Colin Salmon

COLIN SALMON IS AN ACTOR AND MUSICIAN WITH OVER ONE HUNDRED CREDITS IN FILM AND TV, INCLUDING AWARD WINNING PRIME SUSPECT 2, A RECURRING ROLE IN THE 007 JAMES BOND FILM SERIES AND MORE RECENTLY LIMITLESS, SOME GIRLS, SILENT WITNESS AND KRYPTON.

Colin has been involved in Notting Hill Carnival for over 35 years. Firstly in a live band on the back of a truck in 1985 playing Trumpet “ lips like chopped liver after two days non stop.” He met artist Fiona Hawthorne in the area a year later and they married in 88. They now have 4 children together and were the driving force behind Fox Carnival Mas band for 17 years bringing hundreds of people to Carnival each year celebrating the art of local children.

As an actor Colin has managed to stay busy over his 30 year career and had early success in Emmy award winning Prime Suspect 2 closely followed by three 007 movies. Colin enjoyed playing Note Makoti alongside Jill Scott in Number One Ladies Detective Agency and the fireman dad in Some Girls as well as playing Walter Steele on Arrow and Mr Sands in Limitless. More recently he has finished two seasons of Krypton as General Zod and completed a new film with Bob Odenkirk called Nobody to be released later in the year.

Colin’s two sons Eden and Benjamin joined CSI Steelband in 2009. Fiona also began to play and she began to collaborate with Crystal Holder who shared a similar vision for Carnival. They also met Jason Constantine and after a Lime in White City Colin came up with the idea of 1000 Pans. Fiona secured the funding, managed and designed what became the largest steel pan performance ever on the last day of the UK Olympics September 20012 in Jubilee gardens. They were totally hooked and they went on to form UFO steel band and Jason has been teacher and arranger for 7 years.

Colin believes Carnival is one of the most important, influential artistic festivals anywhere combining costume, dance, live music and the invaluable sound systems. Caribbean/African heritage has been a force for centuries and Carnival continues to adapt and grow and give our artistic spirits a place to express, create and rebel. Colin says “It’s an honour to be an Ambassador for such a powerful source of joy and inspiration which is NottingHill Carnival.