Burn Gorman is an American born British actor and musician born in 1974. Burn is most known for his roles as William Guppy in Bleak House and as Owen Harper in Torchwood.
He was born in Hollywood, where his family lived due to his father's work as a UCLA professor, but moved to London at the age of seven. He has a wife, Sarah, and a one year old son named Max who was born shortly after filming the first series of Torchwood.
He appears in the first two series of the BAFTA Cymru winning science-fiction/crime drama Torchwood as Owen Harper, and in 2007 filmed Sex, The City and Me for the BBC and "Ordeal by Innocence", an episode of Marple for ITV. Recently, he has worked with cult Spanish director Álex de la Iglesia on The Oxford Murders, a crime thriller based on Guillermo Martinez's book of the same name alongside Elijah Wood and John Hurt. He also appeared in the film Fred Claus with Vince Vaughn and Kevin Spacey.
Gorman's other film credits include Layer Cake (directed by Matthew Vaughn), Penelope (with Christina Ricci and Reese Witherspoon), The Best Man, Colour Me Kubrick, Love is Not Enough, and the short films The Bully Boys and Runners.
Gorman appeared in the BAFTA winning BBC One adaptation of Charles Dickens' Bleak House as William Guppy, and the BAFTA nominated political thriller Low Winter Sun (Tiger Aspect/Channel 4) the same year. In 2008 he played scriptwriter Ray Galton in the BBC Four television play, The Curse of Steptoe.
Other television includes Funland (BBC Three), A Good Thief (Granada), Dalziel and Pascoe (BBC One), Casualty, Merseybeat (TV series) and The Inspector Lynley Mysteries (BBC). He played a guest role in EastEnders on 9 March 2007 as Jed. He is due to appear in episode T of the BBC's archaelogical mystery drama Bonekickers.
His London theatre credits include Ladybird (Royal Court), Flush (Soho Theatre), The Green Man and Gong Donkeys (Bush Theatre), of which Michael Billington of The Guardian wrote "Burn Gorman proves that he is one of the best young actors in Britain."
Gorman has also worked with acclaimed actress and director Kathryn Hunter, Marcello Magni of Complicite, Mike Hodges (of Get Carter and Croupier fame), Artistic Director of NT of Scotland Vicky Featherstone, Mark Ravenhill, Frantic Assembly, and with the English National Opera (in Morning To Midnight with Richard Jones). He has performed in readings, workshops and development initiatves with the National Theatre Studio, Young Vic, Royal Court, Oxford Stage Company, Paines Plough, and Soho Theatre.
Outside of London, Gorman has worked with the Nottingham Playhouse, Plymouth Theatre Royal, and Manchester's Royal Exchange Studio and Library and Contact Theatres, where he was nominated for a Manchester Evening News Best Newcomer Award.
From December 2008 he will play Bill Sikes in Cameron Mackintosh's West End revival of the musical Oliver!.
As a musician, Gorman has played in clubs and on stages all over the world, appearing alongside Neneh Cherry, Rodney P and Groove Armada amongst others, and has worked on videos and visuals with The Streets. He was also BBC 1Xtra Human Beatbox Champion.
