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Nick Berry
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{{Short description|English actor (b. 1963)}} {{For|Australian sportsman|Nic Berry}} {{Other people|Nicholas Berry}} {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2016}} {{Infobox person | name = Nick Berry | image = Nick Berry in Canada.jpg | imagesize = | caption = Nick Berry as Nick Rowan, in [[Cochrane, Alberta]], 1998 | birth_name = Nicholas Berry | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1963|4|16}} | birth_place = [[Woodford, London|Woodford]], Essex, England | occupation = {{hlist|Actor|singer}} | years_active = {{hlist|1976|1983β2003|2012}} | spouse = {{marriage|Rachel Robertson|1994}} | children = 2 }} '''Nicholas Berry''' (born 16 April 1963) is a retired English actor and pop singer. He is best known for his roles as [[Simon Wicks]] in ''[[EastEnders]]'' from 1985 to 1990, and as [[Constable|PC]] Nick Rowan in ''[[Heartbeat (British TV series)|Heartbeat]]'' from 1992 to 1998. He sang UK chart singles with "[[Every Loser Wins]]" in 1986, which went to number one, and the theme song from ''Heartbeat'', a cover of the [[Buddy Holly]] song "[[Heartbeat (Buddy Holly song)|Heartbeat]]", in 1992. ==Early life== Berry started acting at the age of eight, and attended the [[Sylvia Young Theatre School]] in London.<ref name="sylvia">{{Cite web |title= Sylvia Young Theatre School - Alumni |url=https://www.sylviayoungtheatreschool.co.uk/page/?title=Alumni&pid=74 |work= sylviayoungtheatreschool.co.uk |access-date= 4 April 2024 }}</ref> ==Career== Berry played minor parts on television, film and stage, until his big break playing [[Simon Wicks|Simon 'Wicksy' Wicks]] in the [[BBC]] soap opera ''[[EastEnders]]'', joining the series shortly after its inception in 1985 and staying until the end of 1990. Berry's character was thought up overnight and had been scheduled to appear later. However, he was introduced to restore the cast balance distorted by the unexpected departure of actor [[David Scarboro]] who played the original [[Mark Fowler]]. Scarboro's departure meant many of his functions as one of the senior of the young characters would need to be taken over by another character and thus Wicksy was introduced rather sooner than originally planned and Berry was cast with minimal delay.<ref name='insidestory'>{{cite book |last=Smith|first= Julia|author-link= Julia Smith (producer)|author2=Holland, Tony |author-link2=Tony Holland |title= EastEnders β The Inside Story |year=1987|publisher=Book Club Associates|isbn=0-563-20601-2|title-link= EastEnders spin-offs#Non-fiction books}}</ref> He was quickly hailed as ''EastEnders''' top pin-up and during this time was besieged by fan mail from female admirers.<ref name='EEHandbook'>{{cite book |last= Kingsley|first= Hilary|title= The EastEnders Handbook |year=1990|publisher=BBC books|isbn=0-563-36292-8|title-link= EastEnders spin-offs#Non-fiction books}}</ref> Berry soon took a break from ''EastEnders'' to tour and make an album from which the number-one single "[[Every Loser Wins]]" came in 1986. The song was heavily featured within ''EastEnders'' in a plotline referred to as [[The Banned (EastEnders)|The Banned]] in which the youths of Albert Square formed a pop group and performed the songs on screen.<ref name="insidestory"/> It was the second-biggest-selling single in the UK that year, remaining at number one for three weeks. Its composers, [[Simon May]], Stewart James and Bradley James, received an [[Ivor Novello Awards|Ivor Novello Award]]. Berry returned to ''EastEnders'' after his musical career stalled but left again in an 'open to return' storyline which was aired in December 1990. His character has only made one brief re-appearance since in an episode dated 13 January 2012, marking the funeral of his on-screen mother, played by [[Pam St Clement]]. In 1992, Berry was cast in the role of policeman PC (later Sgt) Nick Rowan in [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]]'s drama series ''[[Heartbeat (British TV series)|Heartbeat]]'' (1992β98). Berry recorded the title song "[[Heartbeat (Buddy Holly song)|Heartbeat]]" in 1992, a cover of the 1958 [[Buddy Holly]] hit, which reached number two in the UK singles chart and spawned a second album.<ref>'[http://www.everyhit.com/searchsec.php Nick Berry chart positions]', ''everyhit.com''. Retrieved 15 December 2006.</ref> His wife Rachel Robertson also appeared in the series in small one-off roles. Berry's era ended with a one-off twin episode special showing his character's new career as a [[Royal Canadian Mounted Police|Royal Canadian Mounted Police Officer]]. In 1998, Berry left ''Heartbeat'' for the [[BBC One]] series ''[[Harbour Lights (TV series)|Harbour Lights]]''. Filmed around the area of [[Bridport]] he played [[harbourmaster]] Mike Nicholls, which ran for two series. Berry's other credits include ''The Mystery of Men'' with [[Neil Pearson]] and [[Warren Clarke]], ''Respect'', ''Paparazzo'', "Duck Patrol", ''[[The Black Velvet Band]]'' with [[Todd Carty]], and playing the police office Liam Ketman alongside [[Stephen Tompkinson]] in the BBC crime drama ''In Deep''. Berry retired from acting and ran his own production company{{huh|date=December 2024}} called Valentine Productions. Berry resigned from the company in October 2019.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://tv.bt.com/tv/tv-soap/heartbeat-nick-berry-tricia-penrose-where-are-the-cast-of-the-itv-drama-series-now-11364058621879 |title=Heartbeat: Nick Berry, Tricia Penrose - Where are the cast of the ITV drama series now? |first=Alex |last=Fletcher |date=6 May 2016|work=BT TV }}</ref> ==Personal life== Just before he joined the cast of ''EastEnders'', Berry fractured his skull in a car crash but went on to make a full recovery.<ref name='EEHandbook'/> During his time in ''EastEnders'', Berry was in a relationship with fellow cast member [[Gillian Taylforth]], who played [[Kathy Beale]].<ref name='EEHandbook'/> Berry married actress Rachel Robertson in 1994. The couple have two sons. Berry is a supporter of [[West Ham United F.C.]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ave-it.net/west_ham_united%20famous%20fans.htm |title=West Ham United Famous Fans β West Ham Celebrity Fans |publisher=Ave-it.net |access-date=3 May 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120522071358/http://www.ave-it.net/west_ham_united%20famous%20fans.htm |archive-date=22 May 2012 }}</ref> ==Filmography== ===Films=== {| class="wikitable" |- style="background:#b0c4de; text-align:center;" ! Year ! Film ! Role ! Notes |- | rowspan="2"| 1983 | ''[[Forever Young (1983 film)|Forever Young]]'' | Boy at school | |- | ''[[Party Party (film)|Party Party]]'' | Ralph | |- || 1989 | ''[[Tank Malling]]'' | Joe McGrath | |- || 1995 | ''Paparazzo'' | Rick Caulker | |} ===TV=== {| class="wikitable" |- style="background:#b0c4de; text-align:center;" ! Year ! Show ! Role ! Notes |- || 1976 | ''BBC2 Playhouse'' | Carter | 1 episode: ''Kites'' |- || 1983 | ''[[Dramarama (TV series)|Dramarama]]'' | Lance Boyle | 1 episode: ''Rip It Up'' |- |rowspan="2"| 1984 | ''[[Dramarama (TV series)|Dramarama]]'' | Paul Walker | 1 episode: ''The Purple People Eater'' |- | ''[[The Box of Delights (TV series)|The Box of Delights]]'' | Pirate Rat | 2 episodes: ''Where Shall the 'Knighted Showman Go?''<br />''In Darkest Cellars Underneath'' |- || 1985 | ''[[Cover Her Face]]'' | Tony | 1 episode: ''1.2'' |- || 1985β1990, 2012 | ''[[EastEnders]]'' | [[Simon Wicks]] | Series regular: 466 episodes |- || 1991 | ''[[Cluedo (UK game show)|Cluedo]]'' | Ben the Window-Cleaner | 1 episode: ''Charity Begins at Home'' |- || 1992β1998 | ''[[Heartbeat (British TV series)|Heartbeat]]'' | Nick Rowan | Series regular: 96 episodes |- || 1996 | ''Respect'' | Bobby Carr | |- || 1997 | ''Black Velvet Band'' | Martin Tusco | |- || 1998 | ''[[Heartbeat (British TV series)|Heartbeat: Changing Places]]'' | Nick Rowan | Spin-off video |- || 1999 | ''The Mystery of Men'' | Colin Dunbar | |- || 1999β2000 | ''[[Harbour Lights (TV series)|Harbour Lights]]'' | Lt. Cmdr. Mike Nicholls | Series regular: 16 episodes |- || 2001β2003 | ''[[In Deep (TV series)|In Deep]]'' | Liam Ketman | Series regular: 22 episodes |} ==Discography== ===Albums=== {| class="wikitable" |- style="background:#b0c4de; text-align:center;" !rowspan="2"|Year !rowspan="2"|Album details !colspan="1"|Peak chart positions |- !width="25"|[[UK Albums Chart|UK]]<br /><ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums">{{cite book | first= David | last= Roberts | year= 2006 | title= British Hit Singles & Albums | edition= 19th | publisher= Guinness World Records Limited | location= London | isbn= 1-904994-10-5 | page= 55}}</ref> |- |1986 |''Nick Berry'' *Debut studio album *Released: 1 December 1986 *Formats: [[LP record|LP]], [[Compact Cassette|Cassette]] |{{center|99}} |- |1992 |''Nick Berry'' *Second studio album *Released: 9 November 1992 *Formats: CD, [[Compact Cassette|Cassette]] |{{center|28}} |} <small>* The two identically titled albums are different.</small> ===Singles=== {| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" |- ! rowspan="2"|Year ! rowspan="2"|Single details ! colspan="3"|Peak chart positions ! rowspan="2"|Album |- ! width="25"|[[UK Singles Chart|UK]]<br /><ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums"/> ! width="25"|[[Kent Music Report|AUS]]<br /><ref name=aus>{{cite book|last=Kent|first=David|author-link=David Kent (historian)|title=Australian Chart Book 1970β1992|edition=illustrated|publisher=Australian Chart Book|location=St Ives, N.S.W.|year=1993|isbn=0-646-11917-6|page=34}}</ref> ! width="25"|[[Irish Singles Chart|IRE]]<br /><ref>{{cite web |url=http://irishcharts.ie/search/placement?page=1&search_type=artist&placement=Nick+Berry |title=Nick Berry |work=The Irish Charts }}</ref> |- || 1986 !scope="row"| "[[Every Loser Wins]]" *Released: 13 October 1986<ref>{{Cite web |date=11 October 1986 |title=Music-Week-1986-10-11-I.pdf |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1986/Music-Week-1986-10-11-I.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230131122235/https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1986/Music-Week-1986-10-11-I.pdf |archive-date=31 January 2023 |access-date=2 March 2023 |website=worldradiohistory.com}}{{Page needed | date = March 2023}}</ref> |1 || 93 || β |rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | ''Nick Berry'' |- || 1987 !scope="row"| "It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time" *Released: March 1987 <ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.45cat.com/record/resl212|title=Nick Berry - It Seemed Like A Good Idea At The Time|via=www.45cat.com}}</ref> | β || β || β |- |rowspan="2"| 1992 !scope="row"| "[[Heartbeat (Buddy Holly song)|Heartbeat]]" *Released: 1 June 1992 | 2 || β || 18 |rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | ''Nick Berry'' |- !scope="row"| "[[Long Live Love (Chris Andrews song)|Long Live Love]]" *Released: 19 October 1992 | 47|| β || β |} ==References== {{Reflist|2}} ==External links== * {{IMDb name|id=0077639|name=Nick Berry}} * {{discogs artist}} * [https://web.archive.org/web/20030211012936/http://www.bbc.co.uk/drama/faces/nick_berry.shtml Nick Berry] β BBC Drama * [http://nicholasrhea.co.uk/heartbeat/nickrowan.html Nick Berry as Nick Rowan] β 'Heartbeat' {{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Berry, Nick}} [[Category:1963 births]] [[Category:Actors from Epping]] [[Category:Actors from the London Borough of Redbridge]] [[Category:Alumni of the Sylvia Young Theatre School]] [[Category:BBC Records artists]] [[Category:English male film actors]] [[Category:English male soap opera actors]] [[Category:English pop singers]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Male actors from Essex]] [[Category:People from Woodford, London]] [[Category:Singers from Essex]]
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