James Dreyfus

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title: "James Dreyfus" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1968-births", "20th-century-english-lgbtq-people", "20th-century-english-male-actors", "21st-century-english-lgbtq-people", "21st-century-english-male-actors", "actors-from-the-london-borough-of-hounslow", "actors-from-the-london-borough-of-islington", "alumni-of-the-royal-academy-of-dramatic-art", "british-gay-comedians", "british-male-comedians", "comedians-from-the-london-borough-of-hounslow", "comedians-from-the-london-borough-of-islington", "english-gay-actors", "english-lgbtq-comedians", "english-male-comedians", "english-male-film-actors", "english-male-musical-theatre-actors", "english-male-radio-actors", "english-male-shakespearean-actors", "english-male-stage-actors", "english-male-television-actors", "english-male-voice-actors", "english-people-of-syrian-descent", "laurence-olivier-award-winners", "lgbtq-people-from-london", "living-people", "male-actors-from-london", "people-educated-at-harrow-school", "people-from-chiswick", "people-from-islington-(district)"] description: "British actor (born 1968)" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Dreyfus" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary British actor (born 1968) ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox person"]

Field	Value
name	James Dreyfus
image	JamesDreyfus.jpg
caption	Dreyfus in 2004
birth_name	James Louis de Zogheb Dreyfus
birth_date
birth_place	London, England
education	Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (BA)
occupation	Actor
years_active	1995–present
television	The Thin Blue Line (1995–1996)
Gimme Gimme Gimme (1999–2001)
My Hero (2006)
The Sarah Jane Adventures (2011)
Mount Pleasant (2012–2017)
::

| name = James Dreyfus | image = JamesDreyfus.jpg | caption = Dreyfus in 2004 | birth_name = James Louis de Zogheb Dreyfus | birth_date = | birth_place = London, England | education = Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (BA) | occupation = Actor | years_active = 1995–present | television = The Thin Blue Line (1995–1996) Gimme Gimme Gimme (1999–2001) My Hero (2006) The Sarah Jane Adventures (2011) Mount Pleasant (2012–2017) James Louis de Zogheb Dreyfus (born 9 October 1968) is an English actor most notable for roles on television sitcoms The Thin Blue Line as Constable Kevin Goody, and Gimme Gimme Gimme as Tom Farrell. Dreyfus is most recently known for a role as the Reverend Roger Jones in Mount Pleasant.

In London's West End, Dreyfus starred in The Producers in 2004 as Carmen Ghia. In 2006, he starred as the Emcee in Cabaret.

Early life

James Louis de Zogheb Dreyfus was born on 9 October 1968 in Islington, London. His parents divorced when he was very young. His mother, Margo de Zoghels, was a model. His maternal grandfather was of Syrian descent and his family immigrated to England from Damascus. He also has English, Italian, Greek, Norwegian, French and Swiss ancestry."Mum is staying overnight. I don’t think she’s ever actually said “hello” when she sees me. She just launches into a conversation straight away, regardless of whether I might know what the HELL she’s on about.

Today she said “My father once told me his family originally came from Damascus… so you’re part Syrian… the traffic was fucking awful…”" via X

He was educated at Harrow School. He then trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.{{cite web|url=http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/entertainment/film_and_tv/s/1028535_double_trouble_for_james |title=Double trouble for James|work=Manchester Evening News|access-date=6 April 2008|last=Wylie|first=Ian|date=14 December 2007}}

Career

At the 1998 Laurence Olivier Awards, Dreyfus won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Supporting Performance in a Musical for his work in Lady in the Dark at the National Theatre. In the same year, Dreyfus won Second Prize at the Ian Charleson Awards for his 1997 performance as Caius Cassius in William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar at the Birmingham Rep.

Dreyfus's first television break came with the BBC comedy series Absolutely Fabulous. followed by roles as Constable Kevin Goody in Ben Elton's sitcom The Thin Blue Line and Tom Farrell, the gay flatmate of Linda la Hughes (Kathy Burke) in Gimme Gimme Gimme. Dreyfus played opposite Bette Midler in the short-lived American sitcom Bette.

Known for portraying "camp, endearing characters," Dreyfus (in a Sheengate Publishing interview) compared the character Frank Spencer from Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em, whom he described as a campy but married heterosexual, to Dreyfus's character Kevin Goody from The Thin Blue Line. Regarding his character Tom Farrell from Gimme Gimme Gimme, Dreyfus hypothesized that, even if the character were heterosexual, the actor would still portray Tom as camp and flamboyant.

He played Thermoman in the BBC One comedy My Hero, a role he took over in the sixth series from Ardal O'Hanlon. Although the same character, he used the name George Monday, as opposed to O'Hanlon's character's name, George Sunday. After disappointing ratings, the show was cancelled.

Dreyfus also starred as Mr Teasy-Weasy in the 2004 comedy film Churchill: The Hollywood Years.

From 2012 to 2017, Dreyfus appeared as the Reverend Roger Jones in the Sky Living series Mount Pleasant.

In 2017, he voiced an incarnation of The Master from Doctor Who in the Big Finish Productions release The First Doctor Adventures Volume One, going on to appear as the character in 2019's "The Home Guard", 2020's "The Psychic Circus" and 2022's "Blood of the Time Lords". In an interview on SpectatorTV, Dreyfus said he was dismissed from the role following comments he made on Twitter in support of author J. K. Rowling.

Personal life

Dreyfus is gay.

Filmography

::data[format=table]

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1995	Thin Ice	Greg
1995–96	The Thin Blue Line	Constable Kevin Goody	TV series (14 episodes)
Absolutely Fabulous	Christopher	TV series (2 episodes)
1996	Boyfriends	Paul
1999	Notting Hill	Martin
1999–2001	Gimme Gimme Gimme	Tom Farrell	TV series (19 episodes)
2000	The Nearly Complete and Utter History of Everything	Swedish Ambassador	Two-part BBC special celebration for the new millennium.
Gormenghast	Professor Fluke	TV
2000–2001	Bette	Oscar	U.S. TV series (18 episodes)
2004	Fat Slags	Fidor Konstantin	TV
Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London	Gordon
The Producers	Carmen Ghia	Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
Waking the Dead	Raymond Carstairs
2005	Willo the Wisp	All voices	Revival to original 1981 series
2006	Colour Me Kubrick	Melvyn Prescott
My Hero	George Monday / Thermoman	TV series (8 episodes)
2006–07	Cabaret	Emcee	Lyric Theatre, London
2007	Double Time	Lawrence Nixon/George McCabe
Nina and the Neurons	Felix (voice)
2009	Casualty	Rory	TV
2011	The Sarah Jane Adventures	John Harrison	Episode: "The Man Who Never Was"
2012	Midsomer Murders	Ralph Ford	Episode: "A Rare Bird"
Holby City	Felix	TV
Whitechapel	Charlie Cross	TV series, 2 episodes
2012–2017	Mount Pleasant	The Reverend Roger Jones	TV series
2013	Dandelion & Burdock	Dandelion	TV
2013–14	Candide	Dr. Pangloss	Menier Chocolate Factory, London
2013	Shameless	Edward Clayhill	Episode: "An Inspector Calls"
2015	Father Brown	Binkie Cadwaller	Episode 3.10 "The Judgment of Man"
Scottish Mussel	Headmaster
2019	Harry & Meghan: Becoming Royal	Sir Leonard Briggs	TV movie
The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance	Lath'N
Agatha Raisin	Harry Witherspoon	S3 E1 Episode: "Agatha Raisin and The Haunted House"
2020	Supernova	Tim
The Hollow		TV movie
The Harbour	Robert	Short
2021	The Kindred	Mr. Mulvaney
2022	Lips	Michael	Short
2023	One Foot in the Grave - 30 Years Of Laughs	Himself	Documentary
2024	House of the Dragon	Lord Gormon Massey	TV series, 6 episodes
TBA	Cara	Greg Wilson	Pre-production
::

References

References

1. "James Louis de Zogheb Dreyfus".
2. Fletcher, Mary, ''Why life's looking Goody for James'', TV Times, pg 31.
3. Thomas Quinn. "Interview: James Dreyfus". thefreelibrary.com.
4. Dreyfus, James. (11 January 2013). "What I see in the mirror: James Dreyfus".
5. (29 March 2024). "I'm not religious, but was brought up C of E, because the UK is where my mother eventually settled when she & my grandparents were forced out of Egypt. And she always made Easter such a fun time.".
6. [https://x.com/DreyfusJames/status/840315106588295169?t=NZE-Q82wq_ChQ1vVKy8hrw&s=19 To be honest, I'm a complete mongrel. Italian, Greek, English, Norwegian, French, Swiss and ,believe it or not, Syrian. But I'm British!!!] via X
7. (11 May 2008). "How We Met: James Dreyfus & Robert Portal". [[The Independent]].
8. Harlow, John. "Winning in a double act". ''Sunday Times''. 26 April 1998. (Online reprint: [https://web.archive.org/web/20140424093731/http://monszter.tripod.com/JHmultimedia/Winning-in-double-act.htm]).
9. "Our interview with James Dreyfus". sheengate.co.uk.
10. link. (25 June 2017 . Interviewed by Rob Edwards. ''Sheengate Publishing''. 31 January 2013.)
11. "1. Doctor Who: The First Doctor Adventures Volume 01 - Doctor Who - The First Doctor Adventures - Big Finish".
12. "6.1. Doctor Who: The Home Guard - Doctor Who - The Early Adventures - Big Finish".
13. "261. Doctor Who: The Psychic Circus - Doctor Who - The Monthly Adventures - Big Finish".
14. "James Dreyfus: cancelled from Dr Who for supporting JK Rowling". SpectatorTV.
15. (11 February 2013). "Interview with James Dreyfus – Rob Edwards: Journalist".
16. Milton, Josh. (10 December 2020). "Gay actor James Dreyfus tries to lecture Labour MP Stella Creasy on misogyny. It backfires spectacularly". PinkNews.
17. (1 April 2022). "Lips". IMDb.

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