RELATED: Here’s What Flo From the Progressive Commercials Looks Like in Real Life. From 2006 to 2021, Wood played Max Branning on the British soap opera EastEnders, which has been on air since 1985. When he left the show last year, he wrote on Instagram, “Thanks for everything @bbceastenders What an incredible 15 years it’s been. I’ll miss the show a lot but I’m looking forward to new challenges and new adventures. Thank you to everyone for all your love and support.” In addition to EastEnders, Wood has appeared in many other British TV series, as well as played parts in the films The Illusionist and Vera Drake. He also recently starred in the play 2:22 A Ghost Story. In 2014, Wood competed on the dance competition show Strictly Come Dancing (the predecessor to the American series Dancing with the Stars). He and his partner came in fifth place. In addition to his acting and voiceover work, Wood also co-hosts a podcast about boxing called Pound for Pound. The podcast began in 2018 and features interviews and commentary about the sport.ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb Wood has been married to his wife Alison Wood since 2001, and they have two children. RELATED: For more celebrity news delivered right to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter. There was a mild insurance company mascot scandal in 2015 when, as reported by Digital Spy, Wood tweeted that after 10 years he would no longer be the GEICO gecko because he claimed he “refused a huge pay cut.” Not long after, he tweeted, “Hey Twitter, regarding a dispute I had with a lizard this week. I apologise. I was upset. Moving on, nothing more to see x.” Wood then retained his job with GEICO, and continues to be credited for their commercials online. He has also tweeted about his work with the company following the dispute. In 2017, he wrote that he had been “the voice for the Geico Gecko for the last 11 years.” In 2020, he wrote in response to a tweet by actor Bryce Dallas Howard about her movie Jurassic World: Dominion, “Go Bryce. With love from the GEICO GECKO x (me, friend of your driver Richard!).” RELATED: 25 Stars You Didn’t Know Got Their Start in Commercials.
