Ross James Kemp was born on 21 July 1964 and is an English actor, author, and television presenter.
32 Facts About Ross Kemp
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Ross Kemp rose to prominence in the role of Grant Mitchell in the BBC soap opera EastEnders.
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Ross Kemp is known for his other roles in Emmerdale as Graham Lodsworth and in Birds of a Feather as Detective Inspector Monk.
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Ross Kemp's mother Jean was a hairdresser and his father John was a detective superintendent in the Metropolitan Police.
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Ross Kemp's maternal great-grandfather was a sub-organist at Chichester Cathedral for many years.
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Ross Kemp has one brother, Darren, who is a filmmaker for the BBC.
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Ross Kemp went on to feature in training films for the Ministry of Defence and the ITV soap opera Emmerdale Farm as Graham Lodsworth.
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In 1990, Ross Kemp appeared in an edition of the Anglia Television police drama The Chief.
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Ross Kemp announced on 24 March 1999 that he would be leaving the soap later that year after nearly 10 years.
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Ross Kemp's exit was aired in October 1999 when his character moved to Brazil after surviving a car crash.
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Ross Kemp refused to rule out an eventual return to EastEnders, and various media reports over the next few years speculated that he would return to the series at some stage.
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In early 2005, the BBC confirmed that Ross Kemp would be returning to EastEnders in the autumn of that year after six years away.
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In January 2016, it was confirmed that Ross Kemp would make a brief return to the show for the death of Grant's on-screen mother, Peggy Mitchell, appearing in three episodes during May of that year.
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Ross Kemp later filmed a further three weeks and returned again for brief stints from 4 July to 9 September 2016.
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Ross Kemp suffered cuts to his chest and face after safety glass shattered, and was hit in the face by the discharge from a blank round.
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Ross Kemp was treated at the scene by paramedics and made a full recovery.
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Ross Kemp took the lead roles in the television series Without Motive and In Defence in 2000, and in 2002's Ultimate Force, where he played Army Staff sergeant Henry Garvie from the British Special Air Service.
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Ross Kemp played "Cirra" in the 2004 TV film, Spartacus.
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In 2005, Ross Kemp appeared in an episode of BBC's Extras and in a two-part adaptation of the Gerald Seymour novel A Line in the Sand for ITV.
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Ross Kemp has presented on The Friday Night Project and appeared as a stand in host on The Paul O'Grady Show.
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Ross Kemp appeared in the 4th episode of Series 14 of BBC's motoring show Top Gear.
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Ross Kemp was the "Man in Boot" of a Renault Twingo Sport being tested by Jeremy Clarkson.
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The test ended with Clarkson driving the car off the quayside of Belfast Harbour, after which Clarkson joked that Ross Kemp had been killed.
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Ross Kemp appeared in Series 1, where he did a 1 minute 54 seconds in the "Star in a Reasonably Priced Car" segment.
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In 2022, Ross Kemp began presenting the game show Bridge of Lies, airing on weekdays on BBC One, as well as a series of celebrity specials broadcast on Saturday evenings.
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In 1999, Ross Kemp was elected as Rector of the University of Glasgow as the candidate of the Glasgow University Labour Club but did not attend local meetings.
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Ross Kemp was the first rector in 50 years to leave the position prematurely and was succeeded by Scottish actor Greg Hemphill.
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In June 2017, Ross Kemp endorsed the Labour Party at the 2017 UK general election, and took part in campaigning for Labour candidates.
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In 2022, Ross Kemp declared his support for a "National Thank You Day" to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II.
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On 11 June 2002, Ross Kemp married Rebekah Wade, the then editor of The Sun.
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Ross Kemp refused medical attention for a swollen lip and no action was taken.
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In March 2009 Ross Kemp and Wade divorced, and in October 2010, Ross Kemp fathered a boy with his partner, Nicola Coleman, who was his make-up artist.