Cliff Roles' Page

Occupation

Radio/TV Host, Actor, Photographer, Translator, Features Writer, MC/Auctioneer

About Me

- Actor at, among others, S.W. Florida's Players of Sarasota, Venice Theatre, Manatee Players, Golden Apple Dinner Theatre and the Backlot.

- Award-winning radio talk-show host. I have a weekly live radio show calld "Cliff On Sundays" on 1280 AM WTMY from 12 to 2 pm every Sunday.
Plus, I podcast my radio interviews through my website cliffroles.com, through RadioSRQ.com (iTunes), through Facebook and regularly through Creative Loafing's Blog 941.

- Features writer for Scene Magazine, the oldest magazine on Florida’s Southwest Coast, so be sure to watch out for my column every month!

- Professional photographer:
Professional and lifestyle portfolios, events, head-shots, family portraits, weddings, house pets - all at a very reasonable price, and we’ll take photos for as long as it takes - it’s that simple!
So contact me for a session at (941) 685-9017 or mail me at cliff@cliffroles.com - I promise to make you look FABULOUS!

-I'm a professional German>English translator, a narrator, an Audiobook reader, and I also enjoy doing voiceovers and TV commercials.

- Sophisticated, non-regional English accent, and am able to do voice work in regional British accents (London (e.g. cockney), Yorkshire, Irish, Welsh, for example), as well as French, German, Russian, Australian and South African accents. I speak fluent English (native), French and German.

- Master of Ceremonies/Auctioneer at community and corporate events and fundraisers.
- Ringmaster of Circus Sarasota in 2006 and 2007.

Awards:
- “Best Local Actor” (3rd year in succession!), “Best Media Personality” and “Best Mixed Message”, Creative Loafing 2009
- Readers Choice "Best Local Charismatic Actor 2009", SRQ Magazine
- Best Emcee/Auctioneer 2009, Scene Magazine
- Top three, Best Local Actor 2008 and 2009, Sarasota Magazine
- Readers' Choice winner 2008, Best Supporting Actor, Sarasota Herald Tribune
- Readers' Choice "Best Local Actor 2008" and "Best Suncoast Enthusiast 2008", Creative Loafing
- Sarasota County Arts Council 2007 Arts Leadership Award for Media.
-Best Suncoast Enthusiast and Best Local Actor 2007, Creative Loafing
- Best Suncoast Enthusiast, 2nd place Best Radio DJ, Best Local Actor - Creative Loafing, 2007
- Recipient of the Sarasota County Arts Council 2007 Arts Leadership Award for Media.

If you are an artist or artistic venue, of any kind, please select a search category here:

Actor, Local Media, Writer

The things I like most about the Sarasota/Manatee area

Why I Love Sarasota
By Cliff Roles (as published in SCENE Magazine, June 2008)

About eight years ago I was going through one of those "male-menopause-midlife-crisis" phases, where nothing and no-one seemed to be right for me. My marriage had gone pear-shaped, I was burnt out from 16 years in the rock 'n roll business, and my people skills desperately needed honing.
I decided to change pace, job, surroundings and attitude. I became a translator and started traveling the world. Greece, Mexico, Italy, Switzerland ... I eventually landed on Florida's East Coast and, in keeping with my mood, bought a Harley Davidson motorcycle (I mean, who wouldn't?). And on February 17 2001, my birthday, I rode into Sarasota and parked my bike outside the Columbia Restaurant on St. Armand's. I bought myself an ice-cream at Scoop Daddy's, walked slowly around the Circle, and knew instantly that I was home. I met my wife Maria that evening, and within 18 months I had moved out of my flat in Hamburg, Germany and had become a resident of Sarasota.
I have fallen in love with Sarasota, and Sarasota has warmly opened to my embrace. Of course I now regularly sing songs of praise about its beaches, climate, restaurants, arts and culture possibilities and entrepreneurial skills, but it's Sarasota's underlying feeling of pride and passion that gets me. Visit our Farmer's Market on a Saturday morning, walk Main Street to Five Points during Sarasota's Reading Festival or Arts Day, stroll Siesta Key on an Arts and Crafts weekend, and you'll realize why we are the envy of everyone that doesn't live here year round. Those wonderful retirees who have moved here from "up North" are Sarasota's most valuable asset; they help our community to flourish, they tend to our parks and gardens, they finance our arts organizations and they keep our restaurants in business. A smile and a thank-you on their lips, they are always ready to tell you their story: how long they've been here, how they discovered our paradise, where they are from and what they love about living here. Their story, yes. That's what we are - a plethora, a multitude, myriads of fabulous, fantastic stories - a collection of big hearts worn on big sleeves.
Why I love Sarasota? Because of its people, that's why - I needed to come here to regain my faith in human nature.
Thank you, People of Sarasota - I think I'll stick around.

My Interests & Hobbies

My wife and best friend Maria, radio/TV, acting, writing features ....
Theatre, opera, ballet, symphony
... and my dog Sam.

My Favorite Local Restaurant

Sam Snead's Tavern, Shakespeare's Pub, Word of Mouth.

My Favorite Place to Experience the area the Way Locals Do

St Armands Circle, Farmers Market, Island Park

Personal Website

http://www.cliffroles.com

High School

John Ruskin Grammar School, Shirley, Croydon, Surrey

College/training

City of Birmingham Polytechnic

Favorite Movie

All Harry Potter, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Ratatouille, Sweeny Todd, Forrest Gump, Little Shop of Horrors, Mr. Holland's Opus, Blades Of Glory, A Mighty Wind, Wedding Crashers, 40 Year-Old Virgin, Anchorman Ron Burgundy, Old School, Waiting for Guffman, This is Spinal Tap, all Marx Brothers, Lord of the Rings, West Side Story, Oklahoma, Guys and Dolls, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Oliver, Music Man, Lion King, Finding Nemo, The Color Purple, Carousel, all Austin Powers, Mickey Blue Eyes, Love actually, Notting Hill, Four Weddings and a Funeral, Shrek I & II, all Monty Python

Favorite Artist

Music:
Annie Haslam and Renaissance, John Miles, Alan Parson's Project. ASIA, ELP, Curved Air, WHO, Carpenters, Barbara Dickson, ABBA, YES, Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, Billy Joel, INXS, Tears for Fears, Metallica, Barry Manilow, Celine Dion, Elton John, Oleta Adams, Sting, Lionel Ritchie, Seal, Beatles, Anggun, Chess, Candide, Les Miserables and countless other musical soundtracks.
Television:
House, The Big Bang Theory, 30 Rock, Samantha Who?, Aliens in America, Back To You, Hotel Babylon, Notes From The Underbelly, Chuck, Life, Moonlight, Ghost Whisperer, Las Vegas, 24, Boston Legal, Scrubs, Two and a Half Men, Men in Trees, Nip/Tuck, Rescue Me, Brothers and Sisters, The Unit, ER, Criminal Minds, CSI, CSI Miami, Mad Men, Burn Notice, October Road, The Dead Zone, Saving Grace, The Closer, Entourage, Ab-Fab, anything French and Saunders, anything Fry and Laurie

Facebook

http://www.facebook.com/home.php

LinkedIn

http://www.linkedin.com/home

Skype

cliff.roles

How I heard about AnythingArts.com

From Rick, Peg and Christine; I'm proud to be one of the first members and a contributing writer of AnythingArts.com!