Simon Brooks

Brooks was born in the small East Yorkshire port of Goole in the summer of 1968. His acting talent was first spotted at the age of 10 by his teacher Doreen Hislop, who cast him as 'Small Boy' in the end-of-term play Amelia-Anne and the Umbrella. That small but pivotal role led to many other stage successes, among them Badger in Wind in the Willows, Bill Cracker in Brecht's Happy End, the MC in Cabaret, and a trio of Shakespeare roles: Falstaff, King Lear and A Midsummer Night's Dream, in which the audience were delighted to see Brooks's Bottom. His first professional role came in Nigel Williams' controversial stage play The Adventures of Jaspar Ridley, with Hull Truck Theatre in 1985. This led to a small but pivotal role in the BBC's hard-hitting drama Spyship (1983). Since then Brooks has been resting, playing rock 'n' roll (Brooks is also a talented drummer), singing karaoke and belly-dancing, although it was recently announced that he plans to kickstart his acting career in the new year with an appearance in the new, as yet untitled, Bob Hoskins movie.