Nook NotesPick a film
David Bradley

Actor

David Bradley

Born September 27, 1953 in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England, UK11 films

Born to a miner father and a seamstress mother in Barnsley, South Yorkshire in 1953, David Bradley is best known for playing Billy Casper in Ken Loach's 1969 film, Kes. Prior to this starring role, Bradley had only ever acted in school pantomimes and secured the lead in an open audition against thousands of children. Following the success of Kes, Bradley had to change his name to Dai Bradley on account of the actor David Bradley already having an Equity card in that name. Bradley turned to television appearing as the lead in two children's series The Flaxton Boys and The Jensen Code and guest roles in Z Cars, Nearest and Dearest and A Family at War. He appeared in several other movies as a young man in the tail end of the 70s including All Quiet on the Western Front, Zulu Dawn and Absolution but by the following decade Bradley decided to retire from acting and tried his hand as a writer instead. In recent years he has returned to the profession as David Bradley once more and has had roles in the film Hummingbird and the children's TV series The Dumping Ground.

Start here

The best way into David Bradley's work
Kes posterFirst watchKes19707.4as BillyBullied at school and ignored and abused at home by his indifferent mother and older brother, Billy Casper, a 15-year-old working-class Yorkshire boy, tames and trains his pet kestrel…View film

Essential films

Ranked by acclaim and reach

Filmography

11 films as actor
  1. 2018MacbethPorter
  2. 2013HummingbirdBilly
  3. 2003AsylumFather Michael
  4. 1983Those Glory Glory Days1961 Spurs Team Member
  5. 1983The Battle of WaterlooFerris
  6. 1982The World Cup: A Captain's TaleTicer Thomas
  7. 1979All Quiet on the Western FrontAlbert Kropp
  8. 1979Zulu DawnPte Williams
  9. 1978AbsolutionArthur Dyson
  10. 1973Malachi's CoveBarty
  11. 1970KesBilly