Burn Hugh Gorman was born in California to British parents, and lived there till the age of 7, when his family relocated back to the UK in time for his two older sisters to start secondary school. Of his time in the US, Gorman says he remembers very little – something that is evident in his predominantly London accent. His childhood appears to have been somewhat unorthodox, having spent some of his younger years
(until the age of 16) in a commune.2 It is perhaps amazing that he should choose a career in acting, having spent some of his childhood without a TV.3 His first credited acting role was in 1998, when he appeared as Ben Andrews in two episodes of Coronation Street. Since then his career has gone from strength to strength, with roles in episodes of Eastenders, Miss Marple, The Inspector Lynley Mysteries, and Funland, to name but a few. He is perhaps best known for his unforgettable portrayal of Mr Guppy in Bleak House, and as the snarky and complex Owen Harper in the Doctor Who spin-off Torchwood. As well as considerable TV credits, Gorman has also appeared in several Major Motion Pictures, including 2004’s Layer Cake, and the more recent Penelope, The Oxford Murders, Fred Claus, and The Best Man. His acting career extends beyond the Silver and small screens, with theatre credits such as Ladybird, Flush, Gong Donkeys and The Green Man in London, and performances for the Plymouth Theatre Royal, Manchester’s Royal Exchange Studio and Library and Contact Theatres (for which he was nominated for The Manchester Evening News “Best Newcomer” award), and the Nottingham Playhouse.
His various roles have attracted much attention from critics and reviewers, including The Guardian’s Michael Billington, who described Gorman as “one of the best young actors in Britain”. Doctor Who’s Russell T Davies recalls “We were very lucky to get Burn Gorman . . . all of us had completely fallen in love with him during Bleak House.”5. From 25th June, 2008, voting opens on the Sy Fy Portal’s Genre Awards, for which Gorman has been nominated as Best Supporting Actor.
His impressive talents do not end with acting, however. An accomplished musician, he has appeared on stages and in clubs around the world with acts such as Neneh Cherry, Groove Armada, and Rodney P. In 2003 he was named Radio 1Xtra’s Human Beatbox Champion, under the name BBBurn, and was a co-founder of the hip-hop outfit Drool Skool. He has also recorded several audio projects, such as the BBC Radio 4 plays Echo and Narcissus and The Mayor of Casterbridge. In 2007 he lent his vocal talents to two Torchwood audio books, Everyone Says Hello and Slow Decay, for BBC Audio, and in 2006 read Simon Kernick’s original short story The Debt for BMW. A self-confessed sci-fi fan, Gorman says he looks forward to the day when he can sit his young son down in front of the TV and say “Right, this is Doctor Who. And this is Planet of the Apes".1 He cites shows such as 24 and The West Wing6 as among his favourites, and that his role on Torchwood is “a dream job”. 1
His wife, Sarah, gave birth to their son, Max, at the Heath Hospital in Cardiff, during shooting of the Torchwood episode “Ghost Machine” – an eventful shoot, as he also managed to lose a tooth during filming! “This was the episode [in] which my wife was having our little boy” he says proudly. “So there were a lot of late nights where I had to go off.” 4
2008 has been a particularly busy year for Gorman, with his roles in Torchwood, The Curse of Steptoe, and Bonekickers, among others. From December 12th 2008 he will be appearing in Cameron Mackintosh’s revival of Lionel Bart’s Oliver! as the villainous Bill Sikes, and as Cathy’s brother Hindley in ITV’s new adaptation of Wuthering Heights. Sources: Wikipedia, TV.com, IMDB 1) Radio Times Interview, 23-28 February 2008 2) Esquire Magazine, March 2008 3) NEWSARAMA, 20 February, 2008 4) “Ghost Machine” commentary, Torchwood Season 1 DVD boxset 5) SFX, 17 October 2006 6) Torchwood Magazine, Issue 3 Special thanks to Assistant Admin, Xenutia, for putting together Burn's bio.