Quick Facts
SagittariusBiography
Joseph Absolom (born 16 December 1978 in Reading, Berkshire) is an English actor best known for playing Matthew Rose in the popular BBC soap opera EastEnders and Al Large in Doc Martin.
Early life
Absolom, a former pupil of Forest Hill School, made early appearances in the Sun-Pat peanut butter advertisements before making his acting debut with the 1991 film Antonia and Jane which was followed by roles in several television series such as The Bill, Dangerfield and Silent Witness.
Career
Absolom joined the BBC soap opera EastEnders in 1997 and had few storylines in his first year on the show. The storyline which gained him recognition was the Saskia Duncan murder storyline which began in February 1999. His character Matthew Rose was framed for the murder by the real culprit Steve Owen (played by Martin Kemp) Matthew's last appearance was aired in February 2000, and he won the Best Actor Award at The British Soap Awards that same year. On several occasions, there has been press speculation that Absolom will return to EastEnders, but he has insisted that he has no intention of ever returning to the show.
Since leaving EastEnders, Absolom played the leading role in the 2002 British horror film Long Time Dead and has played supporting roles in ITV television series such as Vincent. He is perhaps best known for his principal role in Doc Martin playing Bert Large's son Al. The part, since the series began, has won him critical acclaim. Absolom guest starred in The Bill between 1992 and 2009 in different roles, and as Benny, a violent loan shark in Casualty. He appeared as a criminal in the internet crime thriller Girl Number Nine, also starring Tracy Ann Oberman and Gareth David Lloyd.
Absolom won a celebrity version of TV show Total Wipeout which aired on 18 September 2010, receiving £10,000 for charity.
Personal life
Absolom lives with his girlfriend Liz and their three children. He has been the Patron of Hill Park Autistic Trust since 2001.
Filmography
Films
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Antonia and Jane | Daniel Nash | |
| 2001 | Dream | Tommy | |
| 2002 | Long Time Dead | Rob | |
| Extreme Ops | Silo | ||
| 2008 | Small Things | Boyd Hilton | Short film |
| One of Those Days | Counter Clerk | Short film | |
| 2009 | Bottle | Charlie | Short film |
| Jubilee | Short film | ||
| 2010 | The Story Of __ | Baz | |
| 2012 | Defining Fay | Higgins | Short film |
| 2013 | I Spit on Your Grave 2 | Ivan |
TV
| Year | Show | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | The Bill | Kevin Parsons | 1 episode: Radio Waves |
| 1994 | The Bill | Mick | 1 episode: King of the Hill |
| 1996 | The Tenant of Wildfell Hall | Fergus Markham | 3 part series |
| The Bill | Tommy Benning | 1 episode: Toe the Line | |
| 1997 | Frighteners | Errand Boy | 1 episode: If You Meet A Fairy |
| Silent Witness | Kelvin Price | 1 episode: Friends Like These | |
| Touching Evil | Craig Jones | 1 episode: 1.5 | |
| Dangerfield | Alex Dell | 1 episode: Contact | |
| 1997–2000 | EastEnders | Matthew Rose | Series regular |
| 2001 | Now You See Her | Lewis | |
| 2002 | Stan the Man | Depp | 6 part series |
| 2003 | Unconditional Love | Benjamin Cain | |
| Servants | George Cosmo | 6 part series | |
| Trevor's World of Sport | Scott | Recurring | |
| P.O.W. | Drew Pritchcard | 6 part series | |
| 2004 | The Long Firm | Tommy | |
| 2004– | Doc Martin | Al Large | Series regular |
| 2005–2006 | Vincent | P.I. Robert | Series regular |
| 2006 | New Tricks | Luke Hanson | 1 episode: Congratulations |
| 2008 | The Bill | Mark Lawrence | 2 episodes: We Are Family (Parts 1 & 2) |
| Poirot | James Bentley | 1 episode: Mrs McGinty's Dead | |
| Casualty | Benny | 2 episodes: This Will Be Our Year and Took A Long Time To Come | |
| Caught in a Trap | Marcus | ||
| 2009 | Personal Affairs | Bob Baxter | 5 part series |
| New Tricks | Luke Hanson | 1 episode: The Last Laugh | |
| Girl Number 9 | Boylan | Internet series | |
| 2010 | Ashes to Ashes | Andy Smith | 1 episode |
| Total Wipeout | Himself | Celebrity Special | |
| 71 Degrees North | Himself | ||
| Thorne: Scaredy Cat | Stuart Nicklin | 3 part series | |
| 2012 | Hatfields & McCoys | Selkirk McCoy | Mini-series |
| 2015 | Midsomer Murders | Luke Altman | Episode 17.2 "Murder by Magic" |
| Death in Paradise | Aiden Parker | Episode 4.6 | |
| 2016 | The Level |
Radio
Absolom is also a radio actor, and has appeared in a BBC Radio 4 Play of the day "Bringing Eddie Home" by John Peacock, based on a true story of the fight by East End couple Edna and Jack Wallace to get their son's body brought home from Aden, and the ensuing fight for the rights of British Service personnel. Absolom played the role of Eddie Wallace and the play also included other ex EastEnders actors Bill Treacher, Edna Doré, Todd Carty and Tilly Vosburgh.