Born on 13 February 1963, Jesse Birdsall attended the Anna Scher children’s theatre school in Islington, and in his teens appeared in Nanette Newman’s children’s cooking programme ‘Fun Food Factory’ and in several television plays and series, usually with his trademark rockabilly look.
In 1982 he starred alongside singer Hazel O’Connor in the TV drama series set in a nightclub called Jangles. He first came to wider public attention in the serial ‘Annika’ in 1984, his first notable television role. He then subsequently appeared in the films ‘Wish You Were Here’ (1987), directed by David Leland and co-starring Emily Lloyd, ‘Getting It Right’ (1989), and ‘Beyond Bedlam’ (1994).
In 1988, he appeared alongside Kim Wilde in the music video for Hey Mister Heartache.
From 1995 to 1999 he played one of the lead characters in another BBC1 programme, the action/adventure series Bugs. Birdsall played the part of John Barron in the last ever episode of Morse in the episode ‘The Remorseful Day’ which aired on 15 November 2000.
He guest-starred in ‘Midsomer Murders’, playing two separate characters, in the episodes ‘Market For Murder’ and ‘Small Mercies’. He also appeared in several episodes of the ITV police drama ‘The Bill’ in 2003 as a character named Ron Gregory, and for the same network appeared as a regular in series 3-5 of the popular drama ‘Footballers’ Wives’.
He had a small role in the BBC soap opera ‘EastEnders’ in August 2012, playing John Hewland, jilted fiancé of Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean), in two episodes.
He has been married to ‘Only Fools and Horses’ actress Gwyneth Strong since 15 July 2000. They have two children, Oscar (born 1988) and Lottie (born 1991).