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Wil Johnson

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Wil Johnson
Born
Wilbert Charles Johnson

(1965-04-18) 18 April 1965 (age 59)
London, England
EducationMountview Academy of Theatre Arts (BA)
Years active1985–present
Known forWaking the Dead
Babyfather
Emmerdale
Spouses
Alexandra Spiegel
(m. 2001; div. 2010)
Camilla Johnson
(m. 2014)
Children6

Wilbert Charles Johnson (born 18 April 1965) is an English actor, who has had notable television roles in Waking the Dead and Babyfather, and on stage in Othello. He played Dom Andrews in Emmerdale from 2012 to 2014.

Early life

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Johnson was born in Muswell Hill, London, and raised in Tottenham.[1] His mother invested in stocks and his father worked for UPS.[2] Johnson had no interest in music while he was in primary school, but after he filled in a role for an absent drummer, he changed his mind.[3] He went to Mountview Drama School in Crouch End, London. He also joined another drama group at the Haringey Theatre. He also went to a dance group and learned ballet, contemporary dancing, and break dancing, which he performed for about seven years. He also attended National Youth Theatre for three years.[1]

Career

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Johnson's first professional acting role came in the play Four Seasons at the 1985 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.[2] For the rest of the 1980s he made minor appearances in television series such as Casualty and London's Burning, before playing detective Stevie Johnson in the London Weekend Television series Anna Lee. From 1994 to 1995 he played the supporting role of Detective Constable Michael Skelton in Cracker. Between roles, Johnson worked for a local undertakers, driving the hearse and acting as a pallbearer.[citation needed]

In 2000, he appeared in the BBC One television pilot Waking the Dead, as Detective Sergeant Spencer Jordan, a member of a specialised police unit tasked with investigating "cold cases". Waking the Dead returned for a complete series in 2001, and Johnson was a main cast member until the series ended in 2011. From 2000 to 2002, he appeared as Steve Robinson in Paul Abbott's popular drama series Clocking Off. From 2001 to 2002, he appeared as a main cast member in two series of the BBC's Babyfather.[4]

In 2004, Johnson played the title character in the Royal Lyceum Theatre Company's Othello.

He also played Marcus Kirby in the BBC One school-based drama Waterloo Road. He departed in the second half of the series.

In 2010, he appeared in In a Better World (film) as 'Dr. Najeeb'.[5]

He also performed in a play, called The Swallowing Dark at the Liverpool Playhouse and Theatre503. In 2011, he also starred as gangster boss Big Mike in Anuvahood and in 2008 as Big Man in Adulthood

In November 2011, Johnson appeared as 'Sean Dolan' a Consultant paediatrician in BBC One's Holby City.[5]

In 2012, it was announced that Johnson would be joining Emmerdale as single father Dominic "Dom" Andrews in the later part of the year. On 23 February 2014, it was announced that he would be leaving the show later that year following the death of his character's daughter, Gemma (Tendai Rinomhota).[6]

In 2013, he appeared as a gangster in a film thriller called Life Outside.[5] He also was a special guest DJ at a 'MonologueSlam' event (actors showcase) at 'The Green Carnation' cocktail lounge, Soho.[7]

In 2013, he also co-produced with Christian Ashaiku a film called Disorientated Generation (about a Nigerian man living in London). The film was partially funded by Enfield Council,[1] with a small grant from UK Film Council. The film was originally shot in 2006.[8]

In 2016, Johnson was cast as the Earl of Kent in the Talawa Theatre Company and Royal Exchange Manchester co-production of King Lear.[9] Johnson received praise for his performance, with The Guardian writing "giving depth to straight simplicity"[10] and the Manchester Theatre Awards saying that "... wrongest servant Kent is played with passion and often with humour by Wil Johnson". [11]

In 2016, Johnson received the British Urban Film Festival honorary award from fellow actor Charles Venn for 30+ years outstanding contribution to film and television.

He is an advocate of colour-blind casting in British television:

There are a lot more black and Asian actors who the nation knows by name, which is fantastic [...] [Colour-blind casting] happens regularly in theatre, but in mainstream television it could be implemented a lot more. I'm tentative to use the word 'stereotyping', because a lot of the black roles emerging on television I wouldn't categorise as stereotypical: my role in Waking the Dead certainly wasn't.[12]

Personal life

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Johnson has six children.[2] His eldest daughter is composer, singer, songwriter and cellist Ayanna Witter-Johnson.[13]

Johnson married his wife Camilla in 2014.

Filmography

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Film

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Year Film Role Notes
1996 Go West Young Man Short film
1998 Babymother Byron Television film
1999 A Woman Scorned The Man Short film
Native Tyrone Short film
2001 South West 9 Freddy
Buried Treasure Luke Television film
2002 f2point8 Rob Short film
2003 Emotional Backgammon John
2004 Yes Virgil
2005 Franklin Haywire Paul Short film
2007 Deadmeat Barry
2008 Adulthood Big Man
2009 Stick with Me Short film
Colour Blind Dan Short film
Disoriented Generation Ishmael
2010 Pimp Byron
In a Better World Najeeb
2011 Anuvahood Mike
Washed Up Mitchell Barloe Television film
2012 Hard Shoulder Carl Foster
Throw of a Dice Duncan Beckford
Black Smoke Rising Simon
Amina Dr. Johnson
2013 Fedz Trevor McBride
Sokorates Sokorates Short film
Killing All the Flies Jonathan Edwards Television film
Dumar Emmerson
2014 M.O.N.E.Y Floyd Bennett
2017 Rabbit Punch Trav Short film
This Is Axiom Glenn Short film
2018 Brixton Rock Mr. Massey Short film
2019 The Strangers Mr. Fitzgerald
Bad Day Paul Short film
2020 Transference Dad Short film
2021 Breathe Trevor Television film
The Half You Hate Director Short film
The Track Nate Short film
2022 Revelations Thom Short film
2024 Tell No Lies Detective Wright
He Who Dares to Win Davey Short film

Television

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Year Television Role Notes
1987 Casualty Paul Episode: "The Raid"
1988 London's Burning Junior Episode: "Series 1, Episode 1"
ScreenPlay Dekko Episode: "Home Front"
1989 Dramarama Kevin Episode: "Snap Decision"
Starting Out Leo Young Recurring role; 4 episodes
1990 The Bill Dom Reeves Episode: "Burnside Knew My Father"
1993 Mr Don & Mr George Episode: "There's Been a Thing"
1994 The Bill Carl Paston Episode: "Dirty Laundry"
Anna Lee Stevie Johnson Recurring role; 5 episodes
1994–1995 Cracker Skelton Recurring role; 10 episodes
1995 The Bill Thomas Gadiki Episode: "Neutral Territory"
1997 The Bill Billy Elizee Episode: "Solid Evidence"
2000–2002 Clocking Off Steve Robinson Recurring role; 14 episodes
2000–2011 Waking the Dead Spencer Jordan Series regular; 92 episodes
2001 Babyfather Beres Episode: "Series 1, Episode 1"
2010 Dispatches Narrator Episode: "Gun Nation"
2010–2011 Waterloo Road Marcus Kirby Series regular; 10 episodes
2011–2013 Holby City Sean Dolan Recurring role; 5 episodes
2012–2014 Emmerdale Dominic Andrews Series regular; 129 episodes
2014 Moving On Peter Jackson Episode: "Two Brothers"
2015 Lewis Dax Kinneson Episode: "Magnum Opus"
2016 The Five Young Ray Miniseries; 4 episodes
Hollyoaks Lionel Albright Recurring role; 2 episodes
2017 Hetty Feather Charlie Episode: "Cannon Fodder"
2017–2020 Outlander Joe Abernathy Recurring role; 5 episodes
2018 Vera Gary Whenchurch Episode: "Darkwater"
2019 Carnival Row Puck Butcher Episode: "Aisling"
2021 Death in Paradise Emmet Peterson Episode: "I'll Never Let You Go"
The Larkins Old Reg Recurring role; 5 episodes
2022 House of the Dragon Ser Vaemond Velaryon Recurring role; 4 episodes
2023 COBRA Ben Fanshawe Recurring role; 2 episodes

References

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  1. ^ a b c Eluka, Clare (12 October 2013). "Interview Wil Johnson". www.thepromota.co.uk. Retrieved 4 February 2014.
  2. ^ a b c Staff (15 May 2009). "Since I started singing on YouTube I've thought of nothing else...". Evening Telegraph (Coventry Newspapers): pp. 30–31.
  3. ^ Peake, Jon (30 June 2001). "Dead not buried". The Sun (News Group Newspapers): p. 15.
  4. ^ "Babyfather". www.bbc.co.uk. BBC Drama. October 2008. Retrieved 4 December 2013.
  5. ^ a b c "Wil Johnson – (In A Better World – 2010)". mattjhorn.wordpress.com. 6 September 2011. Retrieved 26 February 2013.
  6. ^ Kilkelly, Daniel (25 October 2012). "'Emmerdale' announces four new characters". digitalspy.co.uk. Retrieved 1 April 2014.
  7. ^ "Wil Johnson special guest DJ for Welcome 20th July". triforcepromotions.co.uk. Retrieved 7 December 2013.
  8. ^ Morris, Davina (25 April 2010). "different face of black British film-making". jamaica-gleaner.com. Retrieved 26 February 2013.
  9. ^ "Full casting announced for King Lear at Royal Exchange". 19 February 2016. Retrieved 11 February 2017.
  10. ^ Brennan, Clare (10 April 2016). "King Lear review – two Lears acting up a storm". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 February 2017.
  11. ^ "King Lear". Archived from the original on 28 March 2019. Retrieved 11 February 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  12. ^ Green, Chris (25 February 2008). "'Why TV makes me depressed'". The Independent (Independent News & Media): p. 4.
  13. ^ Grant, Dionne (8 February 2014). "Ayanna Witter-Johnson: String sensation | The Voice Online". The Voice Online. Retrieved 10 December 2021.
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