Nigel Derek Harman (born 11 August 1973) is an English actor, most famous for his role as Dennis Rickman in the UK soap opera EastEnders. He most recently starred in the final series of Hotel Babylon. Nigel grew up in Woldingham, Surrey and was educated at Dulwich College. However, he found school difficult: “I was never comfortable sitting down. Many people were devoted to his character Dennis falling in love with and marrying his adopted sister Sharon (Letitia Dean). Nigel picked up his hat as Sky Masterson again in May 2007, joining the Guys and Dolls tour at the Mayflower Theatre, Southampton. in November & December 2009 he appeared in Public Property by Sam Peter Jackson at the Trafalgar Studios. He stars alongside Kimberley Walsh, Nigel Lindsay and Richard Blackwood.

He then turned his hand to larger theatre roles, appearing in productions such as Privates on Parade, Much Ado About Nothing and Summer Holiday. He also performed in musicals on cruise ships for six and a half months, but told Paul O’Grady that he hated the experience. He scored minor parts in in episodes of Red Cap, Doctors and Coupling, but had to support himself by taking jobs at pizza-hut and as a driver for supermarket chain Sainsburys. in 2003 he won the role of Dennis Rickman in the BBC soap opera EastEnders for which he is now nationally well known. His first episode portraying Dennis immediately attracted the attention of thousands of ladies throughout the country, and he now has many fansites devoted to him all over the Internet. His character’s first notable bustup was with local hard man Phil Mitchell whom he punched in his very first episode making him the first of his many enemies. During his time on EastEnders he won multiple awards such as the following: Since leaving EastEnders, he starred as Sky Masterson in Guys and Dolls at the Piccadilly Theatre in the West End alongside Jenna Russell and Nigel Lindsay. in October 2006, Nigel appeared in the Harold Pinter play The Caretaker at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield.

He has worked extensively in theatre, with the stage being described as his “first love”. He trained at The Arts Educational School in London and was in the original cast of world hit Mamma Mia. Having only worked on the stage and in musical theatre since leaving high school, Nigel determined to expand into television and pursued TV roles. Following his stint on Eastenders,he criticised the show for its poor quality. He opened alongside Sarah Lancashire who left the production with illness on 4 January 2006. in January 2007, Nigel reprised his role as Mick in The Caretaker, starring alongside David Bradley and Con O’Neill for the tour, which continued until mid-April 2007. He is set to play his first major film role (as singer Jess Conrad) in Telstar which releases in 2009.