Sam Barnard

Sam Barnard (born 21 October 1985 in Chatham, England) is a British actor with Down's syndrome [1] who performed the role of Robert in the ITV drama The Suspicions of Mr Whicher: The Murder in Angel Lane (2013)[2] and appeared on the Channel 4 reality programme The Undateables (2012 and 2013).

Biography

Sam Barnard was born in Chatham, Kent, England. He has Down's syndrome but has never regarded it as a disability. He attended mainstream schools and studied at Canterbury College from the age of 16 to 18. Since leaving college Sam has pursued a number of interests, particularly as part of the Skillnet Group, a Community Interest Company, working alongside people with learning difficulties in Kent, England. For some years he volunteered at a residential home for elderly people, making tea, chatting to residents and helping with entertainment. He also has a job working part-time as an administrative assistant for Kent County Council.

The acting agent Louise Dyson took Barnard on in 2006. A few weeks later, Sam started filming in a walk-on role in The Oxford Murders (2008), starring John Hurt and Elijah Wood.[3] In 2007, Barnard auditioned for a place on the "Staging Change" acting course for actors with learning disabilities, run by Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts and Mind the Gap Theatre Company. He was offered a place on the course and completed it in 2008. He appeared (uncredited) in one episode of BBC's EastEnders in 2007 and appeared in the "Thorpe Park" episode of Channel 4's The Inbetweeners in 2008. In 2009, Sam appeared in and co-directed a short film "Crime Report" for ITV Fixers. He played lead roles in the short films "Bully for You", produced by Voice UK and the Ministry of Justice in 2010 and "See My Ability", produced by Derbyshire County Council and the Crown Prosecution Service in 2011. In 2012, Sam co-directed (with Luke Sewell) a short film shot on Whitstable beach featuring Rocky and the Natives performing "Oyster Girl".[4]

Barnard responded to an email from Skillnet in 2011 seeking contributors to a new TV documentary series about people with disabilities looking for love, and was chosen to participate. He featured in both the first and second series of Channel 4's The Undateables (2012 and 2013).[5][6] He is currently filming a third series. He was a guest on Channel 5's live TV chat show Live With Kaye Adams and ITV's This Morning. Barnard was a member of the expert panel for The Undateables Masterclass at the Guardian International Television Festival in Edinburgh in 2013.[7] In 2012 he auditioned for and got the role of Robert in ITV's feature-length film drama The Suspicions of Mr Whicher: The Murder in Angel Lane,[8] acting alongside Paddy Considine and Olivia Colman. Barnard is at present helping to set up a drama group for people with and without learning difficulties, as part of the Skillnet Group in Dover, England.

References

  1. ↑ Down's Syndrome Association Down 2 Earth Magazine Issue 40 Autumn/Winter 2013
  2. ↑ This is Kent - "Dover Actor Lands Role in Period Crime Drama", Dover Express, January 24, 2013
  3. ↑ IMBd The Oxford Murders 2008 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0488604/
  4. ↑ Red Sands Radio http://www.redsandsradio.co.uk/localtalent/rocky-and-the-natives
  5. ↑ Cole, Moreton (April 15, 2012). "I'll risk ridicule on TV to find love". Sunday Telegraph.
  6. ↑ Patrick, Barkham (31 March 2012). "Going out on a date, complete with TV crew". theguardian.com. Retrieved 2015-07-17.
  7. ↑ Guardian International TV Festival 2013 The Undateables Masterclass
  8. ↑ The Suspicions of Mr Whicher: The Murder in Angel Lane, Thierry Attard's Double Feature Cinema & Television blog, 14 May 2013

External links

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