Jason Hughes (born 18 December 1971) is a Welsh actor best known for playing Sergeant Ben Jones in the ITV series Midsomer Murders (2005–2013) and for the BBC drama This Life (1996–1997) in which he played lawyer Warren Jones. Hughes has also appeared in theatre such as the 1999 re-enactment of Our Country's Good as the Second Lieutenant Ralph Clark.[1]
Hughes was born in Porthcawl and spent most of his early childhood there with his family. He is of Italian and Welsh descent. His grandfather, Raldo Carpinini, was the son of an Italian immigrant from Bardi, Emilia-Romagna who came and settled into Ammanford. Hughes' great-grandfather was originally trained to lay train tracks but eventually began an ice-cream business. Hughes' maternal grandfather became a policeman in Porthcawl.[2]
Hughes planned to become a sportsman in either rugby or cricket as a teenager but he had to become a lot bigger and lacked the support to become a first class rugby player.[3] When Hughes was 11 or 12 in attended a comprehensive school, he had a teacher who inspired him in his drama classes and encouraged him to apply for the National Youth Theatre of Wales.[1]
His biggest inspirations growing up were Welsh actor Anthony Hopkins.[1][4] Hughes studied drama at in the National Youth Theatre of Wales where he met Michael Sheen in the summer of 1987, when he was 16. Hughes and Sheen lived in the same halls of residence where they became close friends.[4] They were both atypical to acting, coming from a sports background and liked music; Hughes had learnt guitar and piano earlier. He also met actors Ruth Jones, Rob Brydon and Hywel Simons; Simons was a School friend of Sheen's.[4]
Hughes later went on to study drama at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art[5] and moved in with Sheen and Hywel Simons. Hughes went on to play in the 1999 production of Look Back in Anger with Sheen at the National Youth Theatre and Caligula at the Donmar.[1]
Career
Hughes' first big role was lawyer Warren Jones in This Life which aired from 1996–1997. It revolves around a group of posh, badly behaved, young lawyers who end up emotionally detached from each other usually due to sex. It was the UK's hottest drama show of the 1990s and the show won five awards including the Royal Television Society's award for best drama.[6] Hughes's character had an impact on the gay community since his character is portrayed as homosexual, causing young gay men to write letters to Hughes about their stories of coming out to their families.[1]
Midsomer Murders opening text
In 2005, Hughes began starring in the murder mystery television series Midsomer Murders as Detective Sergeant Ben Jones.[7] The show revolves around two detectives who solve gory and unique murders amongst the tranquil setting of Midsomer County.[8] Hughes was originally told to speak in an English accent as his Welsh accent did not fit the character criteria. Hughes was aware of the show's repertoire after watching a few episodes and he knew the standards the directors were looking for.[2] In the years prior to the role, Hughes had had a second child and was shooting a film in Ireland where all his income went into paying bills.[1] After feeling "irresponsible" and "letting myself, wife and children down" Hughes was reluctant when his agent spoke to him about an interview for Midsomer Murders which gave him 10 months a year of work; he described it as a "gift from the angels". After 2 years in this role, Hughes had a steady pay cheque, which caused him to sign-up for another 2 years, then another three. His 7 years of acting in Midsomer influenced Hughes's acting by learning technical language and getting used to the lines and formats of scripts.[1] In 2013, he left Midsomer Murders but returned for one episode of Series 19 in 2017. After leaving Midsomer Murders, he briefly moved to Hollywood, but soon decided to return to the United Kingdom.[3]
In 1999, Hughes played Ralph Clark in Our Country's Good. Clark is the second lieutenant who is ordered to gather a group of negative and demoralised convicts into a cast that is able to re-enact Farquhar's The Performing Officer.[9] He played Cliff in a 1999 production of Look Back in Anger.[10]
The 2015 play, Violence and Son, by Gary Owen is about a Welsh 17-year-old boy whose mother recently passed away from cancer. He is forced to live with his biological father, Rick (Jason Hughes). The plot thickens when he meets Jen, a girl he meets in college who shares a passion for Doctor Who with him. However, she already has a boyfriend, a rugby player called Jorden.[11]
Hughes played in a band, Butterfly Macqueen, playing guitar and singing backup vocals. The band last performed in Brighton on 12 February 2009 at the opening of the American Music Club.[12]
Personal life
Hughes is a father of three children; Molly, Max and Carys. He is married to jewellery designer Natasha Dahlberg, formerly an actress.[3] Hughes calls himself a family man and part of what caused him to leave Midsomer Murders was due to being away from home for up to six months. When he is not acting or spending time with his wife and children, Hughes goes swimming and does yoga.[3]
"Jason Hughes Credits". TV Guide. United States. Archived from the original on 3 November 2020. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
. VisitMidsomer.com. 21 January 2013. Archived from the original on 1 August 2019. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
May 07, 2023
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Jason Hughes born 18 December 1971 is a Welsh actor best known for playing Sergeant Ben Jones in the ITV series Midsomer Murders 2005 2013 and for the BBC drama This Life 1996 1997 in which he played lawyer Warren Jones Hughes has also appeared in theatre such as the 1999 re enactment of Our Country s Good as the Second Lieutenant Ralph Clark 1 Jason HughesBorn 1971 12 18 18 December 1971 age 51 Porthcawl WalesOccupationActorYears active1994 presentSpouseNatasha DahlbergChildren3 Contents 1 Background 2 Career 3 Personal life 4 Filmography 4 1 Film 4 2 Television 5 Theatre 6 Radio 7 Audio books 8 References 9 External linksBackground EditHughes was born in Porthcawl and spent most of his early childhood there with his family He is of Italian and Welsh descent His grandfather Raldo Carpinini was the son of an Italian immigrant from Bardi Emilia Romagna who came and settled into Ammanford Hughes great grandfather was originally trained to lay train tracks but eventually began an ice cream business Hughes maternal grandfather became a policeman in Porthcawl 2 Hughes planned to become a sportsman in either rugby or cricket as a teenager but he had to become a lot bigger and lacked the support to become a first class rugby player 3 When Hughes was 11 or 12 in attended a comprehensive school he had a teacher who inspired him in his drama classes and encouraged him to apply for the National Youth Theatre of Wales 1 His biggest inspirations growing up were Welsh actor Anthony Hopkins 1 4 Hughes studied drama at in the National Youth Theatre of Wales where he met Michael Sheen in the summer of 1987 when he was 16 Hughes and Sheen lived in the same halls of residence where they became close friends 4 They were both atypical to acting coming from a sports background and liked music Hughes had learnt guitar and piano earlier He also met actors Ruth Jones Rob Brydon and Hywel Simons Simons was a School friend of Sheen s 4 Hughes later went on to study drama at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art 5 and moved in with Sheen and Hywel Simons Hughes went on to play in the 1999 production of Look Back in Anger with Sheen at the National Youth Theatre and Caligula at the Donmar 1 Career EditHughes first big role was lawyer Warren Jones in This Life which aired from 1996 1997 It revolves around a group of posh badly behaved young lawyers who end up emotionally detached from each other usually due to sex It was the UK s hottest drama show of the 1990s and the show won five awards including the Royal Television Society s award for best drama 6 Hughes s character had an impact on the gay community since his character is portrayed as homosexual causing young gay men to write letters to Hughes about their stories of coming out to their families 1 Midsomer Murders opening text In 2005 Hughes began starring in the murder mystery television series Midsomer Murders as Detective Sergeant Ben Jones 7 The show revolves around two detectives who solve gory and unique murders amongst the tranquil setting of Midsomer County 8 Hughes was originally told to speak in an English accent as his Welsh accent did not fit the character criteria Hughes was aware of the show s repertoire after watching a few episodes and he knew the standards the directors were looking for 2 In the years prior to the role Hughes had had a second child and was shooting a film in Ireland where all his income went into paying bills 1 After feeling irresponsible and letting myself wife and children down Hughes was reluctant when his agent spoke to him about an interview for Midsomer Murders which gave him 10 months a year of work he described it as a gift from the angels After 2 years in this role Hughes had a steady pay cheque which caused him to sign up for another 2 years then another three His 7 years of acting in Midsomer influenced Hughes s acting by learning technical language and getting used to the lines and formats of scripts 1 In 2013 he left Midsomer Murders but returned for one episode of Series 19 in 2017 After leaving Midsomer Murders he briefly moved to Hollywood but soon decided to return to the United Kingdom 3 In 1999 Hughes played Ralph Clark in Our Country s Good Clark is the second lieutenant who is ordered to gather a group of negative and demoralised convicts into a cast that is able to re enact Farquhar s The Performing Officer 9 He played Cliff in a 1999 production of Look Back in Anger 10 The 2015 play Violence and Son by Gary Owen is about a Welsh 17 year old boy whose mother recently passed away from cancer He is forced to live with his biological father Rick Jason Hughes The plot thickens when he meets Jen a girl he meets in college who shares a passion for Doctor Who with him However she already has a boyfriend a rugby player called Jorden 11 Hughes played in a band Butterfly Macqueen playing guitar and singing backup vocals The band last performed in Brighton on 12 February 2009 at the opening of the American Music Club 12 Personal life EditHughes is a father of three children Molly Max and Carys He is married to jewellery designer Natasha Dahlberg formerly an actress 3 Hughes calls himself a family man and part of what caused him to leave Midsomer Murders was due to being away from home for up to six months When he is not acting or spending time with his wife and children Hughes goes swimming and does yoga 3 Filmography EditFilm Edit House 2000 Phoenix Blue 2001 Shooters 2002 Tarot Mechanic 2002 Killing Me Softly 2002 Sorry 2004 Feeder 2005 Red Mercury 2005 Dead Long Enough 2006 Television Edit London s Burning 1994 The Bill 1995 Peak Practice 1995 Castles 1995 Casualty 1996 King Girl 1996 This Life 1996 97 2007 13 Strangers in the Night 1995 Harry Enfield and Chums 1997 The Flint Street Nativity 1999 Plain Jane 2002 Waking the Dead 2003 Mine All Mine 2004 Dead Long Enough 2005 Midsomer Murders 2005 2013 2017 13 Death In Paradise 2017 13 Three Girls 2017 13 Marcella Series 2 2018 13 The Pact 2021 Theatre EditA Slice of Saturday Night 1992 Theater Auf Tournee Germany tour Macbeth 1994 Theatre Clwyd The Unexpected Guest 1994 Theatre Royal Windsor Nothing to Pay 1995 Thin Language Phaedra s Love 1996 Royal Court Theatre staged opreading Badfinger 1997 Donmar Warehouse The Illusion 1997 Royal Exchange Manchester Snake in the Grass 1997 The Old Vic The Herbal Bed 1998 Royal Shakespeare Company A Real Classy Affair 1998 Royal Court Theatre 13 Violence and Son Royal Court Theatre Upstairs 1 Look Back in Anger 1999 Lyttelton Theatre In Flame 2000 New Ambassador s Theatre Kiss Me Like You Mean It 2001 Soho Theatre A Wing and a Prayer 2002 Battersea Arts Centre Studio Fight for Barbara 2003 Theatre Royal BathTheatre Royal Bath Design for Living 2003 Theatre Royal Bath Caligula 2003 Donmar Warehouse 4 48 Psychosis 2004 Royal Court Theatre 13 and US tour In the Next Room or The Vibrator Play 2013 St James Our Country s Good 2015 Olivier Theatre 13 The Goat or Who Is Sylvia 2017 Theatre Royal Haymarket 13 On Bear Ridge 2019 The Royal Court Theatre London 13 Radio EditGreen Baize Dream 1995 Cadfael Dead Man s Ransom 1995 A Clockwork Orange 1998 Cold Calling 2003 Time for Mrs Milliner 2003 Bubble 2004 The Guest Before You 2004 School Runs 2006 Inspector Steine 2007 Gite a la Mer 2007 The Pale Horse 2017 Audio books EditFramed 2006 References Edit a b c d e f g h 10 Questions for Actor Jason Hughes Theartsdesk com Jasper Rees 24 August 2015 a b WalesOnline 15 October 2005 a b c d The Irish News 23 April 2018 Interviewer Gabrielle Fagan a b c Adam Jacques 3 November 2013 Independent Macht Stephen Robert Indiana University ProQuest Dissertations Publishing 1970 Midsomer Murders Jason Hughes This Life The Courier Mail Geoff Shearer 24 February 2012 Stefan Hermann Zahlmann University of Wien 30 January 2020 Ann Wilson ModernDrama 5 April 2013 Variety Newsletter 2 August 1999 Violence and Son Royal Court Theatre Aleks Sierz 9 June 2015 Jason Hughes fan page Accessed 4 August 2022 a b c d e f g h i j Jason Hughes Cast On Bear Ridge National Theatre Wales Archived from the original on 3 November 2020 Retrieved 8 March 2020 External links EditJason Hughes at IMDb Jason Hughes Credits TV Guide United States Archived from the original on 3 November 2020 Retrieved 3 November 2020 Jason Hughes End of a Midsomer era VisitMidsomer com 21 January 2013 Archived from the original on 1 August 2019 Retrieved 8 March 2020 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Jason Hughes actor amp oldid 1145674002, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
