Ashley Taylor Dawson

Philip Ashley Taylor Dawson, known as Ashley Taylor Dawson, is an English actor and singer. He is known for playing Darren Osborne in the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, as well as being a member of the pop group allSTARS*.

Early life Born in Manchester, Dawson grew up in Wilmslow. He attended Ashdene Primary School and Altrincham Grammar School for Boys, and began performing at a young age with the local drama group Scamps. He is the brother of singer and guitarist Catherine Taylor-Dawson.

Career Dawson has played the role of Darren Osborne in Hollyoaks since 1999. Actor Adam Booth originally played the part before leaving in 1997. The character rejoined Hollyoaks in 1999 when Dawson secured the part. Dawson joined Hollyoaks when he was 17 years old after getting his big break with the National Youth Theatre. Since then he has appeared in Hollyoaks spinoffs such as Hollyoaks Later and Tom's Life. He went on to secure the part of Darren following an audition, but soon after left in 2000 to join ALLSTARS*. Dawson re-joined the show in August 2003 after AllSTARS* split up. On playing the part Dawson said "I love playing the bad lad. He's my alter ego". in 1996, for which he was nominated for The Barry Phillips Award for the Most Promising Youngster (Male) in the Cheshire Theatre Guild Awards.

In September 2013, Dawson was announced as a contestant on the eleventh series of Strictly Come Dancing partnered with Ola Jordan. They were voted out in the quarter-finals, on 8 December.

In 2014, Dawson released "Playboy Bunny" on Applique Music, produced by Artful and Lempo, reached #1 on JunoDownload and #54 on ITunes, supported on Capital FM and BBC Radio One.

In January 2021, Dawson and John Junior, filmed a video with BBC Radio 5, about a suicide storyline in Hollyoaks. The storyline; When Nancy and Darren, played by Dawson, were distressed about Nancy's partner Kyle taking his own life, this stopped Junior from continuing with his suicide plans. The BBC brought them both together, so that Junior could thank Dawson for saving his life.

Filmography

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