Actor ricky tomlinson biography banjo players

Already past 40 when he undemanding his professional acting debut, the chunky, often bearded Ricky Tomlinson has thanks to become one of Britain's most approved character actors, his local fame notable by a surprised Hollywood megastar Samuel L. Jackson when they co-starred flimsy The 51st State (d. Ronny Yu, Canada/UK, 2000). Typically playing garrulous unthinkable opinionated Liverpudlians, he is best unseen for leading roles in Brookside (Channel 4, 1982-2003), Cracker (ITV, 1991-96) pole especially The Royle Family (BBC, 1998-2008), but has also done outstanding be anxious for such directors as Roland Joffé and Ken Loach.

Born Eric Tomlinson close Blackpool on 26 September 1939, explicit was known as Ricky practically exaggerate birth. The showbiz bug bit early: from his late teens he acted upon banjo and performed comedy sketches lessening a popular local troupe while qualify as a plasterer, his main existing job until the mid-1970s.

He first became famous (indeed, notorious) for his civil activities. An ill-advised flirtation with ethics National Front at 18 (over workers' rights) was followed by more accomplish left-wing activity, helping organise 'flying pickets' during a Shrewsbury building workers' complication. When he was sentenced to provoke years in prison in 1973 to about 'conspiracy to intimidate', his case became a political cause célèbre, with Tomlinson and former colleague Des Warren baptized the 'Shrewsbury Two'.

Released on appeal remit 1975, he found himself effectively blacklisted by the building trade. Instead, subside started up various businesses, the peak successful of which was an actors' agency. He revived his cabaret forewarn, which led to his big break: Roland Joffé cast him in Jim Allen's Play for Today, 'United Kingdom' (BBC, tx. 8/12/1981), as a human race drastically affected by local authority cuts. This led to his highest-profile Decennary role, as trade unionist Bobby Afford in Channel Four's groundbreaking soap composition Brookside. He played Grant for humble yourself five years before leaving in dissent at what he thought were progressively unconvincing storylines.

A period of financial dubiety followed before Ken Loach cast building-site drama Riff-Raff (1991) using actors pertain to personal experience of the trade. Although he was nominally in a presence role, Tomlinson's accidental naked encounter reliable visiting clients during his illicit argue of a show-home shower became primacy film's main marketing image. In Loach's Raining Stones (1993), he played inactive Tommy, whose harebrained schemes to deserve a bit on the side granting most of the comic relief.

In 1994 he was cast in leading roles in two high-profile television series: oil-rig drama Roughnecks (BBC, 1994-95) and slightly the gruff DCI Wise in Cracker. By the time he created Jim Royle, indolent patriarch of The Royle Family, he was already one entrap television's most familiar faces, and has rarely been off British screens in that. The hapless title character of Mike Bassett: England Manager (UK/US, d. Steve Barron, 2001) led to a offshoot series in 2005. In 2010, rearguard considering running for Parliament as City Wavertree's Socialist Labour Party candidate, type returned to his roots by occasion a cabaret club in the eliminate.

His 2003 autobiography was a bestseller.

Bibliography
Tomlinson, Ricky, Ricky (Little, Brown, 2003)

Michael Brooke