A teenage TV and film star from Wallsend has embarked on the next stage of his exciting career in the entertainment industry, collaborating with Disney and Marvel.
Danny Murphy, who is Deaf, has worked with the Hollywood giants as an on-screen BSL translator for their recent series 'The Untold Tales of the Eternals'.
It's the 17-year-old's latest project, having already starred in a feature length film alongside Breaking Bad actor Aaron Paul and landing the host role in a popular ITV challenge show.
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Danny, who is currently in his final year at a boarding school in Berkshire, will begin working on a second series of the CITV programme Dare Master this spring, where contestants are invited to take part in kooky challenges.
Examples in the first series ranged from driving a tank blindfolded to scaling the roof of Sage Gateshead to clean windows.
His extraordinary TV and film journey began when, as a boy growing up alongside a sister and brother in Wallsend, he was inspired by funny stories told by his Deaf parents as well as Deaf issues raised in the media.
From the age of eight, he began sharing humorous Youtube videos and he has since amassed a huge international fan-base of more than 111,000 followers.
His skits landed him a comedy tour of the US pre-pandemic and he was also awarded the 'Rising Star' award by the Royal Television Society.
For those wanting to see Danny in a more serious role, the Hollywood film he starred in 'The Parts You Lose' has recently become available to watch on streaming service Netflix.
The film - about a fugitive who forms a bond with a deaf boy and hides out in a barn on his family farm - was shot in below-freezing temperatures in Winnipeg, Canada.
Reflecting on his part in the film, Danny told the Chronicle : "I wasn't sure about my acting skills to begin with, because I've never been taught by a professional instructor.
"It was an arduous journey for me to learn ASL (American Sign Language) within a couple of weeks, I was trying my best to absorb the protagonist character because Wesley’s father who refuses to speak sign language to his son, denying that he’s deaf, and he finds it struggling to communicate with his family.
"However, that's different to my real life because my parents are both Deaf and use sign language to communicate with me."
He said the script, written by Darren Lemke, is a good depiction of a Deaf character that "makes no attempt to sugar-coat the truth".
Looking ahead to the future, Danny wants to continue with both his comedy and acting, but is also eager to establish himself as a film director.
He said: "I've been given a lot of acting projects after I graduate from Sixth Form this year which I'm not allowed to speak about yet, but further on, I want to make a blockbuster film with Deaf characters and hearing characters."
Giving advice to other young Deaf actors, he said: "It's best to seek out an acting agency that focuses on Deaf people, for instance, my agency C-talent.
"They’re absolutely fantastic because they are still giving me more opportunities to further my acting career."
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