Nicholas Berry (born 16 April 1963) is a retired English actor and pop singer. He is best known for his roles as Simon Wicks in EastEnders from 1985 to 1990, and as PC Nick Rowan in Heartbeat from 1992 to 1998. He sang UK chart singles with "Every Loser Wins" in 1986, which went to number one, and the theme song from Heartbeat, a cover of the Buddy Holly song "Heartbeat", in 1992.
Nick Berry | |
|---|---|
 Nick Berry as Nick Rowan, in Cochrane, Alberta, 1998 | |
| Born | Nicholas Berry 16 April 1963 Woodford, Essex, England |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active |
|
| Spouse |
Rachel Robertson (m. 1994) |
| Children | 2 |
Early life
editBerry started acting at the age of eight, and attended the Sylvia Young Theatre School in London.[1]
Career
editBerry played minor parts on television, film and stage, until his big break playing Simon 'Wicksy' Wicks in the BBC soap opera EastEnders, joining the series shortly after its inception in 1985 and staying until the end of 1990. Berry's character was thought up overnight and had been scheduled to appear later. However, he was introduced to restore the cast balance distorted by the unexpected departure of actor David Scarboro who played the original Mark Fowler. Scarboro's departure meant many of his functions as one of the senior of the young characters would need to be taken over by another character and thus Wicksy was introduced rather sooner than originally planned and Berry was cast with minimal delay.[2] He was quickly hailed as EastEnders' top pin-up and during this time was besieged by fan mail from female admirers.[3]
Berry soon took a break from EastEnders to tour and make an album from which the number-one single "Every Loser Wins" came in 1986. The song was heavily featured within EastEnders in a plotline referred to as The Banned in which the youths of Albert Square formed a pop group and performed the songs on screen.[2] It was the second-biggest-selling single in the UK that year, remaining at number one for three weeks. Its composers, Simon May, Stewart James and Bradley James, received an Ivor Novello Award.
Berry returned to EastEnders after his musical career stalled but left again in an 'open to return' storyline which was aired in December 1990. His character has only made one brief re-appearance since in an episode dated 13 January 2012, marking the funeral of his on-screen mother, played by Pam St Clement.
In 1992, Berry was cast in the role of policeman PC (later Sgt) Nick Rowan in ITV's drama series Heartbeat (1992–98). Berry recorded the title song "Heartbeat" in 1992, a cover of the 1958 Buddy Holly hit, which reached number two in the UK singles chart and spawned a second album.[4] His wife Rachel Robertson also appeared in the series in small one-off roles. Berry’s era ended with a one-off twin episode special showing his character's new career as a Royal Canadian Mounted Police Officer.
In 1998, Berry left Heartbeat for the BBC One series Harbour Lights. Filmed around the area of Bridport he played harbourmaster Mike Nicholls, which ran for two series.
Berry's other credits include The Mystery of Men with Neil Pearson and Warren Clarke, Respect, Paparazzo, "Duck Patrol", The Black Velvet Band with Todd Carty, and playing the police office Liam Ketman alongside Stephen Tompkinson in the BBC crime drama In Deep.
Berry retired from acting and ran his own production company called Valentine Productions. Berry resigned from the company in October 2019.[5]
Personal life
editJust before he joined the cast of EastEnders, Berry fractured his skull in a car crash but went on to make a full recovery.[3]
During his time in EastEnders, Berry was in a relationship with fellow cast member Gillian Taylforth, who played Kathy Beale.[3]
Berry married actress Rachel Robertson in 1994. The couple have two sons, Louis (born 1995) and Finley (born 1998), and the family resides in Epping, Essex.
Berry is a supporter of West Ham United F.C.[6]
Filmography
editFilms
edit| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Forever Young | Boy at school | |
| Party Party | Ralph | ||
| 1989 | Tank Malling | Joe McGrath | |
| 1995 | Paparazzo | Rick Caulker |
TV
edit| Year | Show | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | BBC2 Playhouse | Carter | 1 episode: Kites |
| 1983 | Dramarama | Lance Boyle | 1 episode: Rip It Up |
| 1984 | Dramarama | Paul Walker | 1 episode: The Purple People Eater |
| The Box of Delights | Pirate Rat | 2 episodes: Where Shall the 'Knighted Showman Go? In Darkest Cellars Underneath | |
| 1985 | Cover Her Face | Tony | 1 episode: 1.2 |
| 1985–1990, 2012 | EastEnders | Simon Wicks | Series regular: 466 episodes |
| 1991 | Cluedo | Ben the Window-Cleaner | 1 episode: Charity Begins at Home |
| 1992–1998 | Heartbeat | Nick Rowan | Series regular: 96 episodes |
| 1996 | Respect | Bobby Carr | |
| 1997 | Black Velvet Band | Martin Tusco | |
| 1998 | Heartbeat: Changing Places | Nick Rowan | Spin-off video |
| 1999 | The Mystery of Men | Colin Dunbar | |
| 1999–2000 | Harbour Lights | Lt. Cmdr. Mike Nicholls | Series regular: 16 episodes |
| 2001–2003 | In Deep | Liam Ketman | Series regular: 22 episodes |
Discography
editAlbums
edit| Year | Album details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| UK [7] | ||
| 1986 | Nick Berry | 99
|
| 1992 | Nick Berry
|
28
|
* The two identically titled albums are different.
Singles
edit| Year | Single details | Peak chart positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [7] |
AUS [8] |
IRE [9] | |||
| 1986 | "Every Loser Wins"
|
1 | 93 | — | Nick Berry |
| 1987 | "It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time"
|
— | — | — | |
| 1992 | "Heartbeat"
|
2 | — | 18 | Nick Berry |
"Long Live Love"
|
47 | — | — | ||
References
edit- ^ "Sylvia Young Theatre School - Alumni". sylviayoungtheatreschool.co.uk. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
- ^ a b Smith, Julia; Holland, Tony (1987). EastEnders – The Inside Story. Book Club Associates. ISBN 0-563-20601-2.
- ^ a b c Kingsley, Hilary (1990). The EastEnders Handbook. BBC books. ISBN 0-563-36292-8.
- ^ 'Nick Berry chart positions', everyhit.com. Retrieved 15 December 2006.
- ^ Fletcher, Alex (6 May 2016). "Heartbeat: Nick Berry, Tricia Penrose - Where are the cast of the ITV drama series now?". BT TV.
- ^ "West Ham United Famous Fans – West Ham Celebrity Fans". Ave-it.net. Archived from the original on 22 May 2012. Retrieved 3 May 2012.
- ^ a b Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 55. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 34. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ "Nick Berry". The Irish Charts.
- ^ "Music-Week-1986-10-11-I.pdf" (PDF). worldradiohistory.com. 11 October 1986. Archived (PDF) from the original on 31 January 2023. Retrieved 2 March 2023.[page needed]
- ^ "Nick Berry - It Seemed Like A Good Idea At The Time" – via www.45cat.com.
External links
edit- Nick Berry at IMDb
- Nick Berry discography at Discogs
- Nick Berry – BBC Drama
- Nick Berry as Nick Rowan – 'Heartbeat'