Ashley Taylor Dawson
| Ashley Taylor Dawson | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
Philip Ashley Taylor Dawson 11 January 1982 Manchester, England |
| Occupation | Actor, singer |
| Years active | 1999–present |
| Partner(s) | Karen McKay (2004–present) |
| Children | 2 |
| Parent(s) | Diana Taylor Dawson |
Philip Ashley Taylor Dawson (born 11 January 1982), known as Ashley Taylor Dawson, is an English actor and singer. He is best known for his role as Darren Osborne in the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, in which he is one of the longest serving cast members, and for being a member of pop band allSTARS*.
Born in Manchester, Greater Manchester, Dawson grew up in Wilmslow, Cheshire. He attended Ashdene Primary School and Altrincham Grammar School for Boys and joined local drama group Scamps at a young age. He is the brother of singer and guitarist Catherine Taylor-Dawson.
Dawson has played the role of Darren Osborne in Hollyoaks since 1999. Actor Adam Booth originally played the part before leaving in 1997. The character rejoined Hollyoaks in 1999 when Dawson secured the part. Dawson joined Hollyoaks when he was 17 years old after getting his big break with the National Youth Theatre. Since then he has appeared in Hollyoaks Spin-off's such as Hollyoaks Later and Tom's Life. He went on to secure the part of Darren following an audition, but soon after left in 2000 to join ALLSTARS*. Dawson re-joined the show in August 2003 after AllSTARS* split up. On playing the part Dawson said "I love playing the bad lad. He's my alter ego".
Dawson was a member of the UK pop band allSTARS*. His college best friend, Sam Bloom, called him up for an audition and invited him over. Byrne Blood Productions (Steps, A1), the management company at that time, was surprised to find that the actor could also dance and sing. Dawson eventually made it in, getting accepted and rising to fame. Dawson and Bloom also shared a flat together. Other than performing, he also appeared in allSTARS*' Accompanying CITV television show, STARStreet*. Dawson made a lot of appearances with the band, such as performing on the accompanying TV show, STARStreet*. Dawson was featured in other shows as well. He performed with the band on 80s Mania in 2001, and was next seen on episodes of Top of the Pops. He later made an appearance in Never Mind the Buzzcocks, Stars in Their Eyes and RI:SE. While with the group they managed to score four Top 20 singles in their two-year career.
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