- Matt Berry
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For the Canadian town, see Matt Berry, Edmonton.
Matt Berry 
Berry in 2008Born 2 May 1974
Bromham, Bedfordshire, EnglandOccupation Actor, writer, comedian and musician Matthew Charles "Matt" Berry (born 2 May 1974) is an English actor, writer, comedian and musician. Berry is perhaps best known for his appearances in The IT Crowd, Garth Marenghi's Darkplace and The Mighty Boosh; he also had his own series, Snuff Box. He is renowned for his deep, rich voice, which is often enhanced for voiceover work and comic effect on screen, though reverting to his regular voice during interviews. He has voiced several advertisements, most notably Volvic and The Natural Confectionery Company, as well as Absolute Radio and Australian employment website, Career One.
Contents
Life and career
Berry was born in Bromham, Bedfordshire to Pauline (née Acreman) and Charles Berry. Matt has one older sister, Johanna. He attended Nottingham Trent University where he received a BA in Contemporary Arts in 1997. He began his career as a runner before appearing in the videogame magazine show Game Over on BSkyB's computer & technology channel .tv, between 1998 and 1999.[1] Though commissioned as an editorial show on the subject matter, episodes contained a large number of comedy sketches, with Berry as the main performer. These showcased a wide range of characters, one of which was a sketch about The Exorcist entitled "Fear Pushed Through the Ring". It was this sketch and others like it that resulted in Berry, and producers Rik Henderson and Richard Pitt, being fired from the show.[citation needed]
Berry's first prominent TV role was playing Todd Rivers/Dr Lucien Sanchez in the cult 2004 comedy series Garth Marenghi's Darkplace and the 2006 spin-off Man to Man with Dean Learner.[2]
He later appeared as the eccentric and sinister tycoon/explorer Dixon Bainbridge in The Mighty Boosh.[3][4] Berry first met The Mighty Boosh duo while performing at the Hen and Chickens Theatre, where they were resident in 2000.[5] He can be seen in a small cameo performance in the The Mighty Boosh Live DVD.[6]
Berry wrote and starred in the comedy show Snuff Box on BBC Three with Rich Fulcher, whom he met during the filming of the first series of The Mighty Boosh.[7][8] Fulcher co-starred as Bainbridge's lackey, Bob Fossil.[9]
Berry has starred as Douglas Reynholm since the second series of The IT Crowd.[10] He was nominated as Best Male Comedy Newcomer in the 2007 British Comedy Awards for this role, but lost out to James Corden for Gavin and Stacey.
In November 2007, Berry starred alongside Simon Farnaby and Boosh regular Rich Fulcher in The Golf War on E4.[11] Film appearances include The Devil's Chair (2006)[12] and Moon (2009).
In 2008 he became the face of Adult Swim's spoof charity appeal "Save the Workers".[13] Berry featured in Season 3, episode 9 of the Sarah Silverman Program, filmed in Los Angeles for Comedy Central. Berry stars in the video (directed by Richard Ayoade) for the 2007 Super Furry Animals song "Run-Away".[14] He also appeared as an antiques expert in the ITV sketch show Monkey Trousers with Vic and Bob and Steve Coogan.[15]
Berry has provided many voiceovers for both radio and television advertising, including Absolute Radio, Volvic mineral water, Müller Corner adverts and characters on several adverts for The Natural Confectionery Company.
He has also been in the sketch show The Wrong Door as a recurring bit-part character who runs into a snooker hall and shouts "Stop playing snooker!" before whispering an implied impossible wager to one of the players and completing an unfeasible trick shot.
In 2010 Berry played journalist Michael Duffy in the BBC production Five Daughters, which portrayed events surrounding the Ipswich murders of 2006.
Berry starred in a short film called The Search, about "a lonely man's search for the existence of life outside our universe takes a remarkable turn when he connects with a recently bereaved family".
In 2011, he played the voice of Allen in Aqua Unit Patrol Squad's "Allen Part 2". He appeared as a contestant in the British comedy panel game Shooting Stars, acting the part of Vangelis.
Matt Berry appeared in the film adaptation of the David Nicholls novel One Day, playing the role of Aaron, Dexter's agent.
Music
As a musician, Berry composed all the music for Snuff Box[16] as well the music for AD/BC: A Rock Opera, which he co-wrote with Richard Ayoade.[17] AD/BC was a half-hour parody of overblown musicals in general and Jesus Christ Superstar in particular, telling the story of the innkeeper who allowed Mary, Joseph, and the baby Jesus to sleep in his manger. AD/BC was broadcast in December 2004 and featured Fulcher and Mighty Boosh stars Julian Barratt and Noel Fielding. He also performed a song for an episode of Garth Marenghi's Darkplace entitled "One Track Lover", a spoof of cheesy romantic 80s songs.
Berry also composed music for the BBC 2 Steve Coogan comedy Saxondale and appeared in the first and third episodes of the second series of the show.[18] He composed the theme song for the Channel 4 sketch show Blunder.[19] He is also credited on The Peter Serafinowicz Show.
He has released three albums: Jackpot in 1995, Opium which was a limited edition self-released record in 2008 and Witchazel in 2009 as a download, later released on CD and vinyl by Acid Jazz Records in 2011.[20] He toured with Jonas 3 several times in 2006 and 2007.[21] He stated in the first issue of Bearded Magazine that he was producing and collaborating on new material with 1960s soul singer Geno Washington and was to record a new album.[22] This album turned out to be 'Witchazel', which Berry released online as a free download for one day only in March 2009.[23] The album was later officially released as a CD and paid-for digital download.[24]
His touring band is composed of members of Brighton-based experimental rock group 'Jonas 3'.[25] They are George Baldwin (bass), his brother Charlie (drums) and Andy Vickery (guitar). Fulcher has joined Berry on stage for several appearances. Geno Washington has also joined Berry onstage at London gigs for encores of the Snuff Box theme.
In October 2007, he provided a brand new track "Cream Pie" to Bearded Magazine for readers to download for free,[26] followed by a cover of the Blur song "Sing" in November 2007. 'Cream Pie' is still available to supporters of Beardaid.
Berry voiced his appreciation of the television themes of Ronnie Hazlehurst in an episode of Charlie Brooker's Screenwipe, and his band played out the Screenwipe Christmas special with a rendition of Hazlehurst's theme tune for 1980s British sitcom Sorry!.
Berry has a new[when?] touring band called The Maypoles.
Berry presents a show on Absolute Radio where he also performs various voiceovers and is described as "the voice of Absolute Radio".[27] His podcasts can be downloaded from the Absolute radio website or from iTunes.[28] The Matt Berry Podcast regularly features in the Top Ten of the iTunes podcast chart and its producer Vince Lynch has been nominated for Best Online Producer at the Radio Academy Production Awards.
References
- ^ “” (2007-04-28). "''Episode of Game Over on Youtube'', 1999". Youtube.com. http://youtube.com/watch?v=8Y6SP-yeKk4. Retrieved 2010-08-04.
- ^ "''Man to Man with Dean Learner'' episode guide". Tv.com. http://www.tv.com/man-to-man-with-dean-learner/show/69335/episode.html. Retrieved 2010-08-04.
- ^ The Mighty Boosh credits at IMDB
- ^ "''The Mighty Boosh News Updates'', 31 March 2004". Themightyboosh.blogspot.com. 2004-05-04. http://themightyboosh.blogspot.com/2004_03_01_archive.html. Retrieved 2010-08-04.
- ^ "Interview with Matt Berry and Rich Fulcher". Bbc.co.uk. http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/snuffbox/actors/interview_qa.shtml. Retrieved 2010-08-04.
- ^ The Mighty Boosh Live credits at IMDB
- ^ "Official ''Snuff Box'' site". Bbc.co.uk. http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/snuffbox/berryandfulcher/. Retrieved 2010-08-04.
- ^ Charlton, Dave. "''Snuff Box'' at twitchfilm.com". Twitchfilm.net. http://twitchfilm.net/archives/005210.html. Retrieved 2010-08-04.
- ^ The Mighty Boosh episode cast at IMDB
- ^ "''The IT Crowd 2.0''". Dvdtimes.co.uk. 2007-10-01. http://www.dvdtimes.co.uk/content.php?contentid=66057. Retrieved 2010-08-04.
- ^ "27.09.2007". http://themightybooshsite.trinitystreetdirect.com/news.aspx. Retrieved 2007-10-20.
- ^ The Devil's Chair IMDB page
- ^ "Save the Workers Campaign". adultswim.co.uk. Adult Swim. 2008. http://savetheworkers.org/. Retrieved 2008-05-08.
- ^ “” (2007-09-24). "Super Furry Animals, "Runaway"". Youtube.com. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BANdftxuqlM. Retrieved 2010-08-04.
- ^ "''Monkey Trousers'' DVD". Babycow.co.uk. 2005-07-04. http://www.babycow.co.uk/monkeydvd.html. Retrieved 2010-08-04.[dead link]
- ^ "''Matt Berry on the Music of Snuff Box''". Bbc.co.uk. http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/snuffbox/articles/snuffbox_music_qa.shtml. Retrieved 2010-08-04.
- ^ AD/BC: A Rock Opera
- ^ "''Saxondale''". bbc.co.uk. http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/saxondale/. Retrieved 2010-08-04.
- ^ "Bloomsbury Theatre". Thebloomsbury.com. 2007-05-24. http://www.thebloomsbury.com/event/run/1020. Retrieved 2010-08-04.
- ^ "Matt Berry Official Web Page". Acid Jazz Records. http://www.acidjazz.co.uk/pages/Matt%20Berry%20Witchazel.htm. Retrieved 2010-010-18.
- ^ "Matt Berry tour dates". Ents24.com. http://www.ents24.com/web/artist/91863/Matt_Berry.html.html. Retrieved 2010-08-04.
- ^ "''Bearded Magazine". Beardedmagazine.co.uk. http://beardedmagazine.co.uk/viewissue.php. Retrieved 2010-08-04.
- ^ http://www.witchazelfreedownload.com/
- ^ acidjazzrecords. "Matt Berry Official Web Page". Acid Jazz Records. http://www.acidjazz.co.uk/pages/Matt%20Berry%20Witchazel.htm. Retrieved 2010-10-18.
- ^ "Jonas 3 at Channel 4 Music". Channel4.com. 2009-07-28. http://www.channel4.com/music/myband/Jonas3. Retrieved 2010-08-04.
- ^ "''Bearded Magazine". Beardedmagazine.co.uk. http://www.beardedmagazine.co.uk/viewarticle.php?id=83. Retrieved 2010-08-04.
- ^ "Matt Berry's Profile on Absolute Radio". Absoluteradio.co.uk. http://www.absoluteradio.co.uk/djs_shows/djs/berry.html. Retrieved 2010-08-04.
- ^ "Matt Berry". Absolute Radio. http://www.absoluteradio.co.uk/djs_shows/djs/berry.html. Retrieved 2010-08-04.
External links
Categories:- 1974 births
- English television actors
- English voice actors
- Garth Marenghi's Darkplace
- Soap opera producers
- English television writers
- Living people
- English television producers
- English soap opera writers
- People from Bedford (district)
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