Adam Pearson

Adam Pearson (born 6 January 1985) is a British actor, presenter and campaigner. He made his acting debut in the 2013 film Under the Skin. He has neurofibromatosis and has been involved in outreach programmes to prevent bullying associated with deformities.

Early life

Adam Pearson was born in Croydon, London, on 6 January 1985, along with his identical twin brother, Neil. After he hit his head at the age of five, the resultant bump persisted instead of healing. He was diagnosed with neurofibromatosis type I, which causes non-cancerous tumours to grow on nerve tissue. Both Adam and his brother Neil have the condition, which manifests very differently between them.

Career

Pearson graduated from the University of Brighton with a degree in Business Management. He worked various jobs in television production for the BBC and Channel 4 including the shows The Undateables and Beauty and the Beast. He worked as a researcher for the BBC and Channel 4 before becoming a strand presenter on the first series of Beauty and the Beast: The Ugly Face of Prejudice in 2015 on Channel 4. Pearson stated that he had faced violent confrontation because of his appearance. He was also one of the development team of Beauty and the Beast and consulted on the Dutch version of the series.

Pearson has worked on all five series of The Undateables for Channel 4 as the casting researcher. He has presented the BBC Three documentaries, Adam Pearson: Freak Show and The Ugly Face of Disability Hate Crime, and appeared as a reporter in the Channel 4 series, Tricks of the Restaurant Trade. He co-hosted the BBC Four documentary Eugenics: Science's Greatest Scandal with Angela Saini in 2019.

Pearson is a regular caller and occasional guest host to The Bedtime Babble On, a radio programme that airs on Spark Sunderland, weeknights from 10pm.

Pearson was nominated as UK Documentary Presenter of the Year at the 2016 Grierson Awards.

In August 2022, Pearson appeared on Celebrity Masterchef, becoming the first contestant to be eliminated.

In 2013, he was cast alongside Scarlett Johansson in Jonathan Glazer's film Under the Skin. He said that he hoped the role would challenge disfigurement stigma. It was in this film that Pearson discovered his enjoyment of acting.

In 2019, Pearson starred in the film Chained for Life. Pearson played a leading role in A24's A Different Man, alongside Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve. The film premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival on 21 January 2024. It also screened in Competition at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival on 16 February 2024. Pearson said of the film, "in order to challenge stereotypes they first need to establish they exist".

Personal life

Pearson lives in Addiscombe. He is a Christian and in September 2020 spoke to Sally Philips, about reconciling his faith with his disability, in an episode of Sunday Morning Live, remarking "a life without hardship is a life without faith; how can you practise your faith if you aren't walking through the fire?"

Filmography