Martin Kemp (entertainer)
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{{Infobox Actor
| name = Martin Kemp
| image = Replace this image male.svg
| imagesize =
| caption =
| birthname = Martin Kemp
| birthdate = {{birth date and age|1961|10|10}}
| location = [[Islington]], [[London]], [[England]]
| deathdate =
| deathplace =
| height = 6' 0" (1.83 m)
| othername =
| homepage = http://www.originalmartinkemp.com
| spouse = Shirlie Holliman (1988–)
| awards = '''[[TV Quick Awards|TV Quick Award for Best Soap Actor]]''' </br> 2000, 2001, 2002 ''[[EastEnders]]'' </br> '''[[National Television Awards|National Television Award for Most Popular Actor]]''' </br> 2000 ''[[EastEnders]]'' </br> '''[[British Soap Awards|British Soap Award for Villain of the Year]]''' </br> 2000 ''[[EastEnders]]'' </br> '''[[British Soap Awards|British Soap Award for Best Actor]]''' </br> 2001, 2002 ''[[EastEnders]]'' </br> '''[[British Soap Awards|British Soap Award for Sexiest Male]]''' </br> 2001, 2002 ''[[EastEnders]]''
}}
'''Martin John Kemp''' (born [[10 October]] [[1961]] in [[Islington]], [[London]]), brother of [[Gary Kemp]], is an [[England|English]] [[actor]] and former [[pop musician]] with [[Spandau Ballet]].
==Career==
In the 1980s he and his brother Gary Kemp had a great deal of success in the [[New Romantic]] band [[Spandau Ballet]]. Their most popular albums included ''[[True (Spandau Ballet album)|True]]''. He also performed on the popular 1984 famine relief project song "[[Do They Know It's Christmas]]", written by [[Bob Geldof]] and [[Midge Ure]].
He and his brother Gary branched out into acting in 1990, both of them appearing in the British film ''[[The Krays (film)|The Krays]]'' in which they played the notorious gangster twins, [[Kray twins|Ronald and Reginald Kray]]. Their performances received a great deal of critical acclaim.
Since ''The Krays'', Martin Kemp has been in the public eye more than his brother. He moved to [[Los Angeles]] in the early 1990s and made appearances in television series such as ''[[The Outer Limits]]'' and ''[[Highlander: The Series]]''. He also appeared in several [[Hollywood]] films such as ''[[Waxwork II: Lost in Time]]'' (1992) and ''[[Embrace of the Vampire]]'' (1994).
In 1995 he moved back to the United Kingdom and took a break from acting for a short while after recovering from a brain tumour. He then resumed his acting career in 1998 when he made guest appearance in the [[ITV]] police drama series ''[[The Bill]]''. He went on to became popular for his role as villain [[Steve Owen]] in the [[BBC]]'s top [[soap opera]], ''[[EastEnders]]'' from late 1998 to 2002. His character was involved in some of the soap's highest rated storylines such as the [[Saskia Duncan]] murder and "[[Who Shot Phil?]]". By the time he left the series, he was one of the best-known faces on British [[television]]. Kemp won three TV Quick Awards for Best Soap Actor (2000, 2001, 2002),<ref>[http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2001/jul/26/broadcasting.bbc1 Martin Kemp quits ''EastEnders''], ''The Guardian'', [[July 26]], [[2001]], retrieved [[February 4]], [[2008]]</ref><ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/2248271.stm Backstage at the Quick Awards] BBC News, [[September 10]], [[2002]], retrieved [[February 4]], [[2008]]</ref><ref>[http://www.thecustard.tv/linksandlists/tvawards.html TheCustard.tv], retrieved [[February 4]], [[2008]]</ref> a National Television Award for Most Popular Actor (2000)<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/966147.stm National Television Awards: The winners] BBC News, [[October 10]], [[2000]], retrieved [[February 4]], [[2008]]</ref> and five British Soap Awards (Villain of the Year in 2000, Best Actor in 2001 and 2002, Sexiest Male in 2001 and 2002) for his work on ''EastEnders''.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/1996051.stm ''EastEnders'' sweeps soap awards], BBC News, [[May 19]], [[2002]], retrieved [[February 4]], [[2008]]</ref><ref>[http://www.waveguide.co.uk/8004.htm British Soap Awards 2001 - The Winners] Waveguide.co.uk, retrieved [[February 4]], [[2008]]</ref><ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/767530.stm ''Eastenders'' cleans up soap awards], BBC News, [[May 28]], [[2000]], retrieved [[February 4]], [[2008]]</ref>
He then switched over to [[ITV]] where he starred in several television dramas such as ''[[The Brides in the Bath]]'' in which he played real-life murderer, [[George Joseph Smith|George Smith]] and ''Can't Buy Me Love'' opposite fellow ''EastEnders'' star [[Michelle Collins]] which was based on a true story about a man who conned his wife and friends into believing he had won the lottery.
Most recently Kemp starred in a low-budget British film titled ''[[Back in Business (film)| Back in Business]]'' which had a limited release in February 2007 and one month later was released on DVD.
Kemp has also founded his own production company.
Martin appeared on a celebrity special of ''[[Who Wants to Be A Millionaire]]'' in January 2008 with his brother Gary, in order to raise awareness of and funds for the Encephalitis Society.
==Personal life==
Martin Kemp has been married to Shirlie Holliman since 1988. Holliman is a former back up singer of the group [[Wham! (pop duo)|Wham!]] and one-half of the 1980s pop duo [[Pepsi and Shirlie]]. The couple have a son and daughter together. Martin Kemp is also patron of the UK and Ireland charity, The Encephalitis Society, and at the time of becoming patron confirmed that he had controlled [[epilepsy]] since the 1990s, as a result of having two [[brain tumour]]s. The Society is the only resource in the world that provides information globally on the disease and its consequences. Encephalitis is inflammation of the brain usually as a result of infection or an inappropriate auto immune response. Following the tumours, Kemp had a protective metal plate implanted over his brain under the scalp. It is unnoticeable but not undetectable - during an appearance on the [[Frank Skinner]] Show in 2002, Kemp jokingly remarked that he could never slip quietly through metal detectors at airports, as the plate would set the alarm off.
==Filmography==
*''[[Back in Business (film)|Back in Business]]'' (2007) .... Will Spencer
*''[[Marple (TV series)|Marple]]'' (2006) .... Jackie Afflick
*''[[Love Lies Bleeding]]'' (2005) .... Mark Terry
*''[[Can't Buy Me Love (TV film)|Can't Buy Me Love]]'' (2004) .... Alan Harris
*''[[Where the Heart Is (1997 TV series)|Where the Heart Is]]'' (2004) .... Ian Thorpe
*''[[The Brides in the Bath]]'' (2003) .... George Smith
*''[[Sugar Town (film)|Sugar Town]]'' (1999) .... Jonesy
*''[[EastEnders]]'' (1998-2002) ..... Steve Owen
*''[[Monk Dawson]]'' (1998) .... David Allenby
*''[[The Bill]]'' (1998) ..... Tom Marsh
*''[[Tales from the Crypt (TV series)|Tales from the Crypt]]'' (1996)
*''[[The Outer Limits]]'' (1995) .... Michael Deighton
*''[[Embrace of the Vampire]]'' (1994) .... Vampire
*''[[Highlander: The Series]]'' (1993) .... Alfred Cahill
*''[[Aspen Extreme]]'' (1993) .... Franz Hauser
*''[[Waxwork II: Lost in Time]]'' (1992) .... Baron Von Frankenstein
*''[[The Krays]]'' (1990) .... Reggie Kray
==References==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
* [http://www.originalmartinkemp.com/ Official Martin Kemp Website]
* {{imdb name|name=Martin Kemp|id=0447337}}
* http://www.encephalitis.info
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kemp, Martin}}
[[Category:1961 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:English actors]]
[[Category:English soap opera actors]]
[[Category:English male singers]]
[[Category:English bass guitarists]]
[[Category:People with epilepsy]]