Draft:Mark Oxtoby

Mark Oxtoby (born 21 August 1973) is a British actor, voice-over artist and writer. Known for work in the West End, at the National Theatre, Bridge Theatre and on Television in EastEnders.

Career
Oxtoby made his West End debut in Elvis at the Prince of Wales Theatre (1996).

He originated the role of Mitch Maypole in the West End production of Saucy Jack and the Space Vixens at the Queens Theatre (1997).

In 2001 Oxtoby was in the Original London cast of La Cava at the Piccadilly Theatre. He left the production early to play Turnov (and later alternate Poppa) in the final London cast of Starlight Express at the Apollo Victoria Theatre (2001–2002).

He played the role of Firechief in The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall (2011). Oxtoby's association with the show continued when he played Monsieur Andre in the London production of The Phantom of the Opera at Her Majesty's Theatre from 2016-2019.

On 13 September 2021 - the West End press night of Back to the Future: The Musical at the Adelphi Theatre - Oxtoby was thrust into the role of Doc Brown after Roger Bart tested positive for COVID-19. With only a few hours rehearsal, he won critical acclaim and much praise for his performance. He went on to win the BroadwayWorld UK Award for Best Performance By An Alternate in Any Play or Musical for his portrayal of Doc Brown - the only award available to a cover at the time.

Oxtoby played Bruiser Thorn in the National Theatre's revival production of HEX at the Olivier Theatre (2022/2023) which was filmed and released onto the National Theatre's 'NT AT HOME' streaming service in 2023.

In 2023 he was cast as Benny Southstreet   in Sir Nicholas Hytner's multi-award-winning production of Guys and Dolls at the Bridge Theatre in London.

2024 saw Mark playing DI Moore in EastEnders (BBC) for a double bill episode which was the culmination of a steroid abuse storyline involving Davinder (Nugget) Gulati and Denzel Danes.

Short film work
January 2024 saw the world premiere of My Week with Maisy, based on a screenplay written by Oxtoby, at Flickerfest, Australia's international short film festival. Starring Dame Joanna Lumley, MyAnna Buring, Poppy Gilbert and Ellie-Mae Siame, it was directed by Mika Simmons and produced by French Fancy Productions, with Oxtoby credited as writer and executive producer. The screenplay currently has 20 Best Screenplay Awards, and three Nominations. The release of the film made news in the Daily Express, Variety, My London Times and Theatre Full Stop.

Personal life
Oxtoby married fellow actor Dawn Buckland in 2001. They have 1 child together - Lily Oxtoby.

In 2019 Oxtoby had seven operations to remove Melanoma skin cancer, eventually having his entire nose replaced with a full forehead flap procedure. The Mirror newspaper wrongly reported it was half his nose.