Jason Thomas Orange (born 10 July 1970) is an English former singer. He is best known for being a member of the pop group Take That from the band's creation in 1990 until their hiatus in 1996, and again from their reunion in 2005 until he retired from entertainment in 2014.

Jason Orange
Background information
Birth nameJason Thomas Orange
Born (1970-07-10) 10 July 1970 (age 54)
Manchester, England
Genres
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
Years active1988–1999; 2005–2014
Labels
Formerly ofTake That

Early life

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Jason Thomas Orange was born on 10 July 1970 in Manchester, Lancashire to Tony and Jenny Orange a few minutes before his twin brother Justin.[1] He studied A-Level English at South Trafford College from 2001 to 2003 and then took an Access to Higher Education course on biology, history and psychology, though he did not attend university.[2]

Career

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Orange was part of the Manchester-based breakdance crew Street Machine in the mid-1980s.[3] They won the Manchester round of the UK Breakdancing Championship in 1985.[4] He also appeared on the show The Hit Man and Her as a featured dancer and was a member of a duo called Look Twice.[5] in the late 1980s.

Orange joined Take That when the group was created in 1990 and stayed with them until their hiatus in February 1996. As an actor, he appeared in the 1998 crime drama series Killer Net, for which his appearance was a major selling point.[6] The following year, he took the leading role in a London stage production of Gob, written by Jim Kenworth and directed by James Martin Charlton.[7]

Take That reunited without Robbie Williams in 2005 and released a new greatest hits album, followed in 2006 by Beautiful World, their first studio album since 1995.[8] Orange contributed both songwriting and lead vocals on the album, as he had done for past albums. In 2008, the band released the album The Circus.[9] In 2010, Williams rejoined the group and they released the album Progress. Orange continued to act, appearing in a cameo role in the Channel 4 comedy series Shameless in April 2013.[10]

On 24 September 2014, it was announced that Orange had left Take That as he wished to retire from the entertainment industry.[11]

References

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  1. ^ "Jason Orange – Biography". Hello! Magazine. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
  2. ^ Katie Shimmon (31 January 2006). "Orange's college days". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 May 2011.
  3. ^ Robb, John (6 October 2006). "I bet you looked good on the dancefloor". The Guardian – via www.theguardian.com.
  4. ^ "Video". M.youtube.com. Retrieved 15 July 2020.[dead YouTube link]
  5. ^ "Video". M.youtube.com. 30 May 2014. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  6. ^ Sax, Geoffrey (4 April 2005), Killer Net, Contender, retrieved 8 May 2019
  7. ^ Gardner, Lyn (29 March 1999). "Gob". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 17 January 2017.
  8. ^ "Interscope Records Take That Press release 2007". Previewstock.com. 11 December 2006. Retrieved 30 July 2012.[dead link]
  9. ^ Chris Johnston (24 September 2014). "Jason Orange leaves Take That". The Guardian.
  10. ^ "Jason Orange in Shameless guest appearance". The Telegraph. 11 January 2013.
  11. ^ O'Mance, Brad (24 September 2014). "Jason Orange has left Take That". Popjustice. Retrieved 24 September 2014.
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