Editing Dexter Fletcher

{{short description|British actor and director}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2012}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}}
{{Infobox person
| name             = Dexter Fletcher
|image             = Philip Sinden photographer portrait photo of Dexter Fletcher.jpg
| caption          = Fletcher in 2019
| birth_date       = {{birth date and age|1966|1|31|df=yes}}
| birth_place      = [[London Borough of Enfield|Enfield]], [[Greater London]], [[England]]
| death_date       =
| death_place      =
| occupation       = {{hlist|Film director|actor}}
| years_active     = 1976–present
| spouse           = {{marriage|[[Dalia Ibelhauptaitė]]|1997}}
}}
'''Dexter Fletcher''' (born 31 January 1966) is an English film director and actor. He has appeared in [[Guy Ritchie]]'s ''[[Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels]]'', as well as in television shows such as the [[comedy drama]] ''[[Hotel Babylon (BBC series)|Hotel Babylon]]'' and the [[HBO]] series ''[[Band of Brothers (miniseries)|Band of Brothers]]'' and, earlier in his career, starred as Spike Thomson in the comedy drama ''[[Press Gang]]''. His earliest acting role was playing Baby Face in the 1976 film ''[[Bugsy Malone]]''. 

Fletcher made his directorial debut with ''[[Wild Bill (2011 film)|Wild Bill]]''  (2011), and also directed ''[[Sunshine on Leith (film)|Sunshine on Leith]]'' (2013) and ''[[Eddie the Eagle (film)|Eddie the Eagle]]'' (2015). He replaced [[Bryan Singer]] as director of ''[[Bohemian Rhapsody (film)|Bohemian Rhapsody]]'', a biopic about the band [[Queen (band)|Queen]], released in October 2018; due to [[Directors Guild of America|DGA]] rules, he received executive producer credit. In 2019, he directed ''[[Rocketman (film)|Rocketman]]'', a [[biographical film]] based on the life and music of performer [[Elton John]].

==Career==
Fletcher trained at the [[Anna Scher|Anna Scher Theatre]].<ref name="bbcbio">{{cite web |title=Dexter Fletcher |work=BBC Drama |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/drama/people/dexter_fletcher_person_page.shtml?link=/drama/faces/dexter_fletcher.shtml |access-date=2 December 2007}}</ref> His first film part was as Baby Face in ''[[Bugsy Malone]]'' (1976). He made his stage début the following year in a production of ''A Midsummer Night's Dream''. As a youth actor he was regularly featured in British productions in the early 1980s, including ''[[The Long Good Friday]]'', ''[[The Elephant Man (1980 film)|The Elephant Man]]'' and ''[[The Bounty (1984 film)|The Bounty]]''. In 1987 Fletcher was cast in ''[[Lionheart_(1987_film)|Lionheart]]''. As an adult he appeared on television as the rebellious teenager Spike Thomson in ''[[Press Gang]]'' and in ''[[Murder Most Horrid]]'' (1991) with [[Dawn French]]. He has also starred in the films ''[[Caravaggio (1986 film)|Caravaggio]]'' (1986), ''[[The Rachel Papers]]'' (1989), ''[[Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels]]'' (1998), ''[[Layer Cake (film)|Layer Cake]]'' (2004), AffirmFilm's ''[[Solomon (film)|Solomon]]'' as [[Rehoboam]] and Universal's ''[[Doom (film)|Doom]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0002077/|title=Dexter Fletcher|website=IMDb}}</ref>

He appeared as Puck in Britten's ''[[A Midsummer Night's Dream (opera)|A Midsummer Night's Dream]]'' in 1981 at [[Glyndebourne Festival Opera|Glyndebourne Opera]] and on their autumn tour,<ref>Blyth, Alan. Review of A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Apollo Theatre in Oxford. ''[[Opera (British magazine)|Opera]]'', December 1981, Vol.32 No.12 p1294.</ref> and then again in 1990 in an Opera London production at [[Sadler's Wells Theatre|Sadler's Wells]],<ref>Goodwin, Noel. Review of A Midsummer Night's Dream. ''Opera'', Vol.41 No.12 p1502-03.</ref> subsequently recorded by [[Virgin Classics]].<ref>[https://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2007/Nov07/Britten_Midsummer_3818322.htm CD Review Benjamin Britten, A Midsummer Night’s Dream Op. 64, Virgin Classics 3818322.] accessed 4 March 2024.</ref>

On television Fletcher has appeared in the major [[HBO]] drama, ''[[Band of Brothers (miniseries)|Band of Brothers]]'' and in a supporting role in the BBC One historical drama ''[[The Virgin Queen (TV serial)|The Virgin Queen]]'' (US PBS 2005, UK 2006). He also appeared in [[Kylie Minogue]]'s music video for "[[Some Kind of Bliss]]" (1997). He starred on [[BBC One]] in a series based on [[Imogen Edwards-Jones]]'s book ''[[Hotel Babylon (BBC series)|Hotel Babylon]]'' that ran for four series before being cancelled in 2009.<ref name="bbcbio"/> He also appeared in "[[The Booby and the Beast]]", an episode in the second series of the BBC's series ''[[Robin Hood (2006 TV series)|Robin Hood]]'' and in the 2008 radio series ''[[The Way We Live Right Now]]''. He appeared in the ''[[Bo' Selecta!]]'' spinoff ''A Bear's Tail'' as The Scriptwriter. He played a brief role in the BBC series ''[[New Tricks (TV series)|New Tricks]]'', in the episode "Final Curtain", as an actor named Tommy Jackson.
In 2009, he also appeared in [[Misfits (TV series)|''Misfits'']] as Nathan Young's dad, reprising the role in 2010 for the second series. 

Fletcher has been the voice for McDonald's television adverts and (feigning a US accent) is the narrator of ''[[The Game: Penetrating the Secret Society of Pickup Artists|The Game]]'' audio book written by Neil Strauss. He also narrated the Five series ''Airforce Afghanistan'', as well as the ''Chop Shop: London Garage'' series on the [[Discovery Channel]]. In 1993, he was the voice of Prince Cinders in the short animated comedy of the same name. Also in 1993, he was the uncredited [[UNIT]] soldier narrator of the ''UNIT Recruiting Film'' – a five-minute spoof piece that preceded a [[BBC1]] repeat of the sixth and final episode of ''[[Doctor Who]]'' story ''[[Planet of the Daleks]]''.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://guide.doctorwhonews.net/story.php?story=UNITRecruitingFilm/1&uc_cast=1/ |title=UNIT Recruiting Film |access-date=8 June 2018 |publisher=Doctor Who Guide}}</ref> In 2014 he narrated the BBC1 show ''Del Boys and Dealers''. In 1998, Fletcher featured on the song "Here Comes the Flood" from the album ''[[Fin de Siècle (album)|Fin de Siecle]]'' by [[The Divine Comedy (band)|The Divine Comedy]]. 

===Directing===
Fletcher's debut as a director was for a script he co-wrote, ''[[Wild Bill (2011 film)|Wild Bill]]'',<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.acast.com/distractionpieces/dexterfletcher-distractionpiecespodcastwithscroobiuspip-269|title=Dexter Fletcher • Distraction Pieces Podcast with Scroobius Pip #269 {{!}} Distraction Pieces Podcast with Scroobius Pip on acast|last=acast|date=2019-05-21|website=acast|language=en|access-date=2019-05-22}}</ref> which was released on 20 March 2012. His second film as director is a musical film by [[Stephen Greenhorn]], ''[[Sunshine on Leith (film)|Sunshine on Leith]]'' based around the popular [[The Proclaimers|Proclaimers]] songs which were released on 4 October 2013.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.curtisbrown.co.uk/paul-brannigan-receives-scottish-bafta-nomination/|title=Curtis Brown|website=www.Curtis brown.co.uk}}</ref> In 2015, he directed the feature film ''[[Eddie the Eagle (film)|Eddie the Eagle]]''. In December 2017, Fletcher was announced as [[Bryan Singer]]'s replacement director on the [[Queen (band)|Queen]] biopic ''[[Bohemian Rhapsody (film)|Bohemian Rhapsody]]''. The film was released in November 2018. While Fletcher had helped finish the film, Singer received sole directing credit and he received executive producer credit.<ref>[https://deadline.com/2017/12/dexter-fletcher-replaces-bryan-singer-on-bohemian-rhapsody-1202221696/ Dexter Fletcher Replaces Bryan Singer On 'Bohemian Rhapsody'] ''Deadline''. Retrieved 6 December 2017.</ref> Fletcher directed the 2019 biopic ''[[Rocketman (film)|Rocketman]]'' about the life and music of [[Elton John]]. In February 2020, he signed on to direct a reboot of ''[[The Saint (1997 film)|The Saint]]'' for [[Paramount Pictures]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://variety.com/2020/film/news/paramount-rocketmans-dexter-fletcher-the-saint-reboot-1203505890/|title='Rocketman' Filmmaker Dexter Fletcher to Direct 'The Saint' Reboot (EXCLUSIVE)|publisher=Variety|date=18 February 2020|author=Justin Kroll|access-date=29 January 2023}}</ref> He also directed the [[Apple TV+]] feature film [[Ghosted (2023 film)|''Ghosted'']], which was released in April 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |date=19 August 2019 |title='Ghosted' Director Implies That Apple Used Algorithm Data Instead of His Own Vision |url=https://www.worldofreel.com/blog/2023/4/qznbvs3rjrrlr9stlc3lp5z36dscc7 |website=World of Reel}}</ref><ref>[https://deadline.com/2023/01/ghosted-director-dexter-fletcher-hints-april-release-film-chris-evans-ana-de-armas-1235223310/]</ref>

==Personal life==
Fletcher was born in Enfield, the youngest of three boys, in north London, and grew up with his brothers in [[Woodford Green]] and [[Palmers Green]]; his parents were teachers.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/2784358/Fame-and-fortune-Dexter-Fletcher.html |title=Fame and fortune: Dexter Fletcher |journal=Daily Telegraph |date=2008-02-14 |access-date=2019-05-22 |issn=0307-1235}}</ref> 

In 1997, he married [[Lithuanians|Lithuanian]] film and theatre director [[Dalia Ibelhauptaitė]] in [[London Borough of Westminster|Westminster]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.findmypast.com/BirthsMarriagesDeaths.jsp|title=Marriages England and Wales 1984–2005|access-date=8 January 2009|archive-date=4 November 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151104084417/http://www.findmypast.com/BirthsMarriagesDeaths.jsp|url-status=dead}}</ref> His best man was fellow actor [[Alan Rickman]].<ref name="bbcbio"/> Dexter's brothers were also actors; Graham Fletcher-Cook<ref>{{IMDb name|282147|Graham Fletcher-Cook}} {{unreliable?|date=March 2019}}</ref> and Steve Fletcher.<ref>{{IMDb name|282117|Steve Fletcher}} {{unreliable?|date=March 2019}}</ref> Fletcher is a dual British and Lithuanian citizen, having been granted Lithuanian citizenship in recognition of his work promoting Lithuanian cultural affairs.<ref>{{cite web|title=Lietuvos pilietybę gavęs Dexteris Fletcheris: tai įkvepia stengtis, siekiant, kad Lietuvos vardas būtų dar svarbesnis pasaulio kontekste|date=20 May 2021|publisher=Lithuanian Radio and Television|url=https://www.lrt.lt/naujienos/veidai/14/1413907/lietuvos-pilietybe-gaves-dexteris-fletcheris-tai-ikvepia-stengtis-siekiant-kad-lietuvos-vardas-butu-dar-svarbesnis-pasaulio-kontekste}}</ref>

==Filmography==

===Acting credits===
{| class="wikitable"
|+Key
| style="background:#FFFFCC;"| {{dagger|alt=Not yet released}}
|Denotes works that have not yet been released
|}

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ Films
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
|1973
|''[[Steptoe and Son Ride Again]]''
|Small Boy
|
|-
| 1976 || ''[[Bugsy Malone]]'' || Babyface ||
|-
| 1979 || ''[[The Long Good Friday]]'' || The boy who asks for money to watch Harold's car ||
|-
| 1980 || ''[[The Elephant Man (1980 film)|The Elephant Man]]''||Bytes' Boy||
|-
| 1984 || ''[[The Bounty (1984 film)|The Bounty]]'' || Able Seaman Thomas Ellison ||
|-
| 1985 || ''[[Revolution (1985 film)|Revolution]]''  || Ned Dobb ||
|-
| 1986 || ''[[Caravaggio (1986 film)|Caravaggio]]'' || Young Caravaggio ||
|-
|rowspan="2"| 1988 || ''[[Didn't You Kill My Brother?]]'' || Bike thief ||
|-
| ''[[The Raggedy Rawney]]'' || Tom ||
|-
|rowspan="2"| 1989 || ''[[The Rachel Papers]]'' || Charles Highway ||
|-
| ''[[Twisted Obsession]]'' || Malcolm Greene ||
|-
| 1991 || ''All Out'' || Angelo ||
|-
| 1993 || ''Prince Cinders'' ||  Prince Cinders ||
|-
| 1996 || ''[[Jude (film)|Jude]]'' ||  Priest ||
|-
| 1997 || ''[[The Man Who Knew Too Little]]'' || Otto ||
|-
| 1998 || ''[[Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels]]'' || Soap ||
|-
|rowspan="2"| 1999 || ''[[Topsy-Turvy]]'' || Louis ||
|-
| ''[[Tube Tales]]'' || Joe || Segment: ''Mr Cool''
|-
| 2000  || ''[[The Patriot (2000 film)|The Patriot]]'' ||Cornwallis' tailor/valet|| 
|-
| 2002  || ''[[Below (film)|Below]]'' ||Kingsley|| 
|-
| 2003  || ''[[Stander (film)|Stander]]'' ||[[Lee McCall]]|| 
|-
|rowspan="2"| 2004  || ''The Secret of Year Six'' ||Mike|| 
|-
|  ''[[Layer Cake (film)|Layer Cake]]'' ||Cody|| 
|-
| 2005  || ''[[Doom (film)|Doom]]'' ||Marcus "Pinky" Pinzerowski|| 
|-
| 2006  || ''[[Tristan & Isolde (film)|Tristan & Isolde]]'' ||Orick|| 
|-
| 2007  || ''[[Stardust (2007 film)|Stardust]]'' ||Skinny Pirate|| 
|-
| 2008  || ''[[Autumn (2009 film)|Autumn]]'' ||Michael|| 
|-
|rowspan="3"| 2010  || ''[[Kick-Ass (film)|Kick-Ass]]'' ||Cody||
|-
| ''[[Amaya (2010 film)|Amaya]]'' ||Frenchman||
|-
| ''[[Dead Cert (2010 film)|Dead Cert]]'' ||Eddie Christian||
|-
|rowspan="4"| 2011  || ''[[Jack Falls]]'' ||Detective Edwards||
|-
| ''[[Fedz]]'' ||Hunter||
|-
| ''[[The Three Musketeers (2011 film)|The Three Musketeers]]'' ||D'Artagnan's father||
|-
| ''[[Wild Bill (2011 film)|Wild Bill]]'' ||Mysterious Barry|| 
|-
|rowspan="2"| 2012 || ''Coven'' || Mr. Sheers || 
|-
|''[[St George's Day (film)|St George's Day]]'' || Levi ||
|-
|rowspan="2"| 2014 || ''[[Muppets Most Wanted]]'' || || Cameo; deleted scenes
|-
| ''Respectable: The Mary Millington Story'' ||Narrator|| 
|-
|2016
|''Smoking Guns''
|Paul McVeigh
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2018 
| ''[[Terminal (film)|Terminal]]''|| Vince ||
|-
|''[[Sherlock Gnomes]]''
|Reggie
|Voice role
|-
| 2023
| ''[[Ghosted (2023 film)|Ghosted]]''
| Raoul
|
|-
| 2023 
|''[[Love at First Sight (2023 film)|Love at First Sight]]''|| Val ||
|}

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ Television
|- style="background:#b0c4de; text-align:center;"
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
| 1978 || ''[[Les Misérables (1978 film)|Les Miserables]]'' || [[Gavroche]] || TV film
|-
| 1989|| ''[[The Bill]]'' || Tony Gillespie || Episode: "The Strong Survive"
|-
| 1989-1993 || ''[[Press Gang]]'' || James (Spike) Thomson || Main role; 43 episodes 
|-
| 1991 || ''[[Murder Most Horrid]]'' ||Colin|| Season 1, Episode 5 "Murder at Tea Time"
|-
| 1993–1994 || ''[[GamesMaster]]'' ||Presenter|| Season 3
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1997 || ''[[The Famous Five (1995 TV series)|The Famous Five]]'' ||Lou|| 
|-
| ''[[Solomon (film)|Solomon]]'' ||[[Rehoboam]]||
|-
| 2001  || ''[[Band of Brothers (miniseries)|Band of Brothers]]'' ||John Martin|| 
|-
| 2003 || ''[[The Deal (2003 film)|The Deal]]'' ||[[Charlie Whelan]]|| TV film
|-
| 2004 || ''[[The Virgin Queen (TV serial)|The Virgin Queen]]''
||[[Thomas Radclyffe, 3rd Earl of Sussex]]||
|-
| 2006–2009 || ''[[Hotel Babylon (BBC series)|Hotel Babylon]]'' ||Tony Casemore|| 32 episodes
|-
| 2007 || ''[[Robin Hood (2006 TV series)|Robin Hood]]'' ||Count Friedrich|| 1 episode
|-
| 2008 || ''[[New Tricks]]'' ||Tommy Jackson|| Episode: "Final Curtain"
|-
| 2009  || ''[[Misfits (TV series)|Misfits]]'' ||Mike Young|| 
|-
| 2011 || ''[[White Van Man (TV series)|White Van Man]]'' ||Ian|| 
|-
| 2013  || ''[[Death in Paradise (TV series)|Death in Paradise]]'' ||Grant, The Cabin Barman|| 
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2014 || ''[[Rev. (TV series)|Rev.]]'' ||Mike Tobin|| Episode: 3.3
|-
| ''[[Mount Pleasant (TV series)|Mount Pleasant]]'' ||Gus||
|-
| 2020  || ''[[I Hate Suzie]]'' ||Benjamin||
|-
|}

=== Filmmaking credits ===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! width=65 |Director
! Executive<br>producer
! width=65 |Writer
! Notes
|-
| 1999
| ''Let the Good Times Roll''
| {{No}}
| {{No}}
| {{Yes}}
| Short film
|-
| rowspan="2" |2010
|''Just for the Record'' 
| {{No}}
| {{Yes}}
| {{No}}
|
|-
|''[[Dead Cert (2010 film)|Dead Cert]]''
| {{No}}
| {{Yes}}
| {{No}}
|
|-
| 2011
| ''[[Wild Bill (2011 film)|Wild Bill]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| {{yes}}
|
|-
| 2013
| ''[[Sunshine on Leith (film)|Sunshine on Leith]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
|
|-
| 2015
| ''[[Eddie the Eagle (film)|Eddie the Eagle]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
|
|-
| 2018
| ''[[Bohemian Rhapsody (film)|Bohemian Rhapsody]]''
| {{No}}
| {{Yes}}
| {{No}}
| {{no wrap|Replaced [[Bryan Singer]] as director}} for the final two weeks of filming;<br>Received credit as [[executive producer]] in accordance with [[Directors Guild of America|DGA]] rules
|-
| 2019
| ''[[Rocketman (film)|Rocketman]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
|
|-
| 2022
| ''[[The Offer]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| Directed 2 episodes
|-
| 2023
| ''[[Ghosted (2023 film)|Ghosted]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
| {{no}}
|
|}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* Holmstrom, John. ''The Moving Picture Boy: An International Encyclopaedia from 1895 to 1995''. Norwich, Michael Russell, 1996, pp.&nbsp;358–360.

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* {{IMDb name|2077}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20100731150542/http://intothespotlight.co.uk/#/dexter-fletcher/4550141245 Interview with Dexter Fletcher]

{{Dexter Fletcher}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fletcher, Dexter}}
[[Category:1966 births]]
[[Category:Actors from the London Borough of Enfield]]
[[Category:Alumni of the Anna Scher Theatre School]]
[[Category:English film directors]]
[[Category:English film producers]]
[[Category:English male film actors]]
[[Category:English male television actors]]
[[Category:English male voice actors]]
[[Category:Lithuanian male film actors]]
[[Category:Lithuanian film directors]]
[[Category:Lithuanian film producers]]
[[Category:Lithuanian male television actors]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Male actors from London]]