Midweek - 22/04/2009

BARRY FANTONI Barry Fantoni is the cartoonist, painter, playwright, jazz musician and poet. He is probably best known as Private Eye’s foremost cartoonist over the past forty years - the pen behind “EJ Thribb’s” rhyming obituaries, “Neasden FC” with its glum manager Ron Knee, and the new cartoon series “Scenes you Seldom See”. An exhibition of his paintings, Public Eye, Private Eye is at the Thomas Williams Gallery from 22nd April until 22nd May. ERNEST BORGNINE Ernest Borgnine is the veteran Hollywood actor, now aged 93. Born the son of Italian immigrants, he has had a long and fascinating career in film and television. He’s played many character roles in films like From Here to Eternity, Dirty Dozen and The Wild Bunch and more sensitive ones, like the eponymous lead in the 1955 film Marty, for which he won an Oscar. He has now endeared himself to a new generation of fans in the cartoon SpongeBob SquarePants playing Mermaid Man. His autobiography, Ernest Borgnine: My Autobiography is published by JR Books. ZOYA PHAN Zoya Phan was born to the Karen tribe of Burma but was forced to flee her country as a teenager after her village was attacked by the Burmese army. She eventually escaped to the UK to claim asylum and now lives in London, working for the human rights organisation Burma Campaign UK. Her memoir Little Daughter is published by Simon and Schuster. MATTHEW DUNSTER Matthew Dunster is an actor, playwright and director. He is currently an Associate Director of the Young Vic Theatre. His play You Can See the Hills, which is an autobiographical portrait of growing up in Oldham in the 1980s, is currently on at the Young Vic. He is also working on several other projects including a ballet with the Pet Shop Boys, which they are composing for Sadler's Wells for 2011. You Can See the Hills is at the Young Vic from 23rd April until 9th May.