Alexander Ferns (born 13 October 1968) is a Scottish actor and television personality. His role in EastEnders as Trevor Morgan from 2000 to 2002 was described as "Britain's most-hated soap villain". He also played the role of Rick Harper in the BBC Scotland soap opera River City between 2017 and 2018. For his performance as coal miner Andrei Glukhov in the 2019 miniseries Chernobyl he received a BAFTA Scotland Award.
Early life and education Alex Ferns is the oldest of three children of his family, who left Scotland for South Africa, when Ferns was eleven years old. The family took up residence in Secunda, where Ferns' father worked as an electrician during the construction of a power plant. After he finished school, he joined the South African Defence Force and fought in Angola between 1987 and 1989. Afterward he studied drama at the University of Cape Town. In the mid 1990s, he moved back to the United Kingdom and started his career in acting.
Career Ferns made an appearance in The Ghost and the Darkness (1996) before various television roles, including Trevor Morgan in the BBC soap opera EastEnders from 2000 to 2002, for which he won the British Soap Award for Best Newcomer. In 2005, Ferns played Lieutenant Gordon in the highly acclaimed trilingual film Joyeux Noël, which was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars, Golden Globe Awards and the BAFTAs.
In 2003, Ferns appeared as Draco Malfoy in a Harry Potter sketch for Comic Relief. In 2004, he played Commander Martin Brooke, the lead role, in the short-lived ITV series Making Waves. In the same year he appeared in Man Dancin', a Festival Film & TV production, which won a number of awards on the festival circuit, including Outstanding Original Screenplay at the Sacramento Film Festival. He has also appeared on Coronation Street. He has also appeared in the 2006 film Shadow Man, as Schmitt, also starring Steven Seagal.
His theatrical work includes the role of the "tapeworm" (a hallucination) in I.D., a play about Dimitri Tsafendas and his assassination of South African Prime Minister Hendrik Verwoerd, the 2008 national tour of Agatha Christie's murder mystery And Then There Were None, and Little Shop of Horrors as the Dentist. In 2011, he took the role of Scottish gangster Jimmy Boyle in the play about his life, The Hardman, during a Scottish tour to positive reviews.
He also made a brief appearance in a Smirnoff Vodka advert in 2009.
Ferns took part in television series Celebrity Coach Trip, partnered with friend Ricky Groves. He starred as Luther in the 2011 London revival and subsequent UK tour of South Pacific.
In 2013, he starred as Lee in True West at Glasgow's Citizen's Theatre. In 2014, he starred in 24: Live Another Day. In 2016, Ferns starred in ITV's Vera series 6 episode 4 ("The Sea Glass") as Michael Quinn. He also appeared in the BBC's Wallander series 4 episode 1 ("The White Lioness") as Axel Hedeman.
He portrayed the leader of Tula coal miners Andrei Glukhov in the HBO 2019 miniseries Chernobyl. For this performance, he received a BAFTA Scotland Award for Best Actor in Television.
Ferns appeared in Netflix's The Irregulars (2021) as Vic Collins. He portrayed Gotham Police Commissioner Pete Savage in the superhero film The Batman (2022). Also in 2022, he appeared in the Disney+ series Andor as Sergeant Linus Mosk.
In 2024, Ferns appeared as Aaron Moy in the BBC One thriller series Nightsleeper.
Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 1996 The Ghost and the Darkness Stockton 2003 Man Dancin' Jimmy Kerrigan 2005 Joyeux Noël Lieutenant Gordon 2009 Farewell Scottish Agent 2014 True West Lee2015 Caring for the Recently Deceased Solicitor Short Legend McLean2016 Hot Property J.P. De Cock The Legend of Tarzan Force Publique Officer2017 Baby Mine Mike Short Romans Jo Released as Retaliation in the U.S. 2020 Knuckledust Major Vaughn 2021 Wrath of Man John (Sticky John) 2022 The Batman Commissioner Pete Savage 2024 Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire Mikael
Television Year Title Role Notes 1993 Generations TV series 1996 Rhodes John Grimmer Miniseries, 6 episodes1997 Tarzan: The Epic Adventures Jimmy Dorgo 1 episode Black Velvet Band Major Watson TV film 1998 The Bill Johno 1 episode1999 Psychos Policeman Miniseries, 1 episode Taggart Lenny Kerr 1 episode2000 Britannic Stoker Evans TV film Holby City Stuart 1 episode Doctors Dan Thomas 1 episode 2000–2002 EastEnders Trevor Morgan 119 episodes 2001 Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased) Mad Alex 1 episode 2001–2002 De 9 dagen van de gier Brian TV series 2003 Harry Potter And The Secret Chamberpot Of Azerbaijan Draco Malfoy Red Nose Day: Harry Potter Spoof 2004 Making Waves Commander Martin Brooke Main role, 6 episodes2006 Dream Team 80's Al Mackay Miniseries, 2 episodes Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of an Empire Mark Antony Miniseries, 1 episode2007 M.I. High General Scarp 1 episode Casualty Tom Dart 1 episode2014 The Widower DCI Neil Thompson Miniseries, 2 episodes 24: Live Another Day Radko Miniseries, 1 episode The Passing Bells David Edwards Miniseries, 3 episodes2015 The Coroner Nolan Prince 1 episode Wallander Axel Hedeman 1 episode2016 Vera Michael Quinn 1 episode Wolfblood Alistair Recurring role, 6 episodes 2017 Taboo Hall 1 episode 2017–2018 River City Rick Harper Recurring role, 9 episodes 2019 Chernobyl Andrei Glukhov Miniseries, 1 episode 2020 Barkskins Gay Bill 4 episodes2021 The Irregulars Vic Collins 4 episodes Danny Boy Gavin Wood TV film2022 Andor Sergeant Linus Mosk 5 episodes2022–2024 The Devil's Hour DS Nick Holness 8 episodes 2023 Six Four Gordon Byrne 3 episodes 2024 Nightsleeper Aaron Moy 6 episodes2026Waiting for the OutKeith McKellar5 episodes
References
External links