Andrew Simpson
Andrew Simpson was born in Derry on the 1st January 1989. Initially residing in Carndonagh, when Andrew was two his family moved permanently to Fahan, just outside Buncrana. As a young boy Andrew got involved in music and theatre attending the Foyle School of Speech and Drama, taking part in the local Derry Féis. After this he was encouraged to go to open auditions that were taking place in Belfast for the Irish feature Song for a Raggy Boy (2003), securing the role of Gerard Peters 458, starring alongside the American-Irish actor Aidan Quinn.
He followed this in 2006 with another main role in Notes on a Scandal, starring opposite Cate Blanchett and Dame Judi Dench. Andrew played Steven Connolly, an Irish immigrant boy who attends the school where Cate and Judi's characters teach.
The following year Andrew pursued his personal interest in law and attended the London School of Economics and Political Science, graduating in 2010. During this period he also had roles in various TV and film productions including the TV movie Saving the Titanic (2012) and the critically acclaimed Northern Irish feature Good Vibrations (2012), directed by Lisa Barros D’Sa and Glenn Leyburn.
In 2011 he won the Grand Prize for Best Male Actor at the Rhode Island International Film Festival beating competition from John Hurt, Colin Firth and Stephen Fry for his role in the short feature All That Way For Love which follows the journey of a young idealistic Irishman, traveling across Africa to reach his girlfriend.
Andrew made the decision to move back to Belfast more permanently. While he still has his residence in London and travels back and forth for work, he says that he is much more relaxed and at ease living back in Ireland and loves to get home to visit his family in Fahan, which he tries to do every few weeks if possible. He loves catching up with everyone and notes that when you are older you are able to appreciate the area and its scenery more, particularly after you have lived away for a significant period of time.
Like many, Andrew argues that his favourite memories of Donegal are of summers as a child which he spent in Downings, visiting the beaches, jumping from the pier and playing football. He also enjoyed taking part in the summer camp mystery tour which would take you to a location around the county for the day. It is however, the sense of community that Andrew loves most about Donegal and Ireland overall. Even in London, he states that the Irish community ‘stick together’, whether it is a group of Irish actors helping each other, or students at university studying and living together, you always have that support network.