HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Joseph William Gilgun (born 9 March 1984) is an English actor and producer known for several roles, including that of Vinnie O'Neill in the
Sky Max Sky Max is a British pay television channel and on-demand service which launched on 1 September 2021. It is owned and operated by Sky Group, a subsidiary of Comcast. The service broadcasts a variety of drama, comedy-drama, and unscripted serie ...
series ''
Brassic ''Brassic'' is a British comedy-drama television series created by Joe Gilgun and Danny Brocklehurst for Sky One. The series follows the lives of Vinnie O'Neill (Gilgun) and his gang of friends in the fictional town of Hawley. Other primary cas ...
'', which he also co-created, Marcus in ''
Hollyoaks ''Hollyoaks'' is a British soap opera which originally began airing on Channel 4 on 23 October 1995. It was created by Phil Redmond, who had previously conceived the soap opera ''Brookside (TV series), Brookside''. From 2005 to 2023, episodes h ...
'',
Eli Dingle Eli Dingle is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale'', played by Joe Gilgun. He first appeared on screen in the episode which aired on 13 July 2006 and made his last appearance on 30 April 2010. He is the younger br ...
in the
ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: Television TV stations/networks/channels ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network and company, including: **ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network in the United Kingd ...
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 ...
''
Emmerdale ''Emmerdale'' (known as ''Emmerdale Farm'' until 1989) is a British television soap opera that is broadcast on ITV (TV network), ITV. The show is set in Emmerdale (known as Beckindale until 1994), a List of fictional towns and villages, fict ...
'', Jamie Armstrong in the long-running ITV soap opera ''
Coronation Street ''Coronation Street'' (colloquially referred to as ''Corrie'') is a British television soap opera created by ITV Granada, Granada Television and shown on ITV (TV network), ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres on a cobbled, terraced ...
'', Woody in the film ''
This Is England ''This Is England'' is a 2006 British coming-of-age drama film written and directed by Shane Meadows. Its plot centres on young skinheads in England in 1983, illustrating how their subculture became influenced by far-right politics. The f ...
'' (2006) and its subsequent spin-off series, and
Rudy Wade Rudy Wade is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 science fiction comedy-drama ''Misfits (TV series), Misfits'', portrayed by Joe Gilgun. After Robert Sheehan, who played Nathan Young, announced his departure, it was announced a new ch ...
in E4's ''
Misfits MiSFiTS was the acronym for the ''Minnesota Society for Interest in Science Fiction and Fantasy''. This organization has now changed its name to GPS, an acronym for Geek Partnership Society. It was founded in 1999 and was the parent non-profit org ...
''. From 2016 to 2019, he starred in the
AMC AMC may refer to: Film and television * AMC Theatres, an American movie theater chain * AMC Networks, an American entertainment company ** AMC (TV channel) ** AMC+, streaming service ** AMC Networks International, an entertainment company *** ...
television adaptation An adaptation is a transfer of a work of art from one style, culture or medium to another. Some common examples are: * Film adaptation, a story from another work, adapted into a film (it may be a novel, non-fiction like journalism, autobiography, ...
of the
Vertigo Vertigo is a condition in which a person has the sensation that they are moving, or that objects around them are moving, when they are not. Often it feels like a spinning or swaying movement. It may be associated with nausea, vomiting, perspira ...
comic ''
Preacher A preacher is a person who delivers sermons or homilies on religious topics to an assembly of people. Less common are preachers who Open-air preaching, preach on the street, or those whose message is not necessarily religious, but who preach com ...
'' as the Irish vampire Cassidy.


Early life

Gilgun was born in
Chorley Chorley is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Chorley in Lancashire, England, north of Wigan, south west of Blackburn, north west of Bolton, south of Preston and north west of Manchester. The town's wealth ca ...
,
Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...
, to Judith and Andrew Gilgun. He grew up in
Rivington Rivington is a village and Civil parishes in England, civil parish of the Borough of Chorley, Lancashire, England, occupying . It is about southeast of Chorley and about northwest of Bolton. Rivington is a rural area consisting primarily of ...
, Lancashire, as part of a working-class family with his two younger sisters, Jennie Seddon and Rosie Thomson. Gilgun attended Rivington VA Primary School and
Southlands High School Southlands High School is a coeducational secondary school in Chorley Chorley is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Chorley in Lancashire, England, north of Wigan, south west of Blackburn, north west of Bol ...
. He has
dyslexia Dyslexia (), previously known as word blindness, is a learning disability that affects either reading or writing. Different people are affected to different degrees. Problems may include difficulties in spelling words, reading quickly, wri ...
and
ADHD Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, impulsivity, and emotional dysregulation that are excessive and pervasive, impairing in multiple ...
, which he describes as the "biggest pain of islife" and in interviews has openly discussed depression and anxiety. He started drama workshops at the age of eight, following advice from an
educational psychologist An educational psychologist is a psychologist whose differentiating functions may include diagnostic and psycho-educational assessment, psychological counseling in educational communities ( students, teachers, parents, and academic authorit ...
, and was described as having "exceptional talent". He also trained at the Laine Johnson Theatre School and the
Oldham Theatre Workshop The Oldham Theatre and Music Workshop is a youth theatre group based in the north west of England. Outline Founded by David Johnson in , the Oldham Theatre Workshop has a purpose-built studio located in its own building off Oldham's Union Street ...
. When he was 10, he got his first TV acting role in ''
Coronation Street ''Coronation Street'' (colloquially referred to as ''Corrie'') is a British television soap opera created by ITV Granada, Granada Television and shown on ITV (TV network), ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres on a cobbled, terraced ...
''. He stayed with the show until he was thirteen years old. Gilgun studied
A-Levels The A-level (Advanced Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational ...
at
Runshaw College Runshaw College is a Further education, Higher and Further Education college based in Leyland, Lancashire, Leyland, England. History Runshaw College was established in 1974. It initially catered solely for school leavers from Balshaw's Church o ...
. Outside of odd jobs and a few roles in small theatre productions, Gilgun worked as a plasterer until returning to acting full-time with ''
Emmerdale ''Emmerdale'' (known as ''Emmerdale Farm'' until 1989) is a British television soap opera that is broadcast on ITV (TV network), ITV. The show is set in Emmerdale (known as Beckindale until 1994), a List of fictional towns and villages, fict ...
'' in 2006.


Career


1994–2006: Early career

As a child actor, Gilgun played little tearaway Jamie Armstrong in ''
Coronation Street ''Coronation Street'' (colloquially referred to as ''Corrie'') is a British television soap opera created by ITV Granada, Granada Television and shown on ITV (TV network), ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres on a cobbled, terraced ...
'' between 1994 and 1997. He left the soap when the actress playing his on-screen mother left the show. Gilgun revisited the set in an ITV special ''The Kids from Coronation Street'' in 2004. In 1998, when he was 14 years old, he presented a feature on '' Wish You Were Here...?'' where he visited
Phantasialand Phantasialand is a theme park in Brühl, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany that attracts approximately 2 million visitors annually. It was opened in 1967 by Gottlieb Löffelhardt and Richard Schmidt. Although starting as a family-oriented park, ...
, one of Germany's largest theme parks. Gilgun took a break in his teens, acting part-time in local and national stage productions including the
Salford Salford ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in Greater Manchester, England, on the western bank of the River Irwell which forms its boundary with Manchester city centre. Landmarks include the former Salford Town Hall, town hall, ...
-based ''Hanky Park the Musical'' at
The Lowry Lowry is a theatre and gallery complex at Salford Quays, Salford, Greater Manchester, England. It is named after the early 20th-century painter L. S. Lowry, known for his paintings of industrial scenes in North West England. The complex opened ...
. He played Charlie Millwall in a critically acclaimed tour of the stage play ''
Borstal Boy ''Borstal Boy'' is a 1958 autobiography, autobiographical book by Brendan Behan. The story depicts a young, fervently idealistic Behan, who loses his naïveté over the three years of his sentence to a juvenile borstal, softening his radical Ir ...
'', which ended at the
Edinburgh Fringe Festival The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (also referred to as the Edinburgh Fringe, the Fringe or the Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is the world's largest performance arts festival, which in 2024 spanned 25 days, sold more than 2.6 million tickets and featur ...
. Gilgun found the break from acting difficult, telling ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'' in December 2011 that " went off the fucking rails" and became confused about what to do with his life. He ended up working as a plasterer.


2006–2015: ''This is England'' franchise and ''Misfits''

He returned to acting full-time in 2006, when he won the roles of both trouble-prone
Eli Dingle Eli Dingle is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale'', played by Joe Gilgun. He first appeared on screen in the episode which aired on 13 July 2006 and made his last appearance on 30 April 2010. He is the younger br ...
in long-running soap opera ''
Emmerdale ''Emmerdale'' (known as ''Emmerdale Farm'' until 1989) is a British television soap opera that is broadcast on ITV (TV network), ITV. The show is set in Emmerdale (known as Beckindale until 1994), a List of fictional towns and villages, fict ...
'' and kind-hearted skinhead Woody in ''
This Is England ''This Is England'' is a 2006 British coming-of-age drama film written and directed by Shane Meadows. Its plot centres on young skinheads in England in 1983, illustrating how their subculture became influenced by far-right politics. The f ...
'', his debut as a film actor. ''This Is England'' was released in the UK on 27 April 2007 and subsequently won several awards including a
BAFTA The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA, ) is an independent trade association and charity that supports, develops, and promotes the arts of film, television and video games in the United Kingdom. In addition to its annual awa ...
for Best British Film in 2008. In 2007, Gilgun starred alongside welterweight boxing champion Michael Jennings in a locally produced feature-length documentary entitled ''Chorley: Where People Go to Fight''. All proceeds went to Derian House Children's Hospice, with Gilgun helping to present the cheque. Additionally, he appeared in a Dingle-centred episode of '' Ghosthunting with...'' hosted by
Yvette Fielding Yvette Paula Fielding (born 23 September 1968) is an English television presenter, producer, actress, writer and paranormal investigator. In 1987, aged 18, she became the youngest presenter on the BBC television programme '' Blue Peter''. With h ...
. Gilgun was granted time off from ''Emmerdale'' to shoot the 2009 British crime thriller '' Harry Brown'', where he played drug dealer Kenny Soames. Gilgun announced he would leave ''Emmerdale'' on 10 November 2009, feeling the time was right to move on. His last appearance was on 30 April 2010. An Emmerdale representative said the programme had not ruled out a future return for the character. Gilgun later indicated he currently had no such plans. Gilgun reprised the character of Woody for three
Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...
TV spin-off series of ''This Is England'', called '' This Is England '86''. and ''
This is England '88 ''This Is England '88'' is a 2011 Television in the United Kingdom, British drama miniseries written by Shane Meadows and Jack Thorne (writer), Jack Thorne as a spin-off from the 2006 film ''This Is England''. It is also a sequel to the 2010 tel ...
'' and ''
This Is England '90 ''This Is England '90'' is a 2015 British television miniseries written by Shane Meadows and Jack Thorne and produced by Warp Films. It is the fourth instalment of the ''This Is England'' series, serving as a follow-up to '' This Is England '86 ...
'', which aired in September 2010, December 2011 and 2015 respectively. In 2010, ''This is England'' writer-director
Shane Meadows Shane Meadows (born 26 December 1972) is an English director, screenwriter and actor, known for his work in independent film, most notably the cult film ''This Is England'' (2006) and its three sequels (2010–2015). Meadows' other films inc ...
referred Gilgun to star in longtime collaborator Paul Fraser's music video for the song "Dead American Writers" by
Tired Pony Tired Pony was an indie folk supergroup consisting of Gary Lightbody, Richard Colburn, Iain Archer, Jacknife Lee, Peter Buck, Scott McCaughey, Tom Smith and Troy Stewart. Lightbody formed the group out of his appreciation for country music, a ...
. On 9 May 2011, it was announced that Gilgun had been cast as newcomer
Rudy Wade Rudy Wade is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 science fiction comedy-drama ''Misfits (TV series), Misfits'', portrayed by Joe Gilgun. After Robert Sheehan, who played Nathan Young, announced his departure, it was announced a new ch ...
in the third series of ''
Misfits MiSFiTS was the acronym for the ''Minnesota Society for Interest in Science Fiction and Fantasy''. This organization has now changed its name to GPS, an acronym for Geek Partnership Society. It was founded in 1999 and was the parent non-profit org ...
''. The character Rudy can manifest a clone of himself that roughly represents his conscience. He appeared in the first episode of the third series in late October 2011. He replaced as lead the character of Nathan following the departure of
Robert Sheehan Robert Sheehan (born 7 January 1988) is an Irish actor. He is best known for television roles such as Nathan Young in ''Misfits (TV series), Misfits'', Darren Treacy in ''Love/Hate (TV series), Love/Hate'', and Number Four / The Séance (Klaus ...
. An online short called ''Vegas Baby'' covered
Nathan Young Nathan Young is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 science fiction comedy-drama ''Misfits'', portrayed by Robert Sheehan. He first appeared in Series 1 Episode 1 and departed in a webisode entitled "Vegas Baby!" after Sheehan quit th ...
's exit and Rudy's arrival. Gilgun said that replacing Sheehan had "been frightening... You'd think that it'd be a total ballache, what with being new and stuff and Rob doing such a good job". In the following years, Gilgun appeared in the 2012 American science fiction film ''Lockout'', co-written and produced by
Luc Besson Luc Paul Maurice Besson (; born 18 March 1959) is a French filmmaker. He directed and produced the films '' Subway'' (1985), '' The Big Blue'' (1988), and '' La Femme Nikita'' (1990). Associated with the '' Cinéma du look'' film movement, he h ...
and starring
Guy Pearce Guy Edward Pearce (born 5 October 1967) is an Australian actor. List of awards and nominations received by Guy Pearce, His accolades include a Primetime Emmy Award, and nominations for an Academy Awards, Academy Award, a British Academy Film Aw ...
, the 2013
BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
series ''
Ripper Street ''Ripper Street'' is a British mystery drama television series set in Whitechapel in the East End of London starring Matthew Macfadyen, Jerome Flynn, Adam Rothenberg, and MyAnna Buring. It begins in 1889, six months after the infamous Jack t ...
'' as a
Fagin Fagin () is the secondary antagonist in Charles Dickens's 1838 novel ''Oliver Twist''. In the preface to the novel, he is described as a " receiver of stolen goods". He is the leader of a group of children (the Artful Dodger and Charley Bates ...
-type character, Carmichael, as well as starring in the final two series of ''Misfits''. He appears in the music video for "Tiny Legs" by Then Thickens, released in 2014. Having been friends with a few members of the band from growing up around Chorley, Joe agreed to star in the video. It involved him having makeup, flour and eggs applied to his face amongst other things and took several, messy takes to get right. In 2015, Gilgun played Ellic in
Breck Eisner Michael Breckenridge Eisner (born April 26, 1970) is an American television and film director. Early life Eisner was born in California, the son of Jane Breckenridge, a business advisor and computer programmer, and Michael Eisner, the former W ...
's ''
The Last Witch Hunter ''The Last Witch Hunter'' is a 2015 American fantasy action film directed by Breck Eisner and written by Cory Goodman, Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless, and based on the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' campaigns of Vin Diesel's Melkor the Witch-Hunter. T ...
'' alongside
Michael Caine Sir Michael Caine (born Maurice Joseph Micklewhite, 14 March 1933) is a retired English actor. Known for his distinct Cockney accent, he has appeared in more than 160 films over Michael Caine filmography, a career that spanned eight decades an ...
,
Vin Diesel Mark Sinclair (born July 18, 1967), known professionally as Vin Diesel, is an American actor and film producer. One of the world's highest-grossing actors, he is best known for portraying Dominic "Dom" Toretto in the '' Fast & Furious'' fra ...
, and
Elijah Wood Elijah Jordan Wood (born January 28, 1981) is an American actor and producer. Wood made his film debut with a minor part in ''Back to the Future Part II'' (1989) at the age of eight and achieved recognition in the early 1990s as a child acto ...
.


2015–present: Continuing work with television

In March 2015 Gilgun earned the role of drug-addicted, Irish vampire Cassidy, one of the main characters in the
AMC AMC may refer to: Film and television * AMC Theatres, an American movie theater chain * AMC Networks, an American entertainment company ** AMC (TV channel) ** AMC+, streaming service ** AMC Networks International, an entertainment company *** ...
series ''
Preacher A preacher is a person who delivers sermons or homilies on religious topics to an assembly of people. Less common are preachers who Open-air preaching, preach on the street, or those whose message is not necessarily religious, but who preach com ...
''. Speaking of the casting of Gilgun, ''Preacher'' executive producer
Seth Rogen Seth Aaron Rogen (; born April 15, 1982) is a Canadian actor, comedian, and filmmaker. Known primarily for his comedic Leading actor, leading man roles in films, the accolades he has received include nominations for three Golden Globe Awards, ...
said: "It's one of those things that happens only a few times throughout your career, where you just go 'Oh, it's you. You're the character that is written on the page'... You could tell Joe's lived like 100 lifetimes, and he's probably done some shit you do not want to hear about, but at the same time, he's one of the most fun, loving people you'll ever be around. And it was exactly what the character needed to be." In Spring 2015, Gilgun both filmed the pilot episode of ''Preacher'', as well as '' The Infiltrator'', a 2016 crime thriller film starring
Bryan Cranston Bryan Lee Cranston (born March 7, 1956) is an American actor. After taking minor roles in television, he established himself as a leading actor in both comedic and dramatic Bryan Cranston filmography, works on stage and screen. He has received ...
. Gilgun was part of the main cast of all four series of ''Preacher'' which premiered on 22 May 2016 and concluded on 29 September 2019. Additionally, Gilgun was also an
executive producer Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the production of media. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights or royalties). In film ...
of the show, producing half of its third series and all of its fourth. In 2019, Gilgun created, executive produced, and starred in the
Sky One Sky One was a British pay television channel operated and owned by Sky Group (a division of Comcast). Originally launched on 26 April 1982 as Satellite Television, it was Europe's first satellite and non- terrestrial channel. From 31 July 1989, ...
comedy series ''
Brassic ''Brassic'' is a British comedy-drama television series created by Joe Gilgun and Danny Brocklehurst for Sky One. The series follows the lives of Vinnie O'Neill (Gilgun) and his gang of friends in the fictional town of Hawley. Other primary cas ...
''. Gilgun stars as Vinnie, a working-class petty criminal living in
Northern England Northern England, or the North of England, refers to the northern part of England and mainly corresponds to the Historic counties of England, historic counties of Cheshire, Cumberland, County Durham, Durham, Lancashire, Northumberland, Westmo ...
. The six-episode series premiere on 22 August 2019. The series was well-reviewed and received a second series renewal before the first series had aired. The show's third series was broadcast in October 2021. Filming for '' Brassic's'' 4th series started in August 2021. In August 2021, prior to the airing of the third series, a fourth began filming and premiered on 7 September 2022. In August 2022, the series was renewed for a fifth series, and started filming that month to premiere in 2023. Season 6 of Brassic aired in 2024 with 7 episodes. The last and final season is due to air Autumn 2025.


Personal life

Gilgun has developed a close relationship with his co-stars from the ''
This Is England ''This Is England'' is a 2006 British coming-of-age drama film written and directed by Shane Meadows. Its plot centres on young skinheads in England in 1983, illustrating how their subculture became influenced by far-right politics. The f ...
'' stories, referring to them in interviews as "the gang". He has opened up in podcasts and various media sources about his
bipolar disorder Bipolar disorder (BD), previously known as manic depression, is a mental disorder characterized by periods of Depression (mood), depression and periods of abnormally elevated Mood (psychology), mood that each last from days to weeks, and in ...
and the effects that it has had on his life. He has stated that many of the stories within the show ''Brassic'' are based upon his life.


Filmography


Film


Television


Awards and nominations


References


External links

*
Eli Dingle at ITV/''Emmerdale''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gilgun, Joseph 1984 births Living people 20th-century English male actors 21st-century English male actors Actors with dyslexia English male child actors English male film actors English male soap opera actors English male television actors English people with disabilities Male actors from Lancashire Actors from Chorley, Lancashire People with bipolar disorder People with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder British television show creators