ulterior motive. "It meant I could do plays with pupils from the nearby girls' school - definitely an incentive. The shows were quite lavish and I really enjoyed them. I knew acting was for me."

Before studying drama, he was encouraged by his Detroit-born management consultant father Ralph Griffiths - Jamie's real surname is Griffiths - and Irish property dealer mother Liz to go to university. He got a place at Cambridge where he won a First Class degree in French and Italian. He seems rather embarrassed about this. "I didn't deserve it - it was a fluke." he says with flushed cheeks. "I lived in Paris from the age of two, because that's where my father's job took him. I went to an international bilingual school. When I came back to London aged eight, I already had a head start in French."

In fact, the pass was all the more deserving because as he prepared for his exams, his parents got divorced. "I was 20 and living away from home, so I didn't really see it happening, which made it easier. I would ring up and speak to my brother and sister who told me how things were. But mostly my memories of my childhood are very good ones."

The divorce was, he recalls, a civilized one. "It wasn't acrimonious at all. My parents are still very fond of each other. Mum, in particular is a hopeless romantic and not at all cynical about marriage." And, he says, the experience hasn't put him off getting wed. "I'm a romantic and quite naive perhaps, but I do believe in married life. I hope by the time I'm 30, I'm with someone I want to spend the rest of my life with. I'd definitely like a family of my own." Jamie has been unattached for the last year but jokes, "It's not by choice. There's no one at the moment, but I'm definitely open to offers. I'm looking for someone to have a laugh with."

He says it is a mixture of his mother's determination and his father's caution which has helped him make wise career choices. "Mum gets things done and has tireless optimism and Dad can be analytical, more of a pragmatist. I like to think I'm a mixture of the two."

(continued on following page...)

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	Jamie in *"The Saturday Express"* May 21-27, 2001


Soldier, sailor Jamie Bamber is back on TV soon in Hornblower, and donning a uniform for a Spielberg war epic. Not bad for an actor who left drama school three years ago. By Paula Kerr. Rising Star Jamie Bamber has already proved his worth in the swashbuckling high seas drama, Hornblower, as Ioan Gruffudd's confidante, midshipman Archie Kennedy. Now, in his latest role, he stars alongside Friends actor David Schwimmer in Steven Spielberg's new L92 million Second World War TV epic, Band Of Brothers. But, the 28 year-old rising star sitting opposite me with tousled blond hair and cloaked in an extra-large linen shirt and jeans, is far from affected by his success. "Actors always seem a bit Jessie, a bit mollycoddled, don't they? I'd hate to be seen that way." he says. "I did every stunt that was offered to me in Hornblower. I dived off the ship's mast into the water and did sword fights. I'm not afraid of hard work and I wanted the cast and crew to know I've got bottle." He will admit, though, to a burning will to succeed. "I am ambitious. I'm loath to say it because it's not a very cool thing to be, but I love what I do and I know what I want. I'd like to have a stab at Hamlet and to make films. I'd have liked Matt Damon's part in The Talented Mr. Ripley. I want to do challenging work with good dialogue." He set the pace early, securing an agent and a role in Hornblower before leaving acclaimed drama school LAMDA three years ago, where he was completing a one-year post-graduate acting course. "I was very fortunate to have such a terrific break." he acknowledges. Since then, he has spent less than three months out of work. His CV is an impressive one and includes roles in lavish BBC costume drama The Scarlet Pimpernel with Richard E. Grant; Poirot, and Michael Barrymore's black comedy, Bob Martin. Bamber's interest in acting was first nurtured at St. Paul's, an all-boys school in Barnes, west London, near his parents' Richmond home - but he had an ulterior motive. "It meant I could do plays with pupils from the nearby girls' school - definitely an incentive. The shows were quite lavish and I really enjoyed them. I knew acting was for me." Before studying drama, he was encouraged by his Detroit-born management consultant father Ralph Griffiths - Jamie's real surname is Griffiths - and Irish property dealer mother Liz to go to university. He got a place at Cambridge where he won a First Class degree in French and Italian. He seems rather embarrassed about this. "I didn't deserve it - it was a fluke." he says with flushed cheeks. "I lived in Paris from the age of two, because that's where my father's job took him. I went to an international bilingual school. When I came back to London aged eight, I already had a head start in French." In fact, the pass was all the more deserving because as he prepared for his exams, his parents got divorced. "I was 20 and living away from home, so I didn't really see it happening, which made it easier. I would ring up and speak to my brother and sister who told me how things were. But mostly my memories of my childhood are very good ones." The divorce was, he recalls, a civilized one. "It wasn't acrimonious at all. My parents are still very fond of each other. Mum, in particular is a hopeless romantic and not at all cynical about marriage." And, he says, the experience hasn't put him off getting wed. "I'm a romantic and quite naive perhaps, but I do believe in married life. I hope by the time I'm 30, I'm with someone I want to spend the rest of my life with. I'd definitely like a family of my own." Jamie has been unattached for the last year but jokes, "It's not by choice. There's no one at the moment, but I'm definitely open to offers. I'm looking for someone to have a laugh with." He says it is a mixture of his mother's determination and his father's caution which has helped him make wise career choices. "Mum gets things done and has tireless optimism and Dad can be analytical, more of a pragmatist. I like to think I'm a mixture of the two." (continued on following page...)

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