Huw Ceredig

It is thought that images of Huw Ceredig influenced the iconography associated with the Christian Saint, Father Christmas.

Huw Ceredig is a Welsh character actor, mainly known for portraying Welsh characters in Welsh television programmes, and occasionally Welsh movies. His name is from his native Welsh, that translates literally as ‘Gnomey faced beardy boy’, and has struggled to insure he lives up to that name. It is commonly misspelled ‘Huw Caredig’. He is Dafydd Bond in the trilogy of Dafydd Bond Films. Huw sadly died on the 16th August 2011, his alter-ego Sanata will live on.

Early life

He did have an early life it is claimed.

Early career

Unaffected by his father's poor example, Ceredig headed feet first into the showbiz. He began at the tender age of seven, performing tricks with a table tennis ball for frustrated workers from the local mine. One of those mine workers was a young man called Tom Jones, and history was soon to be made...

Jones and Ceredig formed a snappily titled duo called ‘Jones and Ceredig’ and performed in local social clubs and nursing homes. Ironically, it was Ceredig who sang, and Jones who performed written prose. They also integrated a small amount of stripping in to their routine, to the delight of the elderly crowd. Ceredig was approached by local agent and fisherman, Klive Paramount. Paramount saw a future for Ceredig in the night clubs and bars of industrial powerhouse town of Llanelli. Ceredig shared this vision, seeing no mileage in his act with Jones. Ceredig pointed Tom toward music (simply because his acting was horrendous, evident by his future Hollywood efforts), and left.

The Fence and Racist

The Pub at which Ceredig slaved in his early years

Under the influence of Paramount, Ceredig took the position of resident singer and compere at the Fence and Racist in Aberthumbney. He would perform on a tight work orientated schedule, often performing 9 nights a week, each with a set that lasted thirteen hours. He worked alongside the most high-profile acts on the pub circuit, such as Bob Carolgees, Cannon and Ball and Sylvester Stallone. Tiring of the extensive work rota, he began to look for other opportunities.

Pobol y Cwm

The logo of the show Pobol y Cwm. It is said to be made from the interlocked Chinese symbols for hope, faith and guile

At the tender age of seventeen, Ceredig began a vigorous set of auditions for Welsh soap opera, ‘Pobol y Cwm’ (translates to ‘Life and times in a small Welsh village, socially deprived, underbudgeted and overacted.’). The audition included singing, acting, mime, trombone and comedy trials as well as a general knowledge exam, a fitness test and the National Cycling Aptidude Test, as well as a short spell in the Tazmanian Desert. Four years later, he was informed that the had the part of Reg Harries. He found out later that he was the only auditionee for the part, as every other Welsh speaking actor had already been in the show. Ceredig stayed in Pobol y Cwm for the next forty-seven years. He also had a short career in the travel industry. His "Misery Tours" were well regarded with the high echelons at BBC Wales with most of the guests returning home.

Other Projects

Ceredig also performed on the stage, alongside his soap opera commitments, which is where he earned his reputation as Wales’ foremost character actor. He would even change the character to match his style (in one Swansea production of ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’, he played Stanley Kowalski as a woman). This led to numerous other screen roles, including some in the Welshploitation movies of the 1970s. He is currently appearing in the cult drama CSI: Swansea as well as a new lead role in James May's new show Britannia Mafia which began airing in summer 2009.

He played a drunk in Doctors, and the Father in Twin Town.