Micheal Ward is a Jamaican-born British model and actor who is popular for starring in the British film Blue Story (2019) and the British television series Top Boy (2019) and The A List (2018).
Wiki/Biography
Micheal Ward was born on Tuesday, November 18, 1997 (age 23 years; as of 2020), in Spanish Town, Jamaica.
Childhood picture of Micheal Ward
His family migrated to Hackney, London, when he was four. While growing up in the bustling multicultural district Hackney, Ward witnessed seemingly harmless arguments turning into dangerous postcode rivalries. In an interview, he said,
I was too scared to go to those parts of London when I was growing up!… Especially back then – you knew south London wasn’t the place to be. I just didn’t wanna go there. Same with Hackney. Not for me.”
Later, during his teenage days, his family relocated to Romford, where he attended Chadwell Heath Academy. Ward first got interested in acting during his school days when he played the main antagonist Macduff in William Shakespeare’s tragedy ‘Macbeth.’ In an interview, he said,
The thing that made me want to be an actor was Macbeth…We did a modern version at school and I was playing Macduff. It just really sparked something in me: I loved it!”
Thereafter, he enrolled himself in Epping Forest College in Loughton, England, where he pursued a course in the performing arts [1]Burning Bright.
Physical Appearance
[2]Olivia Bell Management Height: : 5’ 9” (175cm)
Hair Color: Black
Eye Color: Brown
Family
Micheal Ward’s mother’s name is Keisha Getfield. Micheal’s father died when he was just a kid. He has three sisters. One of his sister’s names is Shan Timaiz. His aunt and uncle own and operate a Caribbean restaurant in Chadwell Heath, east London.
Childhood picture of Micheal Ward with his father
Micheal Ward with his mother
Career
When Ward was sixteen he worked as a delivery boy at his auntie’s Caribbean restaurant in Chadwell Heath, east London. Thereafter, he worked in a bookie shop, where people can place bets on sporting events. One of his teachers took a shine to him during his college days. Soon after, she signed up Ward with the talent management agency that she joined after leaving her teaching job. The agency procured him a few roles in some music videos. Post his win in a modeling contest, at the age of seventeen, he secured the opportunity to model sportswear for the e-commerce site JD Sports.
Micheal Ward modeling for the Nike’s Dri-FIT knit contrast T-shirt on JD’s official website
Being featured on a gigantic billboard in Los Angeles’ Sunset Strip and throughout the United Kingdom led to him being internationally in demand. In 2018, he was a featured model in the SOS symposium conference materials. In August 2020, he modeled for Louis Vuitton’s AW20 menswear campaign.
Billboard in Manchester, United Kingdom, featuring Micheal Ward
Film
In 2016, he made his film debut with a brief role of a supporting artist in the background of the British drama film Brotherhood (2016).
Brotherhood (2016)
He came into the spotlight with the 2019 British crime drama film ‘Blue Story’ in which he played the role of Marco. In the film, best friends Marco and Timmy, who live in different neighborhoods of London, turn into enemies and indulge in a postcode war after Marco is attacked by one of Timmy’s friends.
Micheal Ward (center) Blue Story (2019)
In 2020, he starred in the American superhero film ‘The Old Guard’ as Lykon, the only known immortal to have died. In the film, centuries-old immortals who have the ability to heal themselves discover someone who wants to expose their identity; hence, they try to protect their secret.
Micheal Ward in The Old Guard (2020)
Television
In 2020, he made his television debut when he starred in an episode titled “Lovers Rock” of the British film series ‘Small Axe.’ The anthology consists of five films that showcase distinct stories between the 1960s and the 1980s, which feature the lives of West Indian immigrants in London. In “Lovers Rock,” Ward played the role of Franklyn Cooper who meets a girl named Martha at a reggae house party in 1980 in West London. Ward was nominated for BAFTA TV Award (2021) for playing the role of Franklyn.
Micheal Ward in Small Axe: Lovers Rock (2021)
OTT/Web Series
He made his digital debut with the 2018 British teen thriller series ‘The A List’ in which he played the role of Brendan. The central character of the series Mia arrives at the same summer camp in Peregrine Island expecting to be the queen bee until she meets a mysterious girl named Amber, who instantly becomes the center of attention at camp. As the story unfolds, Brendan collaborates with Mia to investigate the dark secrets that Peregrine Island holds.
The A List (2018)
In 2019, he rose to prominence when played the protagonist Jamie Tovell in the third season of the 2011 British television crime drama ‘Top Boy.’ Set in the fictional Summerhouse estate in the London Borough of Hackney, the series follows the life of Jamie, a gang leader of the ZT (Zero Tolerance) crew and a family man who must look after his two young brothers.
Micheal Ward in Top Boy (2019)
Others
He appeared in the music videos of the songs “Blessings” (2017) by Tom Walker and “Trigger Bang” (2018) by Lily Allen. In 2019, he appeared in the music video of the song “Black” by the British rapper-singer Dave.
Micheal Ward in the music video of the song Blessings (2017) by Tom Walker
In 2020, he played the role of Lewis in ‘Good Thanks, You?’. Titled ‘Best Short Film’ at the Tweetfest Film Festival (2020), the film deals with the lead character’s traumatic experience and the after-effects.
Micheal Ward in the film Good Thanks, You?
Later in the same year, he appeared in the short film ‘Looking Back’ in which he played the role of Barnabas. The film follows Aaron who must give a large sum of money to his ex-benefactor in order to exit the world of crime without repercussions.
Awards/Honors
- Was awarded the BAFTA Rising Star Award at the 2020 BAFTA Awards.
Micheal Ward receiving BAFTA Rising Star Award (2020)
- Nominated for National Film Award (2020) in the categories of ‘Best Newcomer’ and ‘Outstanding Performance’ for the film Blue Story (2019)
- Won NME Award (2020) in the category of Best Film Actor for the film Blue Story (2019)
Facts/Trivia
- Micheal Ward is signed with the talent management agency Olivia Bell Management, which is based in Soho, London.
- A passionate soccer player, Ward dreamed of pursuing a career in sports during his childhood. In an interview, he said,
Initially, I wanted to be a footballer, but that’s probably because every other young boy I was around wanted that. Football was the main thing we did at break time, lunchtime, after school – we loved it so much.”
- Before starring in the series ‘Top Boy’ (2019), Ward was a fan of the series and grew up watching it. In 2013, he tweeted,
Micheal Ward’s tweet
In 2014, he requested the ‘Top Boy’ star Ashley Walters for a chance to audition for the show but failed to receive a response. In an interview, he revealed that being cast in ‘Top Boy’ was something that he dreamed of even before realizing what it meant to be an actor.
References
| ↑1 | Burning Bright |
|---|---|
| ↑2 | Olivia Bell Management |