MARK KEMPNER Professional Actor Cheltenham, Gloucestershire
Mark switched careers 32 years ago, and became a professional actor and entertainer. Between acting roles, he manages his own Corporate Events company, TVE, staging and writing Murder Mystery shows, film making days, as well as many other team building activities!
"Mark Kempner is a versatile actor who managed his role perfectly, not only moving the audience with the drama, but equally able to make us laugh with the comedy." Time Out review
More about me
I am known for playing a variety of character roles, mostly on TV and Film which is my passion. I was born and bred in Surrey and now live in Cheltenham with a base in London. I am very good at accents and an excellent mimic too. This has helped me enormously throughout my career as an actor. I thoroughly enjoy panto and have played all the usual "silly old duffer" roles! Barons and Emperors, etc! I like the challenge of dramatic roles too and have played many both on mainstream TV, Film and stage too.
I am represented by my agent Michael Gattrell at C D M Ltd. Click on my spotlight link above for full details.
Whilst I really only have time for mainstream paid work, I am happy (if available) to take certain roles in independent films and the odd student film, subject to quality of role and script. By all means send me a message, but any mainstream work must go through my agent.
VITAL STATISTICS
|
CASTING AGE |
60 - 70 |
|
HEIGHT |
5' 9" |
|
WAIST |
34" |
|
CHEST |
40" |
|
WEIGHT |
12.5 Stone |
|
EYES |
Brown |
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HAIR |
Grey/balding |
SPECIAL SKILLS
Full Drivers License incl. experience with Large Tractors, Earth Moving Equipment, Forklift Trucks
Large Yacht Sailing. Day Skipper license holder
Experienced 12-bore shotguns to good standard
Tennis
Table Tennis to good standard
Darts and Snooker to High Standard
Singing: Bass-Baritone Bottom E to Top F (2 octave range)
Good Guitar (acoustic)
Basic Piano!
Excellent mimicry and vocal skills
MARK KEMPNER TV & FILM WORK
"FEATURED TV & FILM ROLES"
|
Programme/Movie |
Role Played |
TV/Film Co |
Director |
|
Lord Of the Rings |
The Prisoner |
Amazon Prime |
Charlotte Brändström |
|
Ted Lasso |
Kenneth |
Apple TV/Kansas |
M J Delany / Jason Sudeikis |
|
Princess - Trying (2nd series) on Showreel |
Grumpy cab driver |
BBC TV for Apple TV |
Jim O'Hanlon |
|
Eastenders on showreel |
Tony Parsons |
BBC TV |
Ian White |
|
This Country The Aftermath on showreel |
Terry Clarke |
BBC TV |
Tom George |
|
Doctors on showreel |
Paul McBain |
BBC TV |
John Maidens |
|
Not Going Out Live on showreel |
Clive the animal impersonator |
BBC TV |
Nick Wood |
|
Criminal |
William Boyd (Cabbie) |
Criminal productions |
Ariel Vromen |
|
Suspicions of Mr Whicher 2 On showreel |
Toby Boyal |
HatTrick for ITV |
Chris Menual |
|
Worlds End |
Dave (Publican 2) |
Nig Talk Pictures |
Edgar Write |
|
Sightseers |
Jeff Padstow |
Big Talk Pictures |
Ben Wheatley |
|
Business Mouse Voice over - see below... |
Dave Business Mouse |
Channel 4 comedy Blaps series |
Mick Bunnage/John Link |
|
Happiness Unbridled |
Mr Miller |
FFP new media |
Thomas Hetzel |
|
Kill List |
The Librarian |
Wharp Films |
Ben Wheatley |
|
Peep Show |
Marks driving Examiner |
Object Films/ Channel 4 |
Becky Martin |
|
Down Terrace |
Dave Bearman Crooked Councilor |
Ben Wheatley Productions |
Ben Wheatley |
|
Love against the rest of the world |
David Summer Eccentric burglar |
FFP Media |
Stephan Bartmann |
|
Little Dorrit |
Miserable Horse cab driver |
BBC |
Diarmuid Lawrence |
|
Last Chance Harvey |
Taxi Driver Argumentative London Cabbie |
LCH ltd |
Joel Hopkins |
|
Modern Toss |
Dave Series of comedy Sketches |
Channel 4 TV |
Ben Wheatley |
|
The Uninvited |
Ron Miserable bar owner |
Pseudo productions |
Sean Harrison |
|
Ten Minutes Late |
John (lead role) "Strange man!" |
Ealing Film School |
Raphael Vogel |
|
Vital Signs |
Strange shop customer cheese slice man |
ITV |
Renny Rye |
|
Worst week of my life |
The Angry "insulted" Dad Hospital scene series 2 |
BBC |
Mark Bussell & Justin Sbresni |
|
Crimewatch UK |
Barry Victims Business Partner |
BBC |
Michael Armit |
|
Holby City |
Mr. Wallace A lecherous consultant urologist |
BBC |
Shani Grewal |
|
The 7 Deadly Sinners |
Dave Greed Comical & greedy bank robber |
Godman Ltd Channel 4 |
Ludwig Shamasian |
|
Eastenders |
Reg Conway The Electrical contractor |
BBC |
Graeme Hattrick |
|
The Light Story |
JJ Thompson The Scientist |
BBC |
Nick Davidson |
|
London Bridge On showreel |
Leonard Howard: Odd and sad lonely man |
Carlton |
Justin Hardy |
|
Wycliffe |
Mr. Davies: The Auctioneer |
HTV |
Michael Brayshaw |
|
Pie in the Sky |
Charles: The Horse race course official |
Select |
John Mowbray |
|
Serial Killers |
John Reginald Christie The serial Murderer |
Live TV |
Sue Smith |
|
The Darling Buds of May |
Ernie: The Postman |
Yorkshire |
Rob Tronson |
|
The Bill |
Reg: A corrupt barman |
Carlton |
Michael Cocker |
|
Jackanory |
Mr Floppy: The hippy school teacher |
BBC |
Phillip Lewis |
MARK KEMPNER THEATRE WORK
Spotlight Page No: 3076 Spotlight Page direct Link download full cv as a pdf
|
Role |
Production |
Director |
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SIR WINSTONE CHURCHILL see video file below |
The Finest Hour The RSC |
Ian Wainwright |
|
RONNIE FRANZMAN (LEAD) |
Fear of the Cherry Blossom Everyman theatre |
Paul Milton |
|
ALDERMAN FITZWARREN |
Dick Whittington Buxton Opera House |
Philip Dart |
|
ROBERT |
Life Model Powerhouse theatre Co Electric Theatre |
Geoff Lawson |
|
BARON HARDUP |
Cinderella Buxton Opera House |
Philip Dart |
|
Toad |
Wind in the Willows Channel Theatre UK Tour |
Philip Dart |
|
Gordon Gosforth |
Confusions "Gosforth's Fete" Thorndyke Theatre Co |
Ken Michaels |
|
Diran |
The Sentence Old Red Lion |
Rodger Smith |
|
Fagin |
OLIVER "musical" Open Air, Surrey |
Gill Jarvis |
|
Down Terrace |
Dave Bearman Crooked Councilor |
Ben Wheatley Productions |
|
Idle Jack |
Dick Whittington Prince of Wales Cannock |
Glen Hayes |
|
Dr Rank |
A Dolls House UK Tour |
Sandy Truman |
|
Justice Squeesum |
Lock up your Daughters Harlequin Theatre |
Paul Bernard |
|
Judge Danforth |
The Crucible Harlequin Theatre |
David Gardener |
|
Nathan Detroit |
Guys & Dolls Hawthe Theatre company |
Nic Young |
SOME REVIEWS...
"The cast are ably supported by Mark Kempner’s amusingly doddery Alderman Fitzwarren."
The Stage
"...and I particularly liked Mark Kempner’s Baron Hardup, as a dotty inventor."
Manchester Evening News
"Mark Kempner played the fete organiser Gordon Gosforth, complete with a loudhailer maintaining amazing equanimity as everything went wrong in a massive thunderstorm! He put tremendous and skilful vitality into the hopeless situations."
The Stage
"The cast were all fine, but it was Mark Kempner, as the superb bombastic Toad, who stole the show. His escape from Jail dressed as a washerwoman was great"
The Stage
"Mark Kempner is a versatlie actor who managed his role perfectly, not only moving the audience with the drama, but equally able to make us laugh with the comedy"
Time Out
"Your range of characters and voices is amazing and was extremely well received"
Corporate Team-building Client
"Mark Kempner is a professional actor and also runs his own Corporate Entertainment Company. He was an exceptionally entertaining speaker, who gave us plenty of amusing anecdotes."
LTG Conference
VOICEOVER WORK
Voice-over artiste Mark Kempner
Mark Kempner is the voice of Channel 4 Comedy Blapps "BUSINESS MOUSE"...
Video courtesy of Channel 4 TV Comedy Blapps Series and Modern Toss Productions. (Contains Swearing!)
Playing Churchill at Blenheim Palace on behalf of the RSC, directed by Ian Wainwright
1 min 40 secs
44 secs
29 secs
2 mins
40 secs
35 secs
33secs
38 secs
35 secs
40secs
DAILY MIRROR INTERVIEW
Get Mr Angry!
MARK KEMPNER'S ACTING-UP TO TEST FRONTLINE STAFF
Edited By Tricia Phillips
The next time you see a het-up customer howling at a bank teller don't be fooled - it could be professional actor Mark Kempner putting someone through their paces.
His excuse for being downright rude is that Mark is often called in to help companies and organisations with their staff training. "I get as picky, obnoxious, pernickety and pushy as requested," says Mark. "After all, that's what I'm being paid to do."
Mark owns corporate entertainment and training company TrueView Events. He explains: "Sometimes it doesn't matter what you say to Mr or Mrs Angry - they refuse to cool off. Companies realise their staff have to get them to calm down and the best way to do that is to train them to handle the most angry or awkward of customers. That's where I come in."
One of his funniest experiences was the day he had to have a run-in with a hotel receptionist. "I was complaining about this, that and the other, posing as the moaning git from Room 134. A couple was ear wigging and as I got more and more angry they started to have a go too. I just carried on. The manager stepped in eventually to explain we were training!"
Mark wasn't always a professional actor. He started out as an engineer and worked at Gatwick airport for years, fixing everything and anything - from baggage conveyor belts to aircraft loading bridges. With no formal training, he put himself forward for various acting auditions and gradually the work started to come in, as did a better and better agent. Mark is represented by Chris Davis Management.
"I started off getting fringe theatre roles and some TV commercials including the original Opal Fruits to Starburst campaign. Featured roles in TV shows such as EastEnders, Holby City, The Darling Buds Of May and The Bill soon followed."
"I started at TrueView Events and just fell in love with the work which also gave me some diversity and regular wages." When the owner retired, Mark bought the company and since then has been developing it, broadening the work it does. These days much of Mark's time is devoted to TrueView training.
He says: "As well as staff training, we do a variety of team-building events including murder mysteries and treasure hunts, plus corporate party entertainment and film-making days. We recently went to Qatar and I had to write and create a James Bond spoof to launch a new Toyota in front of 2,500 people."
"I employ about 20 professional actors and actresses and we travel across the country working with businesses and even local councils to help them get to grips with everything from snotty customers to staffing issues and legislation."
His expertise in customer service and corporate role play training has led Mark, who lives in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, to become a bit of a stickler for the highest standards in real life.
"I don't like to see poor service, especially when its directed towards me. Some of these big shops have salespeople with no manners and little regard for their customers. I'm not frightened to step up if I see someone being given a bad time or poor advice."
He still manages to fit in in the more traditional acting work, though. "I've just played the role of an argumentative London cab driver in a feature film alongside Dustin Hoffman, and I'm also appearing in the next series of Modern Toss on Channel 4 TV in January. It beats being an industrial engineer, that's for sure!"
To enquire about availability or to book Mark for an audition or show, please get in touch...