It is never too late to follow your passion, as a Norwich man who swapped sifting job applications for casting calls can testify. 

Andrew Rolfe, 54, was born in Norwich and he did Saturday morning acting classes at the Theatre Royal as a child.

He went to the Hewett School, where he also did his A Levels, and then left the city at 18.

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Norwich Evening News: Andrew Rolfe gave up his career in recruitment to become a professional actorAndrew Rolfe gave up his career in recruitment to become a professional actor (Image: Supplied)

He is now based in London and has had a very successful career in human resources, which included working as head of recruitment at Barclays.

Mr Rolfe said: "I started to get the acting bug again ten years ago, so I took classes in the evenings and at weekends.

"I also did amateur productions and supporting artist work to build my confidence.

Norwich Evening News: Andrew Rolfe has worked on various projects since becoming a full-time actor five years ago Andrew Rolfe has worked on various projects since becoming a full-time actor five years ago (Image: Supplied)

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"Then around five years ago, I was about to turn 50 and I realised that life is too short, so I decided to give my job up to be a professional actor.

"I got my first agent just before the pandemic and have been working ever since." 

Norwich Evening News: Andrew Rolfe plays General Matthew Ridgway in The Volunteers: To The WarAndrew Rolfe plays General Matthew Ridgway in The Volunteers: To The War (Image: Supplied)

This has included the multi-million-pound film trilogy The Volunteers, set during the Korean War, and he spent four months in Beijing last year. 

He plays General Matthew Ridgway, with the first installment 'To The War' released last autumn and it reached number two at the Chinese box office.

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Norwich Evening News: The film poster for Winnie the Pooh: Blood & Honey 2The film poster for Winnie the Pooh: Blood & Honey 2 (Image: Supplied)

He also stars as a father called Jacob in the upcoming horror slasher sequel Winnie the Pooh: Blood & Honey 2.

Mr Rolfe added: "The first film went viral and the second one will no doubt get heavy press attention too." 

Speaking about his career change, he added: "Acting is my passion, but it is hard work and a lot of it is about networking and social media to make connections and market yourself."