Michael Parr (born 6 August 1986) is an English actor. He is best known for playing the part of Ross Barton in the ITV

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 ...

'', and originally Billy Parker in the

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 ...

soap opera, ''

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 ...

''.

Early life and education

Parr was born in St Helens,

Merseyside Merseyside ( ) is a ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial and metropolitan county in North West England. It borders Lancashire to the north, Greater Manchester to the east, Cheshire to the south, the Wales, Welsh county of Flintshire across ...

. His mother is American and he holds dual U.S. and British nationality, enabling him to work in the U.S. without the need of a

Green Card A green card, known officially as a permanent resident card, is an identity document which shows that a person has permanent residency in the United States. ("The term 'lawfully admitted for permanent residence' means the status of having been ...

if he so wished. He trained at the Elizabeth Hill School of Dance and Drama in St Helens, and the East 15 Acting School in

Essex Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...

, graduating in 2008. Prior to getting the part in ''Emmerdale'', Parr worked between acting jobs as a Learning Support Assistant in a Special Educational Needs school. He had previously worked as a barman.

Career

''Emmerdale''

Parr made his first appearance in the ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale'' in July 2013, playing an unnamed man who carjacked regular character Laurel Thomas (

Charlotte Bellamy Charlotte Bellamy (born 19 March 1973) is an English actress. She is known for her long-running role as Laurel Thomas in ''Emmerdale'' on ITV (TV network), ITV. Other television roles included Sue Taylor in ''EastEnders'' (1997), and Harriet Pot ...

). It was only after his return to the show in October 2013 that his true identity was revealed. His character, Ross Barton, is one of three sons of James Barton ( Bill Ward), and the nephew of regular character Moira Barton ( Natalie J Robb). During his time in ''Emmerdale'', Parr was involved in a number of high-profile storylines, including an affair with policewoman Donna Windsor ( Verity Rushworth); taking part in a violent robbery at Home Farm; an illicit affair with his brother's fiancée (later wife), Debbie Dingle ( Charley Webb); and secretly fathering a child with Debbie's mother Charity Macey ( Emma Atkins). In 2018, Ross Barton was the victim of an acid attack, leaving the character badly scarred. Parr has described the storyline as challenging. In October 2015, Parr won awards for Best Actor, Best Bad Boy and Sexiest Male at the 2015 Inside Soap Awards. ''Emmerdale'' also won Best Soap. In early 2018, it was announced that Parr would be leaving ''Emmerdale'' later in the year. He has suggested he would like to work in the U.S. In September 2024, ''Emmerdale'' announced that Parr would be returning to the role of Ross later in the year, after a six-year absence.

Other work

Previous television appearances include '' Good Cop'', '' Inside Men'' and ''

''. Film roles include ''Queesnbury Rules'', ''No Way Through'', and Keiren in the 2014 film ''

Territory A territory is an area of land, sea, or space, belonging or connected to a particular country, person, or animal. In international politics, a territory is usually a geographic area which has not been granted the powers of self-government, ...

''. Parr has also appeared on stage in various roles, including Justin in ''Studies for A Portrait'' at the Oval House Theatre and Danny in ''Twothousandandsex'' at the Drill Hall in London. In September 2023, Parr appeared as Paul Hughes in the ITV1 drama '' The Long Shadow'', alongside Katherine Kelly.

Filmography

Television

Film

References

External links

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Michael Parr on Twitter
{{DEFAULTSORT:Parr, Michael 1986 births Living people 21st-century English male actors Actors from St Helens, Merseyside Alumni of East 15 Acting School English male film actors English male soap opera actors English male stage actors English people of American descent Male actors from London Male actors from Merseyside