Nick Moran shot to stardom as Eddie in Guy Ritchie's Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels back in 1998, since then the actor has had an up and down career. But he returns to the big screen this week with his movie directorial debut Telstar, which he also wrote and stars in.
Moran made his acting debut long before Lock Stock back in Hard Days, Hard Nights back in 1989 before going on to appear in Buddy's Song alongside Chesney Hawkes and Billy Murray a year later.
However it was British crime movie Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels that brought him to the attention of movie go-ers.
And it was the gambling scene that shot the young Moran to fame. He played card shark Eddie who attempts to increase the savings of himself and his three friends by investing their money in a high-stakes poker bet against a local mobster, Harry "The Hatchet" Lonsdale.
However his confidence is short lived when all of the money is lost due to Harry's cheating, and the group ends up in debt.
Lock Stock was a massive hit introducing Ritichie as a promising British filmmaker as well as launching the careers of Moran, Jason Statham, Jason Flemyng and former footie star Vinnie Jones.
However Moran's acting career has not taken off despite working steadily over recent years appearing in New Blood with John Hurt, Rancid Aluminium and The Musketeer.
While working on movies he has also worked in the theatre with appearances in Look Back In Anger, Alfie and The Countess.
And it's here where the Telstar seed was planted as he went on to write the play, based on the life on record producer Joe Meek, with James Hicks. It went on enjoy a successful small national tour.
But after acting for twenty years Moran is now turning his hand to directed as he moves behind the camera for the big screen adaptation of his play Telstar.
Named after the first communications satellite which launched in 1962, the unique instrumental single was released later that same year, becoming a number one hit on both sides of the Atlantic for Meek’s band The Tornados.
From a flat on the Holloway Road, Meek went on to create the strange and wonderful recordings that have made him an iconic figure in the world of British pop, until depression, heartbreak and paranoia ultimately led to his dramatic downfall.
The movie boasts an impressive cast of Con O' Neill, Kevin Spacey, James Corden and Moran himself as Alex Meek.
While this is not the first time that Moran has taken on the directing duties after working on Welcome to Strathmuir for TV in 2007 it's his first time directing a movie.
But he is set to return to acting with Prisoners of the Sun alongside Lord of the Rings Star John Rhys Davis later this year. He will also appear in Scabior in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 next year.
Telstar is released 19th June
FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw
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