# Martin Marquez

Martin Joseph Marquez (born 8 October 1964) is an English actor.
He is best known on television for his role as Gino Primirola, the head barman, in the British television comedy drama Hotel Babylon. He also played Danny Pearce in The Bill from 1993 to 1995, and Neil in EastEnders in 2002, and he has appeared in Doc Martin alongside his real life brother John Marquez, The Catherine Tate Show, Murder Most Horrid, and Plastic Man.

## Early life

Marquez was born in Coventry, Warwickshire to a Spanish father and an English mother. Marquez's father formerly worked as a waiter at the Costa Brava Ritz Hotel and later opened a chip shop when the family moved to Binley Woods. Martin attended King Henry VIII School in Coventry. He worked as a personal trainer and a barman, before beginning his career in acting.

## Career

Marquez first appeared on television in The Bill, where he portrayed Detective Sergeant Danny Pearce. He also had small roles in such series as Doc Martin, The Catherine Tate Show, Elizabeth I, The Business, EastEnders and Bedtime. From 2006 to 2009, he played the character of head barman on the television series Hotel Babylon. In 2013, he appeared in new ITV comedy drama The Job Lot, playing security guard Paul.
He is also known for his theatre work, including Trevor Nunn's revival of Anything Goes in 2002, in which he played Moonface Martin and Terry Johnson's play Insignificance. He has performed as a comedy team, The Brothers Marquez, with his brother John Marquez, who also portrayed his fictional brother in a "Doc Martin" episode. He has played the lead role of Dad in Billy Elliot the Musical at the Victoria Palace Theatre in London's West End since November 2010.
In October 2013, he went on to play the role of Captain Dana Holmes in From Here to Eternity the Musical.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
| 1999 | Plastic Man | Steve Persey | TV film |
| 2000 | Dirty Tricks | Garcia | TV film |
| 2001 | Down | Policeman #2 | |
| 2005 | The Business | Pepe | |
| 2006 | Stan | Hal Roach | TV film |
| 2011 | Holy Flying Circus | Richard Klein | TV film |
| 2012 | Les Misérables | Ensemble | |
| 2013 | Girl on a Bicycle | Clive | |
| 2015 | A Louder Silence | Martin | |
| 2017 | The Mercy | Franchessi | |
| 2019 | After Louise | Ken | |
| 2020 | 7 Hours on Earth | Mr. Merriweather | |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1991–1996 | The Bill | D.S. Danny Pearce | Series regular |
| 1992 | Desmond's | Policeman | Episode: "Too Young" |
| 1992 | In Suspicious Circumstances | | Episode: "An Uncommon Murder" |
| 1999 | Murder Most Horrid | Tony La Paglia | Episode: "Whoopi Stone" |
| 2001 | Bedtime | Sam | 2 episodes |
| 2002 | EastEnders | Neil | 4 episodes |
| 2002 | Heartbeat | Joe Kidd | Episode: "Closing the Book" |
| 2005 | Empire | General Crito | Mini-series |
| 2005 | Elizabeth I | Don Bernadino de Mendoza | Mini-series |
| 2006 | The Catherine Tate Show | Taxi Driver | Episode: "1951–2006" |
| 2006–2009 | Hotel Babylon | Gino Primirola | Series regular |
| 2007 | Waking the Dead | Harris Wall | Episode: "Mask of Sanity" |
| 2007 | Children in Need | Gino Primirola | Hotel Babylon sketch |
| 2007 | Lead Balloon | Tony | Episode: "Hero" |
| 2008 | Heartbeat | Rafael | Episode: "Danse Macabre" |
| 2009 | Doc Martin | Brother of Joe Penhale | Episode: "Perish Together as Fools" |
| 2010 | New Tricks | Danny Johnson | Episode: "Where There's Smoke" |
| 2012 | Twenty Twelve | Kevin Thingle | Episode: "Loose Things" |
| 2012 | Falcón | Doctor | Episode: "The Blind Man of Seville" |
| 2013–2015 | The Job Lot | Paul Franks | Series regular |
| 2015 | Benidorm | Juan | Episode: "Walking on Broken Glass" |
| 2015 | Vera | Michael Tennant | Episode: "Old Wounds" |
| 2015 | SunTrap | Mr. De Luca | Episode: "Casino" |
| 2015 | The Javone Prince Show | Policeman | 1 episode |
| 2017 | Bounty Hunters | The Supplier | 1 episode |
| 2017 | Modus | Hunter Russell | 4 episodes |
| 2017 | The Crown | Royal Detective | Episode: "Paterfamilias" |
| 2018 | Holby City | Saul Vernon | Episode: "Hold My Hand" |
| 2019 | Dead Pixels | Barry | Episode: "Patricide" |
| 2024 | Heartstopper | Ant Spring | Episode: "Winter" |

## Personal life

He has three sons and two daughters, including Ramona Marquez, who is known for playing Karen Brockman in Outnumbered.