Ashley Walters
| Ashley Walters | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Walters filming Truckers in 2013 | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | Asher D |
| Born |
30 June 1982 Peckham, London, England |
| Genres | UK garage, grime, hip hop |
| Occupation(s) | Rapper, actor |
| Years active | 1992–present |
| Labels | Crescent Moon Media/AD82 Records |
| Associated acts | So Solid Crew, Mis-Teeq |
Ashley Walters (born 30 June 1982), better known by his stage name Asher D, is an English rapper and actor best known for his star role as Ricky in Bullet Boy (2004) and his role as Antoine in Get Rich or Die Tryin' (2005).
Early life
Walters was born in Peckham, south-east London, to Caribbean parents. He was raised by his mother, Pamela Case, a local government officer.[1] He attended St. Georges CE Primary School, Camberwell, from the age of four.
Having undertaken classes at the Sylvia Young Theatre School, after leaving school Walters starred in some stage productions.
Music career
Walters joined the group So Solid Crew, where under the moniker Asher D he both performed and acted as lyricist, particularly for their number-one hit "21 Seconds".
After the group split, in 2006 he recorded In Memory of the Street Fighter, featuring the single "Andrea". He released a studio album in 2008 entitled The Appetiser, a 12-track album produced with Laurence Ezra. In early 2012, Walters signed a recording contract with the independent record label SK Records. His single "How You Like Me Now" was released on 29 July 2012, followed up by "Your Love" released on 12 November 2012, featuring vocals from Alesha Dixon.[2]
Acting career
Walters is also an actor, appearing under his full name, Ashley Walters. He appeared on television as Omar in The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles at the age of 10, and as Andy in Grange Hill at the age of 14. He appeared in Saul Dibb's 2004 feature film Bullet Boy, where he played Ricky, who had just came out of jail to start a new life, a role for which Walters was named Best Newcomer at the British Independent Film Awards. He also appeared in 2005's Get Rich or Die Tryin'.
In 2006, he played the role of Wolf in the film Stormbreaker, and Danny in Life and Lyrics, for which he has received many plaudits. In 2007, he starred in WΔZ, alongside Selma Blair and Melissa George, and in Sugarhouse. He played Lacey in the BBC Three drama pilot West 10 LDN. He played the character Billy Bond in five episodes of the fourth series of BBC TV drama Hustle. He also appeared in the MTV series Top Buzzer and played the role of Al B in the 2006 production House of 9, alongside Dennis Hopper.
Walters performed on stage in 2002 at the Royal National Theatre in Roy Williams' Sing Yer Heart Out for the Lads[3] and in 2008 at the Royal Court Theatre in Levi David Addai's Oxford Street.[4] Another feature film, Tuesday (2008), sees him playing a jewel thief. He appeared in Bola Agbaje's play Off the Endz at the Royal Court Theatre during February and March 2010.
He made appearances in ITV's police drama The Bill and firefighting drama London's Burning. His Grange Hill history and autobiography was referenced by the comedian Stewart Lee on 16 March 2009, on the BBC Two show Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle in the episode themed on "Toilet Books". Walters also appeared on BBC TV in 2009's adaptation of Andrea Levy's Small Island and as Jack Holt in the short-lived drama Outcasts in February and March 2011.
For the BBC Learning project "Off By Heart Shakespeare", Walters delivered one of Shakespeare's best known speeches — "But soft, what light through yonder window breaks?" from Romeo and Juliet.[5] In October 2011, Walters starred in the Arjun Rose slasher Demons Never Die. From 31 October 2011, he played Dushane in Channel 4's four-part drama Top Boy. In February 2012, he played Chris in the BBC drama Inside Men. In 2013, Walters reprised his role as main character Dushane in the second series of Top Boy.
He managed to get in trouble with the producers on the first day of filming Doctor Who episode "Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS" when he tweeted a picture of himself in his costume in his trailer with the word "space". The picture was immediately removed.[6]
Personal life
Ashley married Danielle Isaie on 22 June 2013; they had a daughter in late August 2014, Amiaya-Love Walters. With ex-partner Natalie, Walters has two sons Shayon Perry (born 2000), Paniro Ashley (born 2003) and one daughter China Sherrece (born 2001). He also has two young daughters Antonia and Ashleigh Walters.[7]
In July 2001, following an argument with a traffic warden, Walters was found to be carrying a loaded Brocock air pistol modified to fire live ammunition. He was arrested and, in 2002, jailed for 18 months, in a young offenders' institute. Having spent the previous nine months in custody, he subsequently served an additional nine months to complete his sentence.[8][9] On 31 March 2014, he was fined £600 after he admitted assaulting a security guard in Aberdeen in September 2013.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Take 2 | Bro | Short film |
| 2000 | The Elevator | Young man | |
| Some Voices | Kitchen hand | ||
| Born Romantic | Lee | ||
| 2004 | Bullet Boy | Ricky | |
| 2005 | House of 9 | Al B | Credited as Asher D |
| Goal! | Carl Francis | ||
| Get Rich or Die Tryin' | Antoine | ||
| 2006 | Stormbreaker | Wolf | |
| Cubs | Karl | Short film | |
| Life and Lyrics | Danny Lewis | ||
| 2007 | WΔZ | Daniel Leone | |
| Sugarhouse | D | ||
| 2008 | Speed Racer | Prince Kabala | |
| Tu£sday | Billy | ||
| 2011 | Fedz | Cherokee Blame | Short film |
| Reparations for the Soul | The Entity | ||
| Anuvahood | Cracks | ||
| Sket | Trey | ||
| Demons Never Die | Bates | ||
| 2012 | St. George's Day | Kootz | |
| 2013 | Grace and Danger | Felling | |
| The Charlatans | Writer and director | ||
| 2014 | Montana | Ryan |
Television
| Year | Show | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles | Omar | 1 episode: "My First Aventure (1992)" |
| 1997 | Grange Hill | Andy Phillips | 12 episodes |
| 1999 | The Murder of Stephen Lawrence | Stuart Lawrence | |
| 2000 | The Coral Island | Jack | |
| Storm Damage | Stefan | ||
| Urban Gothic | Leo | Episode: "Dead Meat" | |
| The Bill | Michael Dexter | Episode: "Search Me" | |
| Never Never | Lee | ||
| 2001 | Shockers: Parent's Night | Brian | |
| The Whistle-Blower | Keith Lindo | ||
| The Bill | Jess Thomas | Episode: "Lick of Paint" | |
| Dark Realm | Student | Episode: "Castle Keep" | |
| 2002 | The Hidden City | Sid | 21 episodes |
| 2003 | Holby City | Roy Woodley | Episode: "One of Our Own" |
| 2004 | Top Buzzer | Bugsy | Episode: "Germination" |
| 2005 | Last Rights | Max | |
| 2007 | Hustle | Billy Bond | Series 4 |
| 2008 | West 10 LDN | Lacey | |
| 2009 | Small Island | Michael | |
| 2010 | Five Days | Jamal Matthews | |
| 2011 | Bedlam | Mark | Episode: "Committed" |
| Outcasts | Jack Holt | ||
| Top Boy | Dushane | Series 1 & 2 | |
| 2012 | Inside Men | Chris | |
| True Love | Paul | Episode: "Story Four" | |
| Sinbad | Abdul-Fahim | Episode: "House of Games" | |
| 2013 | Doctor Who | Van Baalen | Episode: "Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS" |
| 2013 | Top Boy | Dushane | Series 2 |
| 2013 | Truckers | Steven Warley | |
| 2014 | The Musketeers | Charon | Episode: "The Homecoming" |
| 2014 | The Secrets | Episode 4 | |
| 2014 | Silent Witness | DI Dale Carter | Episode: "Fraternity" Parts 1 & 2 |
| 2015 | Cuffs | PC Ryan Draper | Series 1 |
| 2016 | The Aliens | Christophe | Series 1 |
Discography
Studio albums
| Date | Title | Chart positions | Credit |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK | |||
| 2002 | Why Me?
|
Asher D | |
| 14 June 2004 | Street Sibling
|
Asher D | |
| 9 October 2006 | In Memory of the Street Fighter
|
Asher D | |
| 26 February 2009 | Ashley Walters
|
Ashley Walters | |
Mixtapes
| Date | Title | Chart positions | Credit |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK | |||
| June 2006 | Cure 4 Cancer
|
Asher D | |
| 4 February 2007 | The Appetiser
|
Asher D | |
| 15 December 2011 | Forgotten Treasures Vol. 1
|
Ashley Walters | |
| 31 December 2011 | Forgotten Treasures Vol. 2
|
Ashley Walters | |
| 31 December 2011 | Forgotten Treasures Vol. 3
|
Ashley Walters | |
| 2 January 2012 | Forgotten Treasures Vol. 4
|
Ashley Walters | |
| 16 February 2012 | Forgotten Treasures: The Complete Legacy
|
Ashley Walters | |
Singles
| Date | Title | Chart positions | Album | Credit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK | ||||
| 27 May 2002 | "Back in the Day"/"Why Me?" | #43 | Why Me? | Asher D |
| 14 February 2006 | "This is Real" | – | In Memory of the Street Fighter | Asher D |
| 1 August 2006 | "Andrea" | – | Asher D | |
| 9 July 2007 | "Still Here" | – | Asher D | |
| 5 November 2007 | "Inside Out" | – | Non-album single | Asher D featuring Ghetto |
| 28 July 2008 | "Lies" | – | Baby J featuring Ashley Walters | |
| 28 October 2008 | "M.O. (Pt. 2)" | – | Ashley Walters | Ashley Walters |
| 12 January 2009 | "With You" | – | Ashley Walters featuring Mutya Buena | |
| 18 May 2009 | "Own Two Feet" | – | Ashley Walters featuring Chipmunk | |
| 29 July 2012 | "How You Like Me Now" | – | TBC | Ashley Walters featuring Lisa Moorish |
| 11 November 2012 | "Your Love" | – | Ashley Walters featuring Alesha Dixon | |
References
- ↑ Who is Asher D?, BBC Newsround, 25 March 2002.
- ↑ "Ashley Walters interview by Pete Lewis". Bluesandsoul.com. December 2012. Retrieved 29 August 2014.
- ↑ Archived 18 September 2009 at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ "The Royal Court Presents Oxford Street". Royalcourttheatre.com. Retrieved 29 August 2014.
- ↑ "Schools – Teachers – Off By Heart Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet "But soft, what light through yonder window breaks?"". BBC. 21 March 2011. Retrieved 8 July 2011.
- ↑ Lazarus, Susanna (22 October 2011). "Ashley Walters on his Doctor Who role: you'll see more of the Tardis than ever before". Radio Times. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
- ↑ "Ashley Walters on the perils of being Top Boy", Radio Times, 31 October 2011.
- ↑ Asher D gets jailed for gun crime, BBC Newsround, 25 March 2002
- ↑ Sean O'Neill, "So Solid Crew rapper sentenced to 18 months for having loaded gun", Daily Telegraph, 26 March 2002.
External links
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