:Growing Up:

Ross Kemp was born on July 21, 1964 in Barking, Essex, England. His mother Jean was a hairdresser and his father John was a policeman with the Met. Ross has a brother named Darren who is a documentary producer for the BBC. Ross says he was shy at school as a child and "precocious" at home. Of his teen years, he says, "I seem to remember I got very sulky, withdrawn and negative...I used to spend hours on my own or just roaming about with my dog. That was until I met girls and became a New Romantic!"

:Schooling:

Ross attended Shenfield High School, where he is remembered as an excellent athlete but was not so memorable academically. He has said that his mum had to help him with remedial reading, but he seems to have gotten it sorted now ;-) Rather ironically he returned to Shenfield High to open their Millennium Library in January 2000. He left school at 16 and went to work on a building site. He then went on to do a year at college in Southend.

Ross wanted to be an actor from a young age, and although his ambitions weren't met with overwhelming enthusiasm, his parents were supportive. His first appearance on stage was in a school play, as a shepherd in a nativity scene. He followed his dream and secured a grant to attend the Webber Douglas Academy in London. During his time there he worked as a waiter and a labourer to support himself. After leaving the Academy in 1985, Ross launched his professional career, appearing at the Palace Theatre, Westcliff. He returned to the Theatre in March 1999 in support against its closing.

:Marriage:

On June 11, 2002, Ross married his long-time girlfriend Rebekah Wade in Las Vegas. Rebekah is accomplished in her own right as a journalist who rose swiftly through the ranks at a young age. She was made editor of The Sun in January 2003 - the first female editor the paper has ever had. The couple make their home in Battersea.

:Work:

Ross has rarely been out of work since launching his career. He has appeared on stage, on television, and even in movies. He has done extensive voice work and some adverts, including that infamous 1990 "Fruit and Fibre" ad that he'd probably love to forget (but we fans love to see it! ;-) More details on Ross's work can be found in the Roles section of this site.

:Activities:

Ross was always a keen rugby player, and played at the junior and senior levels with Brentwood RFC. He also played for the Saracen 2's and Maidstone. He doesn't really play these days, saying "I don't bounce anymore" ;-) But he did hit the field for charity not too long ago. He is said to be a supporter of West Ham. He's also quite the motorhead, zipping around in a lurrrvely Porsche 996 Turbo (mind that lead foot, Ross ;-) as well as his motorbike. He must've been in heaven when he landed a stint as a truckie on the Jordan F1 team in 2001, culminating with the British Grand Prix where he got to be part of the pit crew. His experiences with the Jordan team were filmed by ITV.

Athletic action man Ross has also been known to ski, ride horses, scuba dive, run miles, play tennis, and no doubt a host of other activities that make me tired just reading about them ;-) (Wonder if he's ever bungee jumped or roped cattle? ;-)

Ross supports a number of charities and organizations, including the NSPCC, the National Osteoporosis Society, Shelter's Armed Forces Project, and The Woodland Trust. He's also been involved with the Royal United Hospital's "Forever Friends" Appeal, UK For UNHCR, the Children of Courage Awards, and probably more that I just haven't heard about. There's a good lad :-)