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On This Day (USA) - 26 July



 Birthdays
Eve Myles will be 46 - 65 credits, including Gwen Cooper in The Stolen Earth / Journey's End

Eve Myles is a Welsh television, film, stage and voice actress who graduated from the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama in 2000. Later that year, Myles began portraying Ceri Lewis in the Welsh language drama series Belonging, a role she would play until the end of the series in 2009. Myles' early UK television credits included the 2001 miniseries Tales from Pleasure Beach, the 2003 television drama Colditz and as servant girl Gwyneth in the 2005 Doctor Who episode "The Unquiet Dead".

Her appearance in Doctor Who led to her winning a lead role in the science fiction drama's spin-off series Torchwood, in which she portrayed the character Gwen Cooper between 2006 and 2011. Myles role in Torchwood earned her a Bafta Cymru award for Best Actress in 2007. Myles also reprised the role of Gwen in the 2009 and 2011 series of Torchwood Radio Plays. Myles subsequent television credits include the 2008 miniseries Little Dorrit, the 2008 premiere episode of the fantasy drama Merlin and the 2013 drama series Frankie in which she played the title role. In 2014 she was cast in the second series of the crime drama series Broadchurch portraying the character of Claire Ripley. In 2011 she voiced one of the main characters in the video game Dragon Age 2.

Also an accomplished theatre actress, Myles won an Ian Charleson Award in 2004 for her performances in Royal Shakespeare Company productions of the plays Titus Andronicus and The Taming of the Shrew. Further theatre credits include Henry IV, Part I and II at the National Theatre in 2004, and the role of Emma in the first UK run of Zach Braff's play All New People in 2012.

Early life and training

Myles was born on 26 July 1978, at Ystradgynlais. She attended Ysgol Maes Y Dderwen, where she was in the same class as fellow actor Richard Corgan, and the year below Steve Meo. She grew up with a strong interest in boxing, although she gave up the sport after breaking her knuckle by punching a wet sand bag. After training as an actress and gaining a Bachelor of Arts degree in acting at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama in Cardiff in 2000, Myles moved to London.

Career

In 2000 Myles took on the central role of Ceri Owen (née Lewis) in the BBC Wales drama Belonging. Her longest role to date, Myles played Ceri from the series' first episode through to its final series in 2008; returning for a one off special in 2009. In 2001, Myles undertook a role in the television film Score and the TV mini-series Tales from Pleasure Beach. From 2003, Myles based herself in Stratford upon Avon, initially playing Lavinia in the Royal Shakespeare Company production of Titus Andronicus, for which she received the Sunday Times Ian Charleson award in 2004. She has also played Bianca in The Taming of The Shrew and in 2005, appeared opposite Michael Gambon in Henry IV, Part I and II at the National Theatre. Myles appeared in the ITV drama Colditz in 2005.

She took a supporting role in the Doctor Who episode "The Unquiet Dead", playing servant girl Gwyneth. This brought her to the attention of Lead Writer Russell T Davies, who would progress to create and produce Torchwood. Considering her to be "one of Wales' best-kept secrets", Davies wrote the role of Gwen Cooper in Torchwood specifically for Myles. Speaking on her casting, Myles stated that having the part written for her was like having her "own personal Oscar." Gwen, an audience surrogate character, is characterised by Myles as Torchwood's "social worker", who "can run and fight and stand in her own corner and win." Her role in Torchwood also led to Myles making a second appearance in Doctor Who, for its Fourth series' finale, alongside Torchwood co-stars John Barrowman and Gareth David-Lloyd. Myles has appeared in every episode of Torchwood.

Myles also appeared in the premiere episode of Merlin, called "The Dragon's Call" where she played Lady Helen of Mora and Mary Collins, a witch who impersonated her. Her performance in this role was described positively by Anthony Head, who said that 'she did it dead straight and very scarily. There was one moment she was delivering a speech to me in full prosthetic make-up... The French background artists didn’t speak English but burst into applause at the end because they were moved by the emotion of it.'

She portrayed the character of Maggy Plornish in Andrew Davies' 2008 adaptation of Little Dorrit, which later went on to win seven Emmy awards. Early 2008 also saw the actress host a radio show centred around Welsh boxer Joe Calzaghe and narrate a short story, Sorry for the Loss by Bridget Keehan, both airing on BBC Radio Wales.

2009 saw her star in the award winning independent Welsh film A Bit of Tom Jones as well as the one-off Drama, Framed, for BBC Wales, alongside Trevor Eve. In July 2010, Myles announced she would appear in an original BBC Cymru Wales TV series, Baker Boys, co-written by Helen Raynor and Gary Owen and airing in early 2011. 2011 also saw Myles provide the voice of the Dalish elf Merrill in the Bioware video game Dragon Age 2. In July 2011, to coincide with Torchwood‍ '​s fourth series Myles presented part of a BBC Wales Documentary entitled Wales and Hollywood, which featured the actress travelling to the Hollywood Walk of Fame to find the Welsh talent honoured there.

In 2012 Myles returned to the stage in Zach Braff's play All New People, ran for ten consecutive weeks at the West End's Duke of York's Theatre following runs at the Manchester Opera House (8–11 February 2012) and the King's Theatre in Glasgow (14–18 February). In 2013 she took the title role in the BBC1 drama Frankie, filmed in Bristol, which follows the life of a district nurse who cares more about her patients than her own life.

Awards and recognition

Myles was among many others nominated for Wales online Dafftas best actress and won for her role as Frankie with almost 45% of the votes. Myles was nominated for and won Wales' sexiest woman in 2013.

Myles has been nominated for a total of six BAFTA Cymru awards, winning one. In 2002, 2003, and 2009, Myles was nominated for Best Actress in the BAFTA Cymru Awards for her role as Ceri on the BBC Wales drama Belonging.

In 2007, Myles won the BAFTA Cymru Best Actress award for her portrayal of Gwen Cooper in Torchwood‍ '​s first series, a role she also received Best Actress BAFTA Cymru nominations for in 2008 and 2010. In 2010, Myles won the Best Actress award in the SFX Reader's awards poll, and was crowned best actress in the 11th annual Airlock Alpha Portal Awards. For her role as Gwen Cooper in Torchwood: Miracle Day, Myles was nominated for a Satellite Awards in the Best Television Actress category. and reached the shortlist for the 2012 UK National Television Awards.

In 2006, Wales on Sunday named Myles as its "Bachelorette of the Year". Myles also regularly ranks highly in the Western Mail‍ '​s annual list of the 50 sexiest women in Wales. In 2005, the Western Mail ranked Myles seventh whilst she ranked fifth in 2008, 7th in 2009, 8th in 2010 and 10th in 2011.

In June 2010, Myles was honoured with a fellowship from the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama.

Personal life

Myles met Bradley Freegard at the National Youth Theatre in 1994, and they married in Italy on 18 May 2013. Myles and Freegard have two children; Matilda Myles Freegard, born 10 November 2009, and Siena Myles Freegard, born 11 February 2014.

Filming Torchwood‍ '​s fourth series in 2011 saw Myles relocate with her family to America's Hollywood Hills, living "literally underneath the Hollywood sign". Myles has described California as the "land of dreams", and her experience filming the fourth series of Torchwood in Hollywood as the best year of her life, adding that she would love to spend more time there as an actress if possible.

Biography from the wikipedia article, licensed under CC-BY-SA


Spencer Wilding will be 52 - 5 credits, including Creature Movement for Orphan 55

Spencer Wilding was born in St. Asaph, Wales. He measures 6 foot 7 inches (2 metres) and weighs in at 203 lbs. (14.5 stones)(92 kilos).

Brought up in working class surrounds, from childhood, he harboured a desire to work in the ‘movie business’.

Lacking any clear route towards his ambition, and growing to be a robust 6’ 7” man, he became involved in ‘Kick-Boxing’ and eventually was crowned British-Welsh Champion.  A photographer took a picture for Spencer’s mother’s mantelpiece and suggested that he approach an agent in London as he had a ‘great look’, thus the passion for acting was rekindled, advice taken and many major projects and significant credits – including 'The Green Lantern', 'The Wolfman', 'Ghost Rider 2', 'Doctor Who', both ‘Hell Boy’ movies, ‘Harry Potter’, ‘Eragon’, ‘Stardust’ and many more - later, he is now an experienced actor for Film and Television.


Cris D'Annunzio will be 59 - credited as Salvitore in Immortal Sins(TW)

Cris D'Annunzio played Salvatore Maranzano in the Torchwood story Immortal Sins


Nana Visitor will be 67 - 2 credits, including Olivia Colasanto in Immortal Sins(TW)

Nana Visitor is an American actress, best known for playing Kira Nerys in the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Jean Ritter in the television series Wildfire.

She appeared in Torchwood Miracle Day.

Visitor began her acting career in the 1970s on the Broadway stage in such productions as My One and Only. Her film debut (billed as Nana Tucker) came in the 1977 horror film The Sentinel. On television, Visitor co-starred in the short-lived 1976 sitcom Ivan the Terrible, and from 1978 to 1982 had short-lived regular roles on three soap operas: Ryan's Hope, The Doctors and One Life to Live.

From 1993-1999, Visitor appeared on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine as Major (later Colonel, and eventually, Commander) Kira Nerys, a former freedom fighter/terrorist for the planet Bajor, who worked to drive off the alien occupiers, the Cardassians, from her homeworld, now forced to work with the Starfleet contingent brought in by her government to administrate the titular space station built in orbit around her planet during the occupation.

In 2008, she appeared as Emily Kowalski, a dying cancer patient in "Faith", an episode of the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica's fourth season. Visitor had a small role as Pamela Voorhees in the 2009 Friday the 13th remake. She has also lent her voice in a few guest appearances on the sitcom Family Guy, such as Rita in the episode "Brian's Got a Brand New Bag" and as the voice of the Enterprise in "Extra Large Medium"


Bob Baker (died 2021 aged 82) would be 85 - 33 credits, including Writer for The Claws of Axos

Bob Baker is a British television and film writer. His most famous contributions have been as the author of four scripts for the Wallace and Gromit films The Wrong Trousers, A Close Shave and Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit and A Matter of Loaf and Death.

Baker is also known for numerous scripts for Doctor Who between 1971 and 1979. For all but the last of these, Baker collaborated with Dave Martin. Baker and Martin's most notable contributions to the Doctor Who mythos were probably the robot computer K-9 (created for The Invisible Enemy) and the renegade Time Lord Omega (created for The Three Doctors, Doctor Who's 10th anniversary story). 

Together with Martin, they also created fantasy television serials for children including the 1975 Sky.

Baker's other contributions to British television include scripts for episodes of Shoestring and Bergerac. 


Neil McCarthy (died 1985 aged 52) would be 92 - 2 credits, including Barnham in The Mind of Evil

Neil McCarthy  was a British actor, agifted linguist and pianist.

He was educated at Stamford School and Trinity College Dublin and he trained as a teacher. He then appeared on stage at Oxford repertory theatre, at the Edinburgh Festival and in the West End of London.

McCarthy's film credits include memorable roles as a Welsh soldier in Zulu (1964), as Sergeant Jock McPherson in Where Eagles Dare (1968), as well as performances as the villain Calibos in Clash of the Titans and in Time Bandits (1981). His television credits include: Man of the World, Danger Man, The Avengers, The Saint, Z-Cars, Dixon of Dock Green, Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased), Catweazle, Softly, Softly: Taskforce, Department S, Who Pays the Ferryman?, Return of the Saint, Doctor Who (in the serials The Mind of Evil and The Power of Kroll), Enemy at the Door, Shogun, The Professionals, Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em, The Gentle Touch and Emmerdale Farm, and the television adaptation of the Lord Peter Wimsey novel, The Nine Tailors.

He died of motor neurone disease.


Arnold Chazen (died 2002 aged 70) would be 93 - 2 credits, including Scientist in The Moonbase

Arnold Chazen played a scientist in the 1967 Doctor Who story The Moonbase.

He is the father of Debbie Chazen.


 Deaths
Mary Tamm (died 2012 aged 62) - 24 credits, including Romana in The Ribos Operation

Mary Tamm  was best known for playing the character of Romana opposite Tom Baker as the Doctor, during The Key to Time season.

Born in Dewsbury, Yorkshire, she was the daughter of Estonian refugees. She graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and then acted with the Birmingham Repertory Company. Stage roles included Amanda in Private Lives and Beverly in Abigail's Party. Film and television roles followed, including Tales That Witness Madness, two appearances in Coronation Street, The Odessa File, and the film version of The Likely Lads. 

She joined Doctor Who in the role of Romanadvoratrelundar, aka Romana (or Fred!), alongsideTom Baker as the Doctor for the sixteenth year of the show, which revolved around the search for the Key to Time. During the run she has the chance to play another character in the form of the identical Princess Strella in The Androids of Tara (not to mention android versions of both!). She only played the role of Romana for one year, citing that the character could not develop any further from its 'traditional' companion role, with The Armageddon Factor's guest actress Lalla Ward continuing the character from the following story.

Post-Doctor Who, Tamm continued her TV career with a recurring role as Jill Fraser in The Assassination Run and The Treachery Game, Jennifer Reynoldston in The Hello Goodbye Man, Yvonne Edwards in Paradise Heights and a stint in Brookside as Penny Crosbie. Other guest appearances included Casualty, Holby City, Jonathan Creek, Crime Traveller,Heartbeat, and adding EastEnders to her CV as Orlanda in 2009. She was due to play a judge in the film Far Out Far In but illness forestalled that role.

Though departing from Doctor Who in 1979, Tamm continued her association with the show through the audio plays of Big Finish, reprising Romana for the Companion Chronicle The Stealers from Saiph in 2009. This was followed by Ferril's Folly and Tales from the Vault in 2011. She is also set to feature posthumously alongside Tom Baker once more, with the pair starring in the second series of The Fourth Doctor Adventures, due to be released from January 2013.

The first volume of her autobiography First Generation (Fantom Films) was published in 2009.  

She died aged 62, after a long battle with cancer.


John Normington (died 2007 aged 70) - 3 credits, including Morgus in The Caves of Androzani

John Normington was an English actor who appeared widely on British televisionfrom the 1960s until the year of his death. Normington was also a member of the Royal Shakespeare Companyperforming in more than 20 RSC productions.

He played Morgus in the 1984 classic story The Caves of Androzani and Trevor Sigma in the 1988 story The Happiness Patrol

Normington trained as an opera singer at the Northern School of Music. 

He appeared in programmes such as Murder Most English; The Caesars; Softly, Softly; Nearest and Dearest; The Edwardians; Crown Court; Upstairs, Downstairs (in the episode "Such A Lovely Man"), and ITV Playhouse.  Normington also appeared in the 1978 film The Thirty Nine Steps.

During the 1980s, he appeared in Play for Today; Yes, Prime Minister (in the episode "One of Us");Inspector Morse; My Family and Other Animals and Agatha Christie's Poirot. The following decade, Normington played roles in programmes such as The New Statesman; Peak Practice; Hetty Wainthropp Investigates; Coronation Street; The Bill, and David Copperfield. In 2001 John Normington appeared in Love in a Cold Climate.

In 2004, Normington appeared in King Lear in Stratford.