Regé-Jean Page
Regé-Jean Page | |
---|---|
Born | Regererai Page 27 April 1988 |
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 2001–present |
Regé-Jean Page /ˈrɛɡeɪ ˈʒɒ̃ ˈpeɪdʒ/ (born 27 April 1988) is a Zimbabwean, British actor. He is known for his breakout role in the first series of the Netflix period drama Bridgerton (2020).
Acting professionally since 2001, Page has also appeared in BBC's Waterloo Road (2015), History Channel's Roots (2016), and ABC's For the People (2018–2019).
Early life and education
Page was born Regererai Page in London, England, to a Zimbabwean mother who was a nurse and an English father who was a preacher. He is the third of four children, and was in a band with his brother. He spent his childhood in Harare, Zimbabwe, before returning to London for secondary school where he took up acting as a hobby, and studied sound engineering at the National Youth Theatre. After two years of auditioning, Page was accepted at Drama Centre London.
Career
Early work (2001–2019)
Page's first acting role was in 2001 playing Tanaka in television series Gimme 6. This was followed by guest appearances in British television series Casualty@Holby City in 2005, Fresh Meat in 2013, and Waterloo Road in 2015. On stage, he had roles in theatre productions of The History Boys in 2013, and The Merchant of Venice in 2015. Page made his American production debut playing the role of Chicken George in the History Channel miniseries Roots in 2016, a remake of the 1977 miniseries with the same name which is based on Alex Haley's 1976 novel, Roots: The Saga of an American Family. The same year, Page filmed an unaired pilot episode for ABC's Spark.
In 2017, he was cast in a supporting role in the Shondaland-produced legal drama For the People which ran for two seasons, before getting cancelled by ABC in 2019. On film, he had a minor roles in the post-apocalyptic film Mortal Engines in 2018 and drama film Sylvie's Love in 2020.
Breakthrough (2020–present)
In 2019, Page was cast as one of the leads in the first series of Netflix period drama Bridgerton, another Shondaland project. It is based on the Regency romance novel The Duke and I, and was released in December 2020. The show was a critical success and Page received an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series presented by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, with Time magazine including him in their 100 Next List in 2021. He was also nominated for an Primetime Emmy for the role. Page did not return for the show's second series despite being offered to come back as he initially only signed a one-series deal, and wanted to explore other opportunities outside the show.
In 2022, Page appeared in Netflix's film The Gray Man which received mixed reviews. David Ehrlich of IndieWire described Page as "miserable in the role of a gallingly basic villain", with the BBC's Nicholas Barber calling his performance "one-dimensionally evil". He also has a part in fantasy film Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023). Page is attached to play Simon Templar in the upcoming reboot of The Saint, and is set to star in an untitled heist film for Netflix written and directed by Noah Hawley, both of which he is set to executive produce, but neither have entered pre-production as of 2022.
He was also made the new face of Armani Code in 2022.
Personal life
As of September 2022, Page is in a relationship with Emily Brown. They were first linked in 2019, and made their first public appearance together in September 2021.
Filmography
Film
Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2004 | Troublemaker | Jayu | Short film | |
2010 | Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 | Wedding guest | Uncredited | |
2015 | Survivor | Robert Purvell | ||
2016 | Second Summer of Love | Rupert | Short film | |
The Merchant of Venice | Solanio | Filmed stage production | ||
2018 | Mortal Engines | Captain Khora | ||
2020 | Don’t Wait | Performer | Also producer; short film | |
Sylvie's Love | Chico Sweetney | |||
2022 | The Gray Man | Denny Carmichael | ||
2023 | Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves | Xenk | Post-production |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2001 | Gimme 6 | Tanaka | ||
2005 | Casualty@Holby City | Daniel Kimpton | Episode: "Teacher's Pet / Crash and Burn" | |
2013 | Fresh Meat | Dean | 2 episodes | |
2015 | Waterloo Road | Guy Braxton | 8 episodes (series 10) | |
2016 | Roots | Chicken George | Miniseries | |
Spark | Alex Lavelle | Unaired TV pilot | ||
2018–2019 | For the People | Leonard Knox | 20 episodes | |
2020 | Cinderella: A Comic Relief Pantomime for Christmas | Prince Charming | BBC Christmas Special | |
Bridgerton | Simon Basset | Main role (series 1) | ||
2021 | Saturday Night Live | Himself (host) | Episode: "Regé-Jean Page / Bad Bunny" | |
2022 | Surviving Paradise: A Family Tale | Narrator | Documentary |
Theatre
Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2013 | The History Boys | Crowther | Crucible Theatre, Sheffield | |
2015 | The Merchant of Venice | Solanio | Shakespeare's Globe, London |
Audio
Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2020 | The Harrowing | Major Tanner | Podcast series | |
2021 | The Sandman: Act II | Orpheus | Audio drama | |
The Prince and the Naturalist | Narrator | Calm | ||
2022 | The Sandman: Act III | Orpheus | Audio drama |