Background and career
Charley Boorman (born 23 August 1966) is an English television presenter, travel writer and actor. A motorbike enthusiast, Boorman has made four long-distance motorcycle rides with his friend Ewan McGregor, documented in Long Way Round (2004), Long Way Down (2007), Long Way Up (2020) and Long Way Home (2025)
Born in Wimbledon, London, Boorman spent much of his formative years in County Wicklow, Ireland. Boorman is the son of German costume designer Christel Kruse and film director Sir John Boorman. Lee Marvin, a lifelong friend of his father, was Charley's godfather.
At an early age, Boorman started appearing in films directed by his father. His first role was in Deliverance (1972). In 1981 Boorman played a young Mordred in Excalibur, and was joined by his older sister Katrine Boorman who played Ygraine, Mordred's grandmother. In 1985 he played a leading role in The Emerald Forest. In 1987 he had a non-speaking role in Hope and Glory as a young German Luftwaffe pilot parachuting into wartime London, having been shot down; his sister Katrine also appeared in the film. His further acting appearances include The Serpent's Kiss (1997), on which he met Ewan McGregor, and The Bunker (2001).
In 2007, Boorman appeared on stage in Newcastle upon Tyne at the Tyne Theatre. The 'evening with' style show then went on a tour around the UK and Ireland in 2010. Around this time Boorman revealed he had testicular cancer. Caught early, he had a testicle removed and has since been a supporter of Movember. Boorman was given the all-clear, but continued telling audiences across the country about his ordeal, encouraging more men to be aware and get checked out early if there was any concern. In 2011, the Charley Boorman Live show toured the UK and Ireland again, following a similar format to the first tour but without support acts. Boorman also began promoting African Adventures, which are commercial 17-day BMW motorcycle trips across Africa. Taking 50 riders from Cape Town to Victoria Falls, Boorman used various technologies to help promote the trip, including a GPS satellite tracking device allowing people to follow the trip day by day.
Boorman has supported the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) since 2004, carrying out a number of visits to UNICEF projects, which have been noted in his television programmes Long Way Round, Long Way Down and By Any Means. In 2009, Boorman was made president of Dyslexia Action; he is dyslexic. Boorman has been on many visits to Dyslexia Action's regional centres and was involved in the charity's appeal "It's ME!". He also supported its school initiative "P4L" (Partnership for Literacy). Boorman participated in a live web chat for the charity where he answered questions about his dyslexia and his various adventures. In 2009, Boorman went to Helmand Province, Afghanistan and visited troops. Kandahar and Bastion were the two key camps he visited, just before Christmas. In February 2014 and November 2016 Boorman presented Gold Duke of Edinburgh's Awards [1] at St James's Palace, on behalf of The Duke of Edinburgh.
Boorman was involved in a serious accident test riding a motorbike with journalists in Portugal in 2016. He broke both legs after colliding with a wall while avoiding a car that pulled out in front of him. He then broke his hip riding a Vespa while still in recovery. After a period reliant on a wheelchair, Boorman was back riding, but walking with a limp as his left leg was 1 cm shorter than his right after operations to repair the breaks.
