Christopher Fairbank

Christopher E. Fairbank (born 4 October 1953 in Hertfordshire, England) is a versatile English actor whose career spans over four decades across film, television, stage, and voice work. Growing up in a village shop in Essex, Fairbank discovered his love for performance at Clavering County Primary School when an impromptu improvisation saved a production of Paddington Bear. Despite a turbulent teenage period that included a conviction for possession of marijuana and two arrests at the Edinburgh Fringe, he persevered, moving to Liverpool before earning a place at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, from which he graduated in April 1974. His early screen work consisted of modest parts in series such as Z‑Cars and a recurring role as Kit Nubbles in The Old Curiosity Shop, but his breakthrough came in 1983 when he was cast as Albert Arthur Moxey in the beloved comedy‑drama Auf Wiedersehen, Pet. The character, a charmingly flawed Liverpool plasterer, cemented Fairbank's reputation and saw him return for the series revivals in 2002 and 2004, where Moxey’s storyline culminated in a move to Australia.

Since then Fairbank has amassed a diverse portfolio, appearing as the mugger Nic in Batman (1989), guest‑starring in iconic British series such as Coronation Street, Doctor Who and Father Brown, and lending his voice to Aardman classics like Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were‑Rabbit and Flushed Away. In the Marvel Cinematic Universe he portrays the enigmatic Broker in Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) and its sequel (2023). Recent work includes a brief but memorable stint as Eddie Knight in EastEnders (2024), and a celebrated stage turn as Ebenezer Scrooge at the Royal Lyceum Theatre in 2013, followed by Azdak in The Caucasian Chalk Circle (2015). Though he remains a prolific figure, Fairbank prefers privacy, insisting that “the work should speak for me,” and continues to be recognized for his dynamic performances across mediums.