Ashley Walters (actor)
Ashley Walters | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Ashley Walters |
| Also known as | Asher D |
| Born | 30 June 1982 Peckham, London, England |
| Genres | UK garage, grime, hip hop |
| Occupation(s) | Rapper, actor |
| Years active | 1999–present |
| Labels | Crescent Moon Media/AD82 Records |
Ashley Anthony Walters (born 30 June 1982), also known as Asher D, is an English rapper and actor.
Early life
Walters was born in Peckham, London. He was raised by his mother, Pamela Case, a local government officer.[1] He attended the Sylvia Young Theatre School from the age of 6. After graduating, Walters starred in some popular stage productions of the time.
Music career
Musically, he is best known as Asher D in the group So Solid Crew. He enjoyed relative success as a lyricist, particularly for their number 1 hit "21 Seconds". After the group split, he went on to focus on other projects, most recently 2006's In Memory of the Street Fighter, featuring the single "Andrea". He released a studio album in 2008 entitled The Appetiser, a 12-track album produced by both him and Laurence Ezra. With Dewi Bruce Konuah, he co-owns a production company called AD82 Productions, specialising in talent in the British music and film industries. Early 2012, Ashley has signed a recording deal with independent label SK Records founded by British singer/song-writer Simon Webbe and business partners Karan and Preeti Singh. His single How You Like Me Now was released on 29th July 2012. In November 2012, Ashley appeared on Radio 1 DJ Charlie Sloth's Fire in the Booth show.
Acting career
Walters is also an actor, appearing under his full name, Ashley Walters. He appeared as Omar in The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles at the age of 10, and as Andy in Grange Hill at the age of 14. He appeared in Bullet Boy, where he played Ricky who had just came out of jail to start a new life, a role for which he was named Best Newcomer at the British Independent Film Awards. He also appeared in Get Rich or Die Tryin'.
He played the role of Wolf in the film Stormbreaker, and Danny in Life and Lyrics, for which he has received many plaudits. He starred in WΔZ alongside Selma Blair and Melissa George, and Sugarhouse. He played Lacey in the BBC Three drama pilot West 10 LDN. He appeared in five episodes of the fourth series of BBC TV drama Hustle, playing Billy Bond. He has appeared in the MTV series Top Buzzer and played the role of Al B in the 2006 production House of 9 alongside Dennis Hopper. He has appeared on stage at the Royal National Theatre in Roy Williams’ Sing Yer Heart Out for the Lads[2] and the Royal Court Theatre in Levi David Addai's Oxford Street.[3] Another feature film, Tu£sday, sees him playing a jewel thief. He appeared in Bola Agbaje's play Off the Endz at the Royal Court Theatre during February and March 2010.
He made appearances in police drama The Bill and firefighting drama London's Burning. His Grange Hill history and autobiography was referenced by the comedian Stewart Lee on 16 March 2009, on the BBC2 show Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle in the episode themed on "Toilet Books". He also appeared in 2009's TV adaptation of Small Island and as Jack Holt in the short-lived drama Outcasts on the BBC in February and March 2011.
For the BBC Learning project "Off By Heart Shakespeare", Walters delivered one of Shakespeare’s best known speeches, "But soft, what light through yonder window breaks?" from Romeo and Juliet.[4] In October 2011, Walters starred in the Arjun Rose slasher Demons Never Die. From 31 October 2011, he played Dushane in one-off drama Top Boy. In February 2012, he played Chris in the BBC drama Inside Men.
Personal life
Walters has two sons and two daughters with partner Natalie.[5] In July 2001, following an argument with a traffic warden, he was found to be carrying a loaded Brocock air pistol modified to fire live ammunition. He was arrested and, in 2002, jailed for 18 months, in a young offenders' institute. Having spent the previous nine months in custody, he subsequently served an additional nine months to complete his sentence.[6][7]
Filmography
Films
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Take 2 | Bro | Short film |
| 2000 | The Elevator | Young man | |
| Some Voices | Kitchen hand | ||
| Born Romantic | Lee | ||
| 2004 | Bullet Boy | Ricky | |
| 2005 | House of 9 | Al B | Credited as Asher D |
| Goal! | Carl Francis | ||
| Get Rich or Die Tryin' | Antwan | ||
| 2006 | Alex Rider: Stormbreaker | Wolf | |
| Cubs | Karl | Short film | |
| Life and Lyrics | Danny Lewis | ||
| 2007 | WΔZ | Daniel Leone | |
| Sugarhouse | D | ||
| 2008 | Speed Racer | Prince Kabala | |
| Tu£sday | Billy | ||
| 2011 | Fedz | Cherokee Blame | Short film |
| Reparations for the Soul | The Entity | ||
| Anuvahood | Cracks | ||
| Sket | Trey | ||
| Demons Never Die | Bates | ||
| 2012 | St. George's Day | Kootz | |
| 2013 | Grace and Danger | Felling | |
| The Charlatans | Writer and director |
Television
| Year | Show | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles | Omar | 1 episode: "Young Indiana Jones and the Curse of the Jackal" |
| 1997 | Grange Hill | Andy Phillips | 10 episodes |
| 1999 | The Murder of Stephen Lawrence | Stuart Lawrence | |
| 2000 | The Coral Island | Jack | |
| Storm Damage | Stefan | ||
| Urban Gothic | Leo | Episode: "Dead Meat" | |
| The Bill | Michael Dexter | Episode: "Search Me" | |
| Never Never | Lee | ||
| 2001 | Shockers: Parent's Night | Brian | |
| The Whistle-Blower | Keith Lindo | ||
| The Bill | Jess Thomas | Episode: "Lick of Paint" | |
| Dark Realm | Student | Episode: "Castle Keep" | |
| 2002 | The Hidden City | Sid | 21 episodes |
| 2003 | Holby City | Roy Woodley | Episode: "One of Our Own" |
| 2004 | Top Buzzer | Bugsy | Episode: "Germination" |
| 2005 | Last Rights | Max | |
| 2007 | Hustle | Billy Bond | Series 4 |
| 2008 | West 10 LDN | Lacey | |
| 2009 | Small Island | Michael | |
| 2010 | Five Days | Jamal Matthews | |
| 2011 | Bedlam | Mark | Episode: "Committed" |
| Outcasts | Jack Holt | ||
| Top Boy | Dushane | ||
| 2012 | Inside Men | Chris | |
| True Love | Paul | Episode: "Story Four" | |
| Sinbad | Abdul-Fahim | Episode: "House of Games" | |
| 2013 | Doctor Who | Van Baalen | Episode: "Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS" |
Discography
Studio albums
| Date | Title | Chart positions | Credit |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK | |||
| 2002 | Why Me?
|
Asher D | |
| June 14, 2004 | Street Sibling
|
Asher D | |
| October 9, 2006 | In Memory of the Street Fighter
|
Asher D | |
| February 26, 2009 | Ashley Walters
|
Ashley Walters |
Mixtapes
| Date | Title | Chart positions | Credit |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK | |||
| June 2006 | Cure 4 Cancer
|
Asher D | |
| February 4, 2007 | The Appetiser
|
Asher D | |
| December 15, 2011 | Forgotten Treasures Vol. 1
|
Ashley Walters | |
| December 31, 2011 | Forgotten Treasures Vol. 2
|
Ashley Walters | |
| December 31, 2011 | Forgotten Treasures Vol. 3
|
Ashley Walters | |
| January 2, 2012 | Forgotten Treasures Vol. 4
|
Ashley Walters | |
| February 16, 2012 | Forgotten Treasures: The Complete Legacy
|
Ashley Walters |
Singles
| Date | Title | Chart positions | Album | Credit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK | ||||
| May 27, 2002 | "Back in the Day"/"Why Me?" | #43 | Why Me? | Asher D |
| February 14, 2006 | "This is Real" | – | In Memory of the Street Fighter | Asher D |
| August 1, 2006 | "Andrea" | – | Asher D | |
| July 9, 2007 | "Still Here" | – | Asher D | |
| November 5, 2007 | "Inside Out" | – | Non-album single | Asher D featuring Ghetto |
| July 28, 2008 | "Lies" | – | Baby J featuring Ashley Walters | |
| October 28, 2008 | "M.O. (Pt. 2)" | – | Ashley Walters | Ashley Walters |
| January 12, 2009 | "With You" | – | Ashley Walters featuring Mutya Buena | |
| May 18, 2009 | "Own Two Feet" | – | Ashley Walters featuring Chipmunk | |
| July 29, 2012 | "How You Like Me Now" | – | TBC | Ashley Walters featuring Lisa Moorish |
| November 11, 2012 | "Your Love" | – | Ashley Walters featuring Alesha Dixon |
References
- ^ Who is Asher D?, BBC Newsround, 25 March 2002
- ^ Sing Yer Heart Out for the Lads http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/7781/productions/sing-yer-heart-out-for-the-lads.html
- ^ Oxford Street http://www.royalcourttheatre.com/whats-on/oxford-street
- ^ "Schools - Teachers - Off By Heart Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet "But soft, what light through yonder window breaks?"". BBC. 2011-03-21. Retrieved 2011-07-08.
- ^ Ashley Walters on the perils of being Top Boy, Radio Times, 31 October 2011
- ^ Asher D gets jailed for gun crime, BBC Newsround, 25 March 2002
- ^ So Solid Crew rapper sentenced to 18 months for having loaded gun, Daily Telegraph, 26 March 2002
External links
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
