Neil McDermott (born 15 December 1980) is a British stage and

television actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

, who is best known for portraying Ryan Malloy in the BBC television

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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 ...

''.

Career

McDermott appeared in the 2008 ''

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'' episode " The Next Doctor", as well as '' Casualty'' and '' Rosemary and Thyme'', amongst others, the

feature film A feature film or feature-length film (often abbreviated to feature), also called a theatrical film, is a film (Film, motion picture, "movie" or simply “picture”) with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole present ...

s '' Goal!'' and '' Blooded'', and various stage productions including ''

The Sound of Music ''The Sound of Music'' is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the 1949 memoir of Maria von Trapp, '' The Story of the Trapp Family Singers''. ...

'' in the West End. He trained at the Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts. He joined the cast of ''EastEnders'' in 2009. In June 2011,

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reported that McDermott was leaving ''EastEnders''. An ''EastEnders'' spokesperson said, "We can confirm Neil is leaving ''EastEnders''. It was a mutual decision that was made before Christmas when Neil's contract came up for renewal and we wish him all the best for the future. His exit storyline will be dramatic and fans will not be disappointed." McDermott replaced fellow ''Enders'' actor Nigel Harman as

Lord Farquaad This is a list of characters that appear in the ''Shrek (franchise), Shrek'' franchise. Main *Shrek (character), Shrek (voiced by Mike Myers in the films and Michael Gough (voice actor), Michael Gough in the video games, spin-offs, commercial ...

in '' Shrek the Musical'' at the

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in London's West End on 29 February 2012. The production played its final performance 24 February 2013 with McDermott as Farquaad. McDermott briefly reprised the role of Ryan Malloy in ''EastEnders''. in 2014, 2016 and reprised the role again for a short stint in Feb 2023. In 2022, McDermott played Daedalus in the cast album for new musical ''The Minotaur''.

Personal life

McDermott is married to actress Michelle Edwards. They have two daughters and a son. Neil and his wife Michelle opened Mishmak Youth Theatre in January 2010. In September 2011 he ran the

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with Charlie Brooks in aid of Marie Curie Cancer Care.

Credits

Film and TV

Theatre credits

Awards and nominations

References

External links

*
Neil McDermott on TV.com

{{DEFAULTSORT:McDermott, Neil English male television actors English people of Irish descent 1980 births Living people Male actors from Southport