Laurence Foster(I)

Born in Wolverhampton in 1944. Educated at Regis School and Birmingham Theatre School where he won the Outstanding Student Award. Seasons of twice nightly rep followed in 1968 and was then engaged by Peter Dews at Birmingham Repertory Theatre in Othello, Romeo & Juliet, St. Joan and After The Rain with Michael Gambon and Timothy Dalton. Laurence then acted in and directed Children's Theatre seasons in Weston-Super-Mare and Burnham-on-Sea. Dick Condon invited him to Ireland in 1968 as leading man in Billy Liar, The Heiress, Barefoot in the Park and Boeing-Boeing. He then played the Prince in Tom Thumb with Maureen Potter and in Alfie, with Ray McAnally, also at the Gaiety Theatre Dublin. He was a member of the Gate Theatre Company from 1969 to 1971 and, in 1972 returned to Birmingham Rep to play in Vivat,Vivat,Regina! for Peter Dews. On returning to Ireland, he appeared in all the major Dublin Theatres playing leading roles in Arms & the Man, The Knack, Michaelmas Eve, See How they Run, Peg o' My Heart, Hamlet, Under Milk Wood, Major Barbara, The Hour Glass, Box & Cox, King Lear, Pantomimes and several Summer Revues. In 1974, he joined the RTE Radio Drama Department as an actor and performed in over 750 plays Film appearances include Privilege, The Manions of America, Cal, Hello Stranger and The Escapist. Television appearances include, Thirty Minute Theatre, Rainbow City, United, Aladdin, The Burke Enigma, Kilmore House, Heritage, Remington Steele, Dear Sarah, Law & Order, The Clinic, Fair City and The Tudors. Recent theatre includes, All's Well That Ends Well at the Helix Theatre Dublin, his solo performance on tour as Charles Dickens in his own creation, Dickens in Dublin, and The Constant Wife at the Gate Theatre Dublin and Dock Street Theatre, Charleston, South Carolina, June 2007. His autobiography, "Rising Without Trace", was published by Ashfield Press in 2007. Recent film; played Charles Dickens in A Christmas Carol, 2012, for October Eleven Films.