Jason Salkey

{{Short description|British actor}} {{BLP sources|date=May 2014}} {{Use dmy dates|date=June 2020}} {{Infobox person | image = Jason Salkey wikicrop.jpg | image_size = 150px | name = Jason Salkey | birth_name = | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1962|4|24|df=y}} | birth_place = London, England | death_date = | death_place = | height = | other_names = | years_active = 1989–present | website = http://www.riflemanharris.co.uk/ | spouse = Natasha Salkey | parents = Patricia (''née'' Verden) and Andrew Salkey }}

'''Jason Salkey''' (born 24 April 1962) is an English actor, best known for playing Harris, the "educated rifleman", in the television series ''Sharpe''. Salkey has also published a book and video diaries about working in ''Sharpe'' alongside Sean Bean.

== Early life and education == He was born in London, England. His father was the noted writer, Andrew Salkey.<ref name="Hampshire College">{{cite news|url=https://www.hampshire.edu/news/2021/07/22/alum-actor-jason-salkey-uses-tv-role-inspiration-to-follow-in-his-father%E2%80%99s-footsteps|title=Alum Actor Jason Salkey Uses TV Role Inspiration to Follow in His Father's Footsteps|publisher=Hampshire College|date=22 July 2021|access-date=5 November 2021}}</ref> Jason Salkey attended Holland Park School in England before moving to Amherst, Massachusetts, where he graduated from Amherst Regional High School in 1980. He then earned his degree in Acting and Directing from Hampshire College in Amherst. While in school, he became a skilled Frisbee player and eventually went on to become the two-time European Freestyle Frisbee champion.

== Career == Salkey produced and released, along with Drew Sutton, ten DVD video diaries of his time working on the ''Sharpe'' series entitled, ''The Video Diaries of Rifleman Harris''. His other movie roles include: ''Memphis Belle'' (1990), ''The Russia House'' (1990), ''The Fifth Element'' (1997), ''FairyTale: A True Story'' (1997),<ref name="NewcombGeddes-Ward2007">{{cite book|last1=Newcomb|first1=Jacky|last2=Geddes-Ward|first2=Alicen|title=A Faerie Treasury|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OPaaIW5DntcC&pg=PA147|year=2007|publisher=Hay House, Inc|isbn=9781848506930|page=147}}</ref> ''The Turn of the Screw'' (1999), ''In America'' (2002) and ''About a Boy'' (2002). The actor has had multiple appearances on British television. Salkey also starred in an advertisement for Miller Lite in the UK in 1988, with "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" as the ad's theme. The song reached number 1 in the UK charts in 1988, 19 years after its original release, as a result of the ad's success. thumb|right|Salkey at a signing in costume in 2026 Salkey often attends history shows to promote his ''Sharpe'' merchandise and meet his fans.

In 2021 Salkey released his first book, ''From Crimea with Love: Misadventures in the Making of Sharpe's Rifles'', which details his experiences filming ''Sharpe''.<ref name="Hampshire College" />

== Personal life == Salkey is married to Natasha. The actor met her while she was the Ukrainian set translator during the time the production of ''Sharpe'' was filmed in Ukraine. They have a son.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.amherstbulletin.com/Restaging-battles-against-Napoleon-Actor-Jason-Salkey-Amherst-High-School-class-of-1980-pens-book-about-playing-a-British-soldier-in-the-Napoleonic-TV-series-Sharpe-s-Rifles-47523527|title=An Englishman home in Amherst: ARHS and Hampshire College graduate returns with his memoir of playing a Napoleonic-era soldier|website=www.amherstbulletin.com|date=10 August 2022}}</ref>

==References==

==External links== *{{IMDb name|id=0758485}} * [http://www.riflemanharris.co.uk/ Rifleman Harris] official website * [https://www.authorsreach.co.uk/post/an-interview-with-jason-salkey?postId=c54339a5-7516-4e05-bc9e-12e7dab38b8f Interview with Jason Salkey]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Salkey, Jason}} Category:1962 births Category:Living people Category:English male film actors Category:English male television actors Category:Hampshire College alumni Category:People educated at Holland Park School Category:Amherst Regional High School (Massachusetts) alumni Category:Male actors from London