Ian Mercer
Ian Cameron Mercer (born 10 July 1961) is an English actor. He is known for playing Gary Mallett in the ITV soap opera Coronation Street from 1995 to 2000, having previously appeared in 1987 as a different character. His other television credits include Brookside (1982–83), Cracker (1993), and The Street (2007).
Ian Mercer | |
---|---|
Born | Oldham, Lancashire, England | 10 July 1961
Nationality | British |
Alma mater | Northumbria University |
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1982–present |
Spouse(s) | Susan E. Fenwick (div.) |
Children | Scarlett Rae & Ruby Mae |
Career
Mercer was born in Oldham, Lancashire. On leaving school Mercer trained as an electrical engineer but decided to become an actor when he became an assistant stage manager at the Oldham Coliseum in 1979. His first television appearance was as a butcher in the film Blue Money in 1985.
Mercer went on to work in such stage productions as Bent, Spend Spend Spend, Saturday Night, Sunday Morning, Billy Liar, Stop The Children's Laughter, Welcome Home, Romeo and Juliet, The Fancy Man, The York Realist, Beauty and the Beast and Revengers Tragedy.[1]
His television and film acting credits include leading roles in Starting Out, (1982), a series made by ATV for schools and written by Grazyna Monvid, Coronation Street (as Gary Mallett and in 1987, Pete Jackson), Shackleton (with Kenneth Branagh), Heartbeat, The Monocled Mutineer, A Touch of Frost, Cracker, Common As Muck, Peak Practice, New Tricks and Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (with Russell Crowe).[1] In 2009 he appeared in an episode of Doctors and two episodes of Waking the Dead. He appeared as Blackbeard's chief zombie henchman in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. During August and September 2015 he returned to Doctors playing the recurring role of Andy Weston in an ongoing sub-plot.
In 2007 he completed three years of study at Northumbria University, gaining a degree in English and Art History.[2] He lives in Northumberland with his two daughters, Scarlett Rae (1997) and Ruby Mae (2000).
In 2018, Mercer appeared in the Mike Leigh film, Peterloo, playing the "buffoonish" Dr Healey.[3]
In May 2011 he was convicted of benefit fraud, having falsely claimed £2,300 in council tax benefit despite being in work at the time. He was fined £165 with a £15 victim surcharge and £100 costs.[4]
Film
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2003 | Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World | Mr. Hollar, Boatswain | |
2005 | Lassie | Yorkshire Policeman | |
2009 | The Boat That Rocked | Transfer Boatman | AKA: Pirate Radio, Good Morning England, Radio Rock Revolution, Rock Wave & I Love Radio Rock |
Creation | Goodman | ||
2011 | Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides | Quartermaster | Based on Thomas Miller (d. 1718) |
2016 | The Legend of Tarzan | Freckled Force Publique | |
2018 | Peterloo | "Dr" Joseph Healey | |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1982–1983 | Brookside | Demon Duane | 5 episodes |
1984 | Crown Court | Michael Rofe | 1 episode |
Weekend Playhouse | Brian | ||
1984–1985 | How We Used to Live | Freddy Selby | 3 episodes |
1985 | One by One | Colin | 2 episodes |
1986–1990 | Screenplay | Brad
Peters |
1 episode (1986)
1 episode (1990) |
1986 | The Monocled Mutineer | Wheelchair | 1 episode |
1987–2000 | Coronation Street | Pete Jackson
Gary Mallett |
13 episodes (1987)
424 episodes (1995–2000) |
1991 | The Bill | D.S. Dave Lindsay | 1 episode |
1993 | Cracker | D.C./D.S. George Giggs | 4 episodes |
1994 | Screen Two | Local Reporter
Probation Officer |
1 episode (March)
1 episode (June) |
Peak Practice | "Clarkey" Clarke | 2 episodes | |
Common As Muck | Guy Simmons | 6 episodes | |
1995 | The Final Cut | Graham Glass | 1 episode |
1996 | A Touch of Frost | P.C. Craven | 3 episodes |
2003 | Sweet Medicine | Tony Durston | 1 episode |
2006 | The Afternoon Play | Eddie Connolly | |
Doctors | Billy Collis
Damien Giggs Lenny Aston George Arnott Jim Grove Andy Weston |
1 episode (2006)
1 episode (2007) 1 episode (2009) 1 episode (2011) 1 episode (2013) 15 episodes (2015) | |
2007 | New Tricks | Paul Wilmslow | 1 episode |
Heartbeat | Ronald Kirby | ||
The Chase | D.I. Proctor | ||
The Street | Richard Watts | 2 episodes | |
2009 | Red Riding: In the Year of Our Lord 1974 | Paul Bosker | TV Movie |
Red Riding: In the Year of Our Lord 1983 | |||
Holby City | Ken O'Dowd | 2 episodes | |
Spanish Flu: The Forgotten Fallen | Stanford | TV Movie | |
Waking the Dead | Jason Bloch | 2 episodes | |
2010 | Shameless | Roscoe | |
Lewis | Lester Garvey | 1 episode | |
2012 | The Scapegoat | Fincher | TV Movie |
2014 | Scott & Bailey | Frankie Waddington | 1 episode |
2016 | Churchill's Secret | Sgt Murray | TV Movie |
In the Club | Mickey | 2 episodes | |
Theatre
Year | Title | Role | Venue |
---|---|---|---|
2001–2002 | The York Realist | Arthur | The Lowry (15–17 November 2001)
Bristol Old Vic (20–24 November 2001) Royal Court Theatre (6 January-9 February 2002) Strand Theatre (8 March-20 April 2002) |
References
- Mercer on the Internet Movie Database
- 'Street' star's times are a-Changeling – BBC Nottingham website 3 October 2007
- John Bleasdale. "Peterloo first look: Mike Leigh's cudgel for a massacre". BFI. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
- 'Pirates of the Caribbean star convicted of benefit fraud' The Telegraph – 27 May 2011