Jamie Bamber

Biography

Jamie Bamber (born 3 April 1973) is a British actor, known most widely for his role as Lee Adama on Battlestar Galactica. He also had a major supporting role in the Hornblower series, was a regular on UK series Ultimate Force and Peak Practice, and has made numerous television guest appearances including Cold Case, Dollhouse, Ghost Whisperer and The Last Detective. He currently stars as Detective Sergeant Matt Devlin on the ITV series Law & Order: UK. Early Life Bamber was born Jamie St John Bamber Griffith in Hammersmith, London, to Northern Irish mother Elizabeth and an American father Ralph. He holds American citizenship through his father though he retains his British nationality. Bamber has five brothers and a sister, actress Anastasia Griffith. Bamber was educated at St Paul's School in Barnes, London, and received a First in Modern Languages (Italian and French) from St John's College, Cambridge, before attending the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. From 2003-2009, Bamber starred as Lee 'Apollo' Adama in the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica on the US SciFi (now SyFy) Channel. Since its release, the show received critical acclaim from the American media and was honored with a number of awards and award nominations in its four-season run; Bamber was nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor for Battlestar Galactica in 2004. In the role of Lee Adama, Londoner Bamber speaks with an American accent. He also darkened his hair, in an effort to more closely resemble Edward James Olmos, who plays his character's father. Reciprocally, Olmos wore contact lenses with blue irises to match Bamber's eyes.[4] Bamber wrote the foreword for Titan Books' Battlestar Galactica: The Official Companion Season Three by David Bassom. Of the show's dramatic resonance, he said:"...that's what good drama lets us do. It allows us to see and to feel things we otherwise would not. And great drama allows us to do that on every level: the psychological, the personal and the political. I am proud to say that in the pared down world of Battlestar Galactica there is no plot, no character and no relationship that does not breathe the oxygen of all three levels at once." Outside of Battlestar Galactica, Bamber's most well-known role has been as Lieutenant Archibald 'Archie' Kennedy in the popular ITV series Hornblower. He appeared in five of the made-for-TV movies, in which Kennedy (rising in ranks from midshipman to lieutenant) has a much expanded role from that essayed in C.S. Forester's novels. Bamber has also had roles in the theatre. In 2005 he received good reviews for his performance as Mephistopheles in Dr Faustus; he also portrayed Prince Hal in Henry IV, Parts 1 and 2 at the Bristol Old Vic in 2002. He has also acted in radio serials, playing major roles such as Sebastian Flyte in Brideshead Revisited and Philip in Where Angels Fear to Tread for BBC Radio 4. Bamber played the starring role in 2008's film Pulse 2: Afterlife, a direct-to-DVD sequel and also starred in Ghost Rig along with Kerry Norton, who was later to become his wife. He has portrayed Matt Devlin on Law & Order: UK since 2009.[11][12] The character bears some similarities to the original Law & Order character Mike Logan; he will return for the show's third series, which begins airing in September 2010. He guest starred in the second season premiere of Joss Whedon's Dollhouse where his character is wed to Echo, played by Eliza Dushku, during one of her missions. Bamber will make his French-language acting debut in 2011 in Martin Valente's Le pere de ma fille, portraying the fiancé of the female lead played by French pop star Olivia Ruiz. According to Bamber, his character is loosely based on Andre Agassi.[14] The film also stars François Berléand and Gérard Jugnot. Personal Life Bamber is married to British actress Kerry Norton. The couple have three daughters: Isla, and identical twins Darcy and Ava. Bamber has appeared in an ad for PETA opposing the killing of Canadian black bears for fur. Filmography Starring roles Year Title Role Other notes 1998 Hornblower: The Even Chance Midshipman Archie Kennedy TV 1999 Hornblower: The Duchess and the Devil Midshipman Archie Kennedy TV 1999 Hornblower: The Frogs and the Lobsters Acting Lt Archie Kennedy TV 1999 The Scarlet Pimpernel Lord Tony Dewhurst Mini Series 2000 Lady Audley's Secret George Talboys TV 2000 The Murder of Roger Ackroyd Ralph Paton TV 2001 Peak Practice Dr Matt Kendal (2001–2002) TV Series 2001 Band of Brothers 2nd Lt Jack Foley Mini Series 2001 Hornblower: Retribution 4th Lt Archie Kennedy TV 2001 Hornblower: Mutiny 4th Lt Archie Kennedy TV 2001 The Devil's Tattoo (UK) Ghost Rig (US) Tom Film 2002 Ultimate Force Lt Dennis "Dotsy" Doheny (2002–2003) TV Series 2002 Daniel Deronda Hans Meyrick TV 2003 Battlestar Galactica Captain Lee 'Apollo' Adama Mini Series 2004 Battlestar Galactica Lee 'Apollo' Adama (2004–2009) TV Series 2008 Pulse 2: Afterlife Stephen Film 2009 Law & Order: UK Detective Sergeant Matt Devlin (2009–present) TV Series 2010 Outcasts Mitchell Hoban TV Series Bamber also appeared in the 1994 student film Shifting Sands.[18] [edit] Guest-starring roles Year Title Role Episode 2000 Poirot Ralph Paton 8.1 "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd" 2001 Bob Martin James 2.2 "Big break" 2004 This Morning Himself 2006 The Last Detective Luke 2007 Ghost Whisperer Bryan Curtis 2.17 "The Walk In" 2007 Cold Case Jack Kimball 4.15 "Blood on the Tracks" 2009 Dollhouse Martin Klar 2.1 "Vows"