Charlie Suff is an English actor and musician. He was born and grew up in Brighton and later studied Performing Arts at East Sussex College. He then trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, where he appeared in various theatre productions. He then performed in other plays, such as Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons in 2019. Suff has also appeared in various short films and other productions, including a play he wrote during the COVID-19 pandemic, and guest starred in the British television shows Grace and Grantchester. In 2023, Suff was cast as Johnny Carter on the BBC soap opera EastEnders, becoming the third actor to play the character. He debuted as Johnny in February 2024 and was later nominated for "Best newcomer" at the 2024 Inside Soap Awards for the role.
Charlie Suff | |
|---|---|
| Born | Charlie Suff Brighton, England |
| Education | East Sussex College Bristol Old Vic Theatre School |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2017–present |
| Agent | Creative Artists Management |
| Television | EastEnders |
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) |
| Musical career | |
| Instruments |
|
Early and personal life
editCharlie Suff raised in Brighton.[1][2] He had a passion for performing from a young age, which he described as "being that shouting kid with pants on his head, prancing about to all the parents' amusement", which led to him discovering the stage to channel his "need to perform".[2] Suff studied Performing Arts at East Sussex College, later returning to the school to deliver various workshops.[3] He enjoyed studying the course there and made several friends, one of whom he still lives with as of March 2024.[3]
Career
editSuff trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, where he gained a BA (Hons) in Professional Acting.[2] He enjoyed his time there and described the other students as being like a "family" due to the small number of people that are accepted into the school.[4] Suff performed in various of the Bristol Old Vic's theatre productions, including The Beaux' Stratagem, Dracula, How To Disappear Completely And Never Be Found, Our Country's Good and The Merchant of Venice.[5] In 2018, he portrayed the characters of Lord John, Snork and the Pinhead Master in the Old Vic's production of The Elephant Man, which he found challenging due to the roles being so different from himself.[4] Due to his characters being fictional, Suff based the character of Lord John on Lord Byron, who he researched.[4] Suff also appeared in other theatre productions, such as Clapham Omnibus's Outside (2018), Weapons of the Weak at The Other Palace (2019), Divine Intervention at the Ovalhouse (2019) and Multiplex at Brighton Fringe.[6][5]
In 2018, Suff played the lead role of The Devil in Marie Dutton's short film Lucifer.[6][7] In 2019, Suff played Oliver in Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons, which was performed at the Barons Court Theatre.[8] In 2020, Suff appeared as leading role Felix Aldridge in the short film The Other Soul to Evie.[9] That same year, during the COVID-19 lockdown in the United Kingdom, Suff wrote and performed his own short production called A Moment of Peace.[10][2] The following year, Suff portrayed Luke Jones in the first episode of the British crime drama Grace.[11] In 2022, Suff played Andy in the film The Modern Way.[6] That same year, he appeared as Jason in the short film Never Has a Man.[12] In 2023, Suff guest starred in the premier episode of the eighth series of the British ITV detective drama Granchester as a thug named Tommy Wilson.[13][14] Suff also appeared in the short films Fantoma and Modern Love.[6] Suff has also spoken about many auditions that he has "very almost" received or that went "nowhere", which he explained taught him to "appreciate each moment, whether good or bad".[3]
In December 2023, it was announced that Suff would be taking over the role of Johnny Carter on the BBC soap opera EastEnders.[15][16] The role had previously been portrayed by Sam Strike from 2013 to 2014, followed by Ted Reilly from 2016 to 2018.[17][18] EastEnders executive producer Chris Clenshaw said that he was "delighted" to welcome Suff in the role of Johnny, noting how Johnny was still linked to the soap and the "iconic" Queen Victoria pub despite not having appeared since 2018.[15] Of joining the soap, Suff said, "Johnny is a complex character who has been through so much, which I can't wait to explore. I've found EastEnders to be the most kind and loving space to work in, and I already feel like one of the family".[15] Suff also revealed that he was "so delighted" to be joining the "iconic" programme, explaining that the soap was watched in his household through as he was growing up.[15] Suff was grateful that he received a warm welcome from the cast, calling it a "joy" and calling his colleagues "fun, friendly and brilliant at what they do".[19] Suff's first episode as Johnny aired on 9 February 2024.[20] Suff's debut involved Johnny returning to the soap to help his mother, Linda Carter (Kellie Bright), who has relapsed into alcoholism.[21] Suff hinted that Johnny would be returning to the soap with a "bang" and that Johnny wants to show the other characters that he is "all grown up and not to be messed with".[12] For his role as Johnny, Suff was longlisted for "Best newcomer" at the 2024 Inside Soap Awards.[22]
In addition to acting, Suff is also the lead singer of the band Third Face, which he also plays the saxophone and guitar for.[2] Third Face also consists of a bassist, a drummer and another guitarist.[1] The band released two singles, Lost in It and Something in Movement, in 2022, and they have performed at various gigs.[1]
Acting credits
editFilmography
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unknown | Modern Love | Tom | Short film | [6] |
| Unknown | Fantoma | Raa | Short film | [6] |
| 2018 | Lucifer | The Devil | Short film | [7] |
| 2020 | A Moment of Peace | Himself/Narrator | Short film | [2] |
| 2022 | The Other Soul to Evie | Felix Aldridge | Short film | [12] |
| 2021 | Grace | Luke Jones | 1 episode (series 1) | [11] |
| 2022 | The Modern Way | Andy | Film | [6] |
| 2022 | Never Has a Man | Jason | Short film | [12] |
| 2023 | Granchester | Tommy Wilson | 1 episode (series 8) | [14] |
| 2024–present | EastEnders | Johnny Carter | Regular role | [15] |
Theatre
edit| Year | Production | Venue | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unknown | Jason and the Argonauts | Edinburgh Fringe/Take Thou That | Orpheus |
| Unknown | Journey to X | National Theatre Connections | Davey |
| Unknown | Under Milk Wood | Bristol Old Vic/West Country Tour | Lord Cutglass |
| Unknown | While Shepherds Watched | Bristol Old Vic/Schools Tour | Shepherd |
| Unknown | The Seagull | Bristol Old Vic | Trigorin |
| Unknown | The Beaux' Stratagem | Bristol Old Vic | Archer |
| Unknown | The Merchant of Venice | Bristol Old Vic | Lorenzo |
| Unknown | Constellations | Bristol Old Vic | Roland |
| Unknown | Flare Path | Bristol Old Vic | Peter Kyle |
| Unknown | Our Country's Good | Bristol Old Vic | Ralph Clark |
| Unknown | Multiplex | Brighton Fringe | Dillion |
| 2017 | How To Disappear Completely And Never Be Found | Bristol Old Vic/The Station | Tube Man/Barry |
| 2018 | The Elephant Man | Bristol Old Vic | Lord John/Snork/The Pinhead Master |
| 2018 | Dracula | Bristol Old Vic/Loco Klub | Jonathan Harker |
| 2018 | Outside | Clapham Omnibus | Charlie |
| 2019 | Cracks | Printers Playhouse | Kieron |
| 2019 | Divine Intervention | Ovalhouse | Val |
| 2019 | Weapons of the Weak | The Other Palace | Barry |
| 2019 | Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons | Barons Court Theatre | Oliver |
| Sources: [4][8][5][6] | |||
Awards and nominations
edit| Year | Award | Category | Title | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Inside Soap Awards | Best Newcomer | EastEnders | Pending | [23] |
References
edit- ^ a b c Leaver, Joel (15 February 2024). "EastEnders newcomer Charlie Suff's other career revealed in huge step away from BBC soap role". Daily Mirror. Reach plc. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f Morgan, Laura (7 February 2024). "Charlie Suff — things you didn't know about the EastEnders actor". What to Watch. Future plc. Retrieved 27 April 2024.
- ^ a b c "From ESC to Eastenders". East Sussex College. East Sussex College. 4 March 2024. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
- ^ a b c d "The Elephant Man Meet Charlie". Bristol Old Vic. Bristol Old Vic and Theatre Royal Trust Limited. 5 July 2018. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
- ^ a b c "Charlie Suff". Bristol Old Vic. Bristol Old Vic and Theatre Royal Trust Limited. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Charlie Suff". Creative Artists Management. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
- ^ a b "The devil looks for love at an open mic Lucifer by Marie Dutton Short Film Random Acts". Youtube. Random Acts. 9 June 2018.
- ^ a b Lung, Bev (10 May 2019). "Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons at Barons Court Theatre". The Up Coming. FL Media. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
- ^ Tutton, Charlotte (12 February 2024). "How old is Johnny Carter in BBC EastEnders, and what is actor Charlie Suff's age as character returns?". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
- ^ Uninterrupted Theatre Collective (23 July 2020). "'A Moment of Peace' written and performed by Charlie Suff". Youtube. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
- ^ a b "Grace cast: Who is in the new ITV drama and where have you seen them before?". Heart London. Global Media & Entertainment. 14 March 2021. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
- ^ a b c d Tulloch, Sarah; Allday, Jasmine (12 February 2024). "BBC EastEnders' Johnny Carter star Charlie Suff's life including where viewers recognise him from". OK!. Reach plc. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
- ^ Jones, S P; Hallam, Katy (9 February 2024). "EastEnders' Johnny Carter star's life off-screen and famous ITV drama role". MyLondon. Reach plc. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
- ^ a b "Grantchester season 8 cast: Meet the characters in ITV drama". Radio Times. Immediate Media Company. 15 February 2024. Retrieved 27 April 2024.
- ^ a b c d e Sarrubba, Stefania (5 December 2023). "EastEnders to bring back Johnny Carter as role is recast again". Digital Spy. Hearst Communications. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
- ^ Kettle, Emilia (5 December 2023). "EastEnders to bring back Johnny Carter played by Charlie Suff". The Echo. Newsquest. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
- ^ Iftikhar, Asyia (5 December 2023). "EastEnders gay character Johnny Carter recast again ahead of return". PinkNews. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
- ^ Hallam, Katie; Allday, Jasmine (9 February 2024). "BBC EastEnders' Johnny Carter returns to Walford with new face - where you know Charlie Suff from". Birmingham Mail. Reach plc. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
- ^ Allday, Jasmine (8 February 2024). "Where you've seen Johnny Carter star Charlie Suff before as he makes BBC EastEnders debut". Daily Mirror. Reach plc. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
- ^ Adams, Michael (3 February 2024). "EastEnders spoilers: First look at re-cast Johnny Carter's explosive return as Linda takes ill". Metro. DMG Media. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
- ^ Harp, Justin (3 February 2024). "EastEnders shares first look at Johnny Carter's return to Walford". Digital Spy. Hearst Communications. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
- ^ Harp, Justin (16 July 2024). "Emmerdale's Tom and Belle story and EastEnders' Six drama among Inside Soap Award nominees". Digital Spy. Hearst Communications. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
- ^ Timms, Chloe (20–26 July 2024). "Cast your vote now! Inside Soap Awards 2024". Inside Soap. No. 29. pp. 49–52.
External links
edit- Charlie Suff at IMDb