Rolan Alfonso Bell (born 17 October 1983) is a

Laurence Olivier Award The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply The Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognize excellence in West End theatre, professional theatre in London. The awards were originally known as the Society of We ...

nominated

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

actor who was born in West London,Gillian Fisher
"Rolan Bell, Ragtime the Musical"
Afridiziak Theatre News, 20 May 2012. of Jamaican and

Nigerian Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was derived from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jo ...

origin. He became known for appearing in the

BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television b ...

television

soap opera A soap opera (also called a daytime drama or soap) is a genre of a long-running radio or television Serial (radio and television), serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term ''soap opera'' originat ...

EastEnders ''EastEnders'' is a British television soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the East End of London, the ...

'' as Theo Kelly in 2009, and the role of Sgt King (Kingy) in the BBC drama '' Our Girl''.Rolan Bell at IMDb.
/ref> He is currently playing the part of

Ike Turner Izear Luster "Ike" Turner Jr. (November 5, 1931 – December 12, 2007) was an American musician, bandleader, songwriter, record producer, and talent scout. An early pioneer of 1950s rock and roll, he is best known for his work in the 1960s and ...

Tina (musical) ''Tina: The Tina Turner Musical'' is a jukebox musical featuring the music of Tina Turner and depicting her life from her humble beginnings in Nutbush, Tennessee, to her transformation into a rock 'n roll superstar. Directed by Phyllida Lloy ...

at the

Aldwych Theatre The Aldwych Theatre is a West End theatre, located in Aldwych in the City of Westminster, central London. It was listed Grade II on 20 July 1971. Its seating capacity is 1,200 on three levels. History Origins The theatre was constructed in th ...

in the West End. Prior to this he played the part of Robert in The Play That Goes Wrong at the Duchess Theatre.

Background and career

Bell was born in London, England, to Jamaican parents (the second oldest of their seven children). He began his training as an actor in 2000 at Hammersmith and West London College on a two-year performing arts course, before going on to the

Drama Centre London Drama Centre London (often abbreviated as Drama Centre) was a British drama school in Kings Cross, London, King's Cross, London, where it moved in 2011 after a major reshaping of the University of the Arts London. It was part of Central Saint ...

. Bell was first seen professionally in ''

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'' in 2006 and also appeared in a number of theatre productions, including a stage adaptation of '' The Harder They Come'' in which he played the lead role,

Jimmy Cliff James Chambers, Jamaican Order of Merit, OM (born 30 July 1944), known professionally as Jimmy Cliff, is a Jamaican ska, rocksteady, reggae and soul musician, multi-instrumentalist, singer, and actor. He is the only living reggae musician to hol ...

. He has played the role of Scar in ''

The Lion King ''The Lion King'' is a 1994 American animated musical coming-of-age drama film directed by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff, produced by Don Hahn, and written by Irene Mecchi, Jonathan Roberts, and Linda Woolverton. Produced by Walt Disney ...

''and the lead

Fela Kuti Fela Aníkúlápó Kútì (born Olufela Olusegun Oludotun Ransome-Kuti; 15 October 1938 – 2 August 1997) was a Nigerians, Nigerian musician and political activist. He is regarded as the principal innovator of Afrobeat, a Nigerian music genre t ...

in the Broadway show ''

Fela! ''Fela!'' is a jukebox musical with a book by Bill T. Jones and Jim Lewis, based on music and lyrics by the late Nigerian singer Fela Kuti, with additional music by Aaron Johnson and Jordan McLean and additional lyrics by Jim Lewis. It is based ...

'' in December 2010. Bell has also appeared as Coalhouse Walker Jr in '' Ragtime, the Musical''. He also had the role of Britney in the ''

We Will Rock You "We Will Rock You" is a song by the British rock band Queen from their 1977 album '' News of the World'', written by guitarist Brian May. ''Rolling Stone'' ranked it number 330 of " The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2004, and the RIAA it p ...

'' world arena tour 2013. For his performance in the West End production of '' Memphis The Musical'', he was nominated for an

Olivier Award The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply The Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognize excellence in professional theatre in London. The awards were originally known as the Society of West End Theatre Aw ...

for Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical in 2015. Bell took a break from the West End to appear in BBC's Our Girl alongside Michelle Keegan as “Kingy”. In 2022 Bell played the role of Robert in the West Ends The Play That Goes Wrong. Currently he is playing Ike Turner in the west Ends

in Tina The Tina Turner Musical.

Panto

He played Silly Billy in the pantomime ''Jack and The Beanstalk'' at the

Cambridge Arts Theatre Cambridge Arts Theatre is a 666-seat theatre on Peas Hill and St Edward's Passage in central Cambridge, England. The theatre presents a varied mix of drama, dance, opera and pantomime. It attracts touring productions, as well as many shows di ...

(Hugh Homan commented in ''

The Stage ''The Stage'' is a British weekly newspaper and website covering the entertainment industry and particularly theatre. Founded in 1880, ''The Stage'' contains news, reviews, opinion, features, and recruitment advertising, mainly directed at thos ...

'': "Rolan Bell as Silly Billy is superb at involving the audience").Hugh Homan, "Jack and the Beanstalk", ''The Stage'', 17 December 2012.
/ref> More recently Bell played “Abananzar” in Aladdin where he was awarded “Best Villain” at The UK Pantomime Awards in 2022.

Voice Over Artist

Bell has featured on many successful advertising campaigns as a Voice Over Artist. These include Pepsi, Pringles and

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bell, Rolan British male television actors Black British male actors Living people 1983 births English people of Jamaican descent Actors from the London Borough of Hounslow Alumni of the Drama Centre London British male stage actors British male musical theatre actors People from Chiswick