Jamie Foreman (born 25 May 1958) is a British actor. The younger son of English gangster Freddie Foreman, he is best known for his role as Derek Branning in the BBC One soap opera EastEnders (2011–2012).
Foreman has also appeared in the crime drama film Gangster No. 1 (2000) and the crime thriller film Layer Cake (2004).
Early life
Foreman was born in Lambeth, Greater London, on 25 May 1958, the younger son and middle child of Freddie Foreman, a prominent London underworld figure, and his wife, Maureen Elsie (née Puttnam). He was raised in South London alongside his two siblings, an elder brother and a younger sister.
Foreman received a private education funded by his father's criminal activities, attending Oakfield Preparatory School in Dulwich, followed by Christ's College in Blackheath. During his childhood, Foreman and his siblings were kept completely unaware of their father's criminal associations and involvement with the Kray twins. He first learned about his father's background at ten years old, following a police raid on their residence in 1968. Foreman later recounted that whilst visiting his father in prison was a painful experience, he viewed him as an excellent parent who was proud that his children chose legitimate careers over a life of crime.
Foreman's godfather was barman Buster Edwards, who later participated in the Great Train Robbery. He was a close family friend of actress Dame Barbara Windsor, whom he credits with inspiring his decision to pursue a career in the theatre.
Career
Foreman began his professional acting career in 1977 at the National Theatre, training under the artistic directorship of Laurence Olivier. He initially auditioned for the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts, where selectors bluntly informed him that his performance was the "worst audition since Anthony Newley", though he was ultimately accepted into the institution. His early screen work included appearances in the children's film Sky Pirates (1977), the Roger Daltrey biographical film McVicar (1980), and the crime thriller Empire State (1987). Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, he built an extensive resume as a character actor, frequently guest-starring in mainstream British television series such as Inspector Morse, The Bill, and Casualty.
In 1997, Foreman achieved wider critical recognition for his performance as Mark, a racist taxi driver, in Gary Oldman's acclaimed gritty drama Nil by Mouth, starring opposite Ray Winstone and Kathy Burke. The performance established him within the British crime and drama genres, leading to prominent roles in the historical film Elizabeth (1998), the American gothic horror Sleepy Hollow (1999), and the cult crime feature Gangster No. 1 (2000). Foreman continued to work steadily in the 2000s, appearing as a racist cabbie in The Football Factory (2004) and as Duke in Matthew Vaughn's crime film Layer Cake (2004). In 2005, he portrayed the iconic antagonist Bill Sikes in Roman Polanski's film adaptation of Oliver Twist. He also expanded into fantasy and high-profile guest roles, appearing as Eddie Connolly in the 2006 Doctor Who episode "The Idiot's Lantern" and portraying Basta in the adventure film Inkheart (2008).
In 2011, Foreman joined the cast of the BBC soap opera EastEnders, taking over the role of the major antagonist Derek Branning from Terence Beesley. He intentionally negotiated a short-term, 12-to-13 month contract to avoid professional burnout, describing the filming schedule as "like a factory" and the hardest workload of his life. During his brief tenure, he filmed 150 episodes, routinely managing up to 36 scenes per day and workin six days a week before the character was written out via a fatal heart attack in December 2012.
Following his departure from the soap opera, Foreman appeared as Lenny in the sitcom Birds of a Feather and narrated the ITV documentary series Double Decker Driving School (2015). He also established a consistent presence on BBC Radio, starring in the title role of Wes Bell, co-starring in the comedy series Hazelbach, and playing Albert Wilson in the long-running BBC Radio 4 historical drama Home Front starting in 2015. In later years, he returned to British independent crime films, appearing as Sam across the Rise of the Footsoldier film franchise, including Rise of the Footsoldier: The Pat Tate Story (2017), Rise of the Footsoldier: Vengeance (2023), and Rise of the Footsoldier: Retribution (2026).
Personal life
Foreman was previously married to actress Carol Harrison, with whom he has a son. Following their divorce, Foreman reunited with his long-term partner, Julie Dennis, a former model, and the couple have two sons.
In 2011, Foreman published his autobiography, Gangsters, Guns and Me: Now I'm in EastEnders... but Once I Was on the Run. The title of his memoir references a period of his childhood when his family frequently relocated across the East End of London to stay ahead of the authorities due to his father's criminal activities, before eventually settling in Kennington when he was six years old, as well as his early youth when he was uprooted to live on the run internationally with his father, hiding in Tenerife and Pennsylvania, after a major smuggling operation went wrong.
In 2018, Foreman suffered a near-fatal heart attack, a health crisis that drew widespread media attention due to its real-life parallel with the death of his EastEnders character, Derek Branning, who died from a heart attack on Christmas Day 2012. Foreman later stated that the medical ordeal provided him with a new perspective on managing work-related stress.
