| Philip Martin Brown | |
| Birth Date: | 1956 7, df=y |
| Birth Place: | Manchester, Lancashire, England |
| Occupation: | Actor |
| Years Active: | 1978–present |
| Spouse: | Pip Brown |
| Children: | 2 |
Philip Martin Brown (born 9 July 1956) is a British actor from Manchester. He is known for his long-running portrayal of English teacher Grantly Budgen in the hit BBC One school-based drama series Waterloo Road, which he played from 2006 to 2013. He is also known for playing Steve McDonald's (Simon Gregson) Therapist in the ITV soap opera Coronation Street in 2015, although he first appeared in the show as D.I. Pinnock in 2005. In 2021, Brown appeared in the BBC One medical soap opera Doctors as Marvin Bulis, having previously played various other roles in the show.
From March 2006 to October 2013, Brown appeared as English teacher Grantly Budgen in the first nine series of the BBC One school-based drama series Waterloo Road. He was the longest serving cast member on the show and featured in 154 episodes in total.[1] He has also worked on The Professionals, Cutting It and The Bill, where he appeared in ten episodes as Seth Mercer, and has made appearances in many other British dramas, including Heartbeat, Midsomer Murders, Hetty Wainthropp Investigates, New Tricks and Doctors.
His most prominent role in a drama before Waterloo Road was Eddie Vincent in Casualty, where he appeared in 17 episodes between 2002 and 2003. He also played John Adams in the 1984 film The Bounty and appeared in Sharpes Justice in 1997. He played a detective in the second episode of the ITV drama Rosemary & Thyme. He also appeared in a Skins online episode in 2012 as a drug dealer. Brown left Waterloo Road during the autumn term of Series 9.[2] He appeared briefly in the 1999 film Sleepy Hollow starring Johnny Depp. In January 2015, he appeared in Coronation Street as Steve McDonald's (Simon Gregson) therapist. He appeared in the CBBC series The Worst Witch in 2017, playing the role of Algernon Rowan-Webb.[3]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Eye of the Needle | Billy Parkin | ||
| 1983 | Party Party | Tony | ||
| 1984 | The Bounty | John Adams | ||
| 1985 | Coming Through | David | ||
| 1997 | Bring Me the Head of Mavis Davis | Inspector Furse | ||
| 1999 | Sleepy Hollow | Constable One | ||
| 2001 | Dream | Martin | ||
| 2006 | Irish Jam | Danny | ||
| 2011 | Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy | Tufty Thesinger | ||
| 2012 | Tezz | Police Chief Alan | ||
| Strawberry Fields | Bob | |||
| 2017 | Darkest Hour | Sawyers | ||
| 2018 | Peterloo | Angry Citizen |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | A Horseman Riding By | Sam Potter | Main role; 7 episodes | |
| 1979 | Crown Court | Bernard Caplan | Episode: "Boys Will Be Boys" | |
| 1980 | Enemy at the Door | Private Hoskins | Episode: "The Raid" | |
| Bull Week | Eddie Kowal | TV mini-series; all 6 episodes | ||
| Him and His Magic | Stanley | Television short | ||
| 1981 | BBC2 Playhouse | Miles | Episode: "A Last Visitor for Mr. Hugh Peter" | |
| Chronicle | Lt. Beattie | Episode: "The Crime of Captain Colhurst" | ||
| Keep It in the Family | Mr. Wilkins | Episode: "The Inferior Decorator" | ||
| 1982 | Juliet Bravo | Billy Read | Episode: "Betrayals" | |
| 1983 | The Professionals | Cook | Episode: "No Stone" | |
| Jemima Shore Investigates | Clive Gartrell | Episode: "A Model Murder" | ||
| 1986 | Bluebell | Sam Smith | Series 1: Episode 1 | |
| The Monocled Mutineer | Turner | Episode: "A Dead Man On Leave" | ||
| 1987 | Indelible Evidence | Andrew Boulden | Episode: "Process Of Elimination" | |
| Floodtide | Special Branch Man | Episode: "One: The Call" | ||
| 1914 All Out | Jack Fairbrother | Television film | ||
| A Perfect Spy | Kaufmann | Series 1: Episode 3 | ||
| 1988 | Coming Through | David | Television film | |
| All Creatures Great and Small | Jack Scott | 2 episodes | ||
| 1989 | The Paradise Club | Peter Noonan | Main role; 5 episodes | |
| 1990 | Chain | Jobelin | Episode: "Miss. Brinkwell" | |
| Die Kinder | Norris | Episode: "Direct Action" | ||
| 1991 | EastEnders | Sergeant Jimmy Buckwell | Episode #1.644 | |
| The Sharp End | Andy Barras | TV mini-series; all 8 episodes | ||
| 1992 | El C.I.D. | Keith Smith | Episode: "The Lone Stranger" | |
| Medics | Charles Davies | Series 2: Episode 3 | ||
| The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles | Guard | Episode: "Germany, Mid-August 1916" | ||
| Boon | Maurice | Episode: "Love Or Money" | ||
| Birds of a Feather | M.C. | Episode: "Okey-Cokey-Karaoke" | ||
| 1993 | Minder | Pike | Episode: "No Way to Treat a Daley" | |
| The Bill | Senior Prison Officer | Episode: "Insider Dealing" | ||
| Heartbeat | Jack Scarman | Episode: "Dead Ringer" | ||
| Between the Lines | Mick Furness | Episode: "Manoeuvre 11" | ||
| 1994 | Peak Practice | Colin Meadows | Episode: "In Good Faith" | |
| Murder Most Horrid | Psycho | Episode: "Smashing Bird" | ||
| The Lifeboat | Colin Hicks | Episode: "The Birdman" | ||
| 1995 | The Bill | Jack Spellman | Episode: "Life's a Bitch" | |
| Band of Gold | Mr. Moore | 3 episodes | ||
| Men of the World | John | Episode: "Happy Birthday Kendle" | ||
| Coogan's Run | PC Ted Cromwell | 2 episodes | ||
| 1996 | Pie in the Sky | Chief Inspector Kendon | Episode: "Devils on Horseback" | |
| 1997 | The Bill | Ray Kingsley | Episode: "No Claims Bonus" | |
| Sharpe's Justice | Saunders | Television film | ||
| Screen One | Cook | Episode: "Hostile Waters" | ||
| 1997–1998 | Wing and a Prayer | John Daley | Main role; 14 episodes | |
| 1998 | Hetty Wainthropp Investigates | Philip Hoskins | Episode: "Digging for Dirt" | |
| 1998–2000 | City Central | Sgt. Paul Dobson | Regular role; 29 episodes | |
| 1999 | Playing the Field | Bus Inspector | 2 episodes | |
| The Bill | Jack Thompson | Episode: "Taxed" | ||
| 2001 | Where the Heart Is | Bob Young | Episode: "Sanctuary" | |
| 2002 | Cutting It | Smedley | Main role; 5 episodes | |
| The Bill | Colin Greenstead | Episode: "Playing Runaway" | ||
| 2002–2003 | Casualty | Eddie Vincent | Regular role; 17 episodes | |
| 2003 | Rosemary & Thyme | D.I. Trelawney | Episode: "Arabica and the Early Spider" | |
| Blue Dove | Andy Brennan | TV mini-series | ||
| 2004 | Murder in Suburbia | Tim Gregson | Episode: "Sanctuary" | |
| New Tricks | Rick Brewer | Episode: "Home Truths" | ||
| Murphy's Law | John Franklin | Episode: "Convent" | ||
| Foyle's War | Andrew Neame | Episode: "They Fought in the Fields" | ||
| Midsomer Murders | John Whittle | Episode: "Things That Go Bump in the Night" | ||
| 2005 | Doctors | Pat Bolton | Episode: "Little Lies" | |
| Down to Earth | Trevor | Episode: "Broken Dreams" | ||
| The Royal | Thomas Copley | Episode: "Say a Little Prayer" | ||
| Coronation Street | D.I. Pinnock | Recurring role; 8 episodes | ||
| 2005–2006 | The Bill | Seth Mercer | 6 episodes | |
| 2006–2013 | Waterloo Road | Grantly Budgen | Regular role (series 1–9); 154 episodes | |
| 2006 | A Harlot's Progress | Gaoler | Television film | |
| 2007 | Heartbeat | Frank Jackson | Episode: "Out of Africa" | |
| 2008 | Midsomer Murders | George Barkham | Episode: "Days of Misrule" | |
| Doctors | Harry Denver | Episode: "Stranger on a Bridge" | ||
| 2011 | Eric Aspinall | Episode: "Men and Motors" | ||
| 2013 | Death Comes to Pemberley | Mr. Bidwell | TV mini-series; all 3 episodes | |
| Doctors | Keith Rooney | Episode: "Santa Ranter" | ||
| 2014 | Endeavour | Bernard Yelland | Episode: "Trove" | |
| 2015 | Coronation Street | Therapist | 2 episodes | |
| Vera | Stan Convile | Episode: "Old Wounds" | ||
| 2016 | Suspects | Ed Goddard | Episode: "The Enemy Within: Part 5" | |
| Doctors | 'Grandie' Eddie Coulter | Episode: "Heartstrings" | ||
| 2017–2019 | The Worst Witch | Mr Algernon Rowan Webb | Regular role; 33 episodes | |
| 2018 | Holby City | Richard Nash | Episode: "Belonging" | |
| Detroiters | Uncredited | Episode: "Lois" | ||
| 2019 | Doctors | Greg Milne | Episode: "The Getaway" | |
| 2020 | Flack | Terry | Episode: "Brand Barron" | |
| 2021 | Doctors | Marvin Bulis | Guest role[4] | |
| 2023 | Father Brown | John Mulch | Episode: "The Gardeners of Eden" |
He attended Barrow-in-Furness Grammar School for Boys where his favourite subject was English. At the end of his fifth year, Brown was asked to leave the school, later stating that he was a "dreadful troublemaker".[5] He lives in Paddock Wood, Kent, with his wife. They have two children.
In 2010, Brown was nominated for the Best Actor prize in the 2010 TV Choice Awards, and won it three years in a row.[6]
He is an ex-epileptic and had to leave the stage until he underwent brain surgery which has left him seizure-free for 22 years.[7]
Brown was diagnosed with epilepsy at the age of 19 and is now an ambassador for the charity Young Epilepsy.[8]