Salford's Famous Men
Entertainment
Ronald Baxter ..... pupil
at Grecian Street and Broughton Modern schools was the producer and director
of the television show Rising Damp. In 1978 the show was voted the best
situation comedy by the British Academy of Film and TV Arts
Krishna Bhanji
.....
otherwise known as Ben Kingsley whose most famous film role was Gandhi
Jon Christos ..... opera singer - debut
album called Northern Light
Alan Clarke
..... of The
Hollies pop group
Alistair Cooke ne้ Alfred Cooke ..... born
November 20th 1908 ..... English-born American journalist and broadcaster who was born in
Isaac Street, Salford. He commentated on current affairs and popular
culture in America, reported for several British newspapers and wrote
numerous books. His famous ' Letter from America' was first broadcast by the
BBC in 1946 and became the longest-running solo radio feature programme. In
1974 he addressed the U.S House of Representatives, only the fourth
Englishman to do so at this time. He also helped to establish Wood Street
Mission in Manchester
George Couloris
..... native of Salford, son of a Greek family, he went to America in 1930
and appeared in such films as Citizen Kane and For Whom The Bell Tolls
Neville Currier ..... stage electrician
who lived in Mandley Street, Broughton. In 1958 he was the only
technician in Britain to be awarded a Soviet Gold Medal for his efforts in
the fields of art
Freddy
"Parrot Face" Davies .....
comedian
Peter Maxwell Davies
- Sir
..... born 1934 in Holly Street, Langworthy .....
composer of the opera "Taverner". In 2004 he became the FIRST
freeman of the City of Salford
Frank
Evans .....
Salford's only matador
Albert Finney
..... born May 9th 1936 ..... born in Gore Crescent, Weaste, he became a student at RADA and in 1956
made his stage debut at Birmingham in Julius Caesar. His London debut was in
The Party in 1958 and two years later he made his film debut in a small role
in The Entertainer. The role which made him a star was his portrayal of a
working-class rebel in the film Saturday Night and Sunday Morning in 1960.
His primary interest was the stage and he regularly appeared during the 60s
and from 1972 to 1975 was associate artistic director of the Royal Court
Theatre. His Academy Award nominations were for Tom Jones (1963) Murder on
the Orient Express (1974) The Dresser (1983) and Under the Volcano (1984).
For Tom Jones (1963) he also won Best Actor awards in New York and Venice
and took a percentage on the film which made him a very rich man
Clinton Ford
..... ballad singer
Joe Gladwin
..... died 1987 ..... Last Of The Summer Wine actor who
was born in Salford and educated at Mount Carmel Roman Catholic School
Carl Green
..... of Herman's Hermits
Graham Gouldman ..... singer-songwriter
and part of the 70s band 10cc was raised in Broughton
Will Hay ..... comedian, died on
April 18th 1949. He was educated at the Gardner Street Higher Grade School
in Pendleton, just around the corner from his home
Peter Hook ..... bassist with New Order,
one of the biggest bands in the world, and former co-owner of the world
famous Hacienda nightclub. He grew up in Ordsall living on Jane Street and
then Rothwell Street
Tom Hudson ..... Salford born Grange Hill
Star
Rob James-Collier ..... Salford-born
star of Coronation Street
Henry Slater Kellett
..... died 1961 ..... founder of the famous
Manchester Kentucky Minstrels
T F Kellett
..... one-time manager of the Cromwell cinema he
was a stage performer who appeared in many television shows and was Gracie
Field's first leading man in a revue called It's A Bargain
Lee Lawrence
..... recording and television star who died in 1961
Mike Leigh
..... born 1943 ..... film
director who went to Salford Grammar School and joined the Royal Shakespeare
Company as an assistant director in 1967. He lived on Cavendish Road, Higher
Broughton and won a scholarship at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. He
later achieved lasting fame for plays such as Nuts in May and plaudits from
all over the world for his films including the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film
Festival and five Oscar nominations. His latest film ( 2005) is Vera Drake,
set in the 1950s, tells the story of a back-street abortionist in the
working class area of London
Paul Lockitt
..... award-winning radio newsreader after being named commercial
radio's Newsreader of the Year at the Independent Radio Awards in 2005 for
the second year running. A former pupil at Buile Hill High School on Eccles
Old Road he joined Key 103 in 1979 and over the decades has covered all the
big stories for the station. Whilst at school he joined the Manchester
Youth Theatre where he perfected his acting skills and gained confidence for
the day he would read the news on radio
Stephen Lord
..... actor and director brought up on the Langworthy estate in
Salford. In November 2007 several films directed by him were shown at the
Salford Film Festival
Ewan MacColl
real name Jimmy Miller .....
died 1989 ..... Salford folk singer whose most well known song was Dirty Old
Town, a requiem for the Salford slums. He left school at the age of fourteen
and took a series of jobs in Salford before finding fame for his music. He
also formed the Theatre workshop in Manchester and penned eight plays. His other songs
include The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face and The Manchester Rambler.
Salford University made him an honorary Master of Arts
Eddie Maguire
..... scriptwriter who went to Salford Grammar School and wrote "Ray's A
Laugh" for the BBC among other successes
Jack Marsden
..... actor who made his name as PC Danny Rylance in the award winning
series 'Cops' . In 2005 he campaigned for a change in the law on muggings
of vulnerable pensioners and also received a Chief Constable's Bravery Award
when he intervened in a mugging in Manchester City Centre
Danny Matthews .....
in 2007 he became the new voice on the weekday breakfast show for Century
FM. He grew up in Irlams O'Th Height and was a dj at his school discos
at Buile Hill High. He has been a freelance presenter on Capitol Gold
Manchester, Rock FM, Radio City, Tower FM, Imagine FM, Radio Aire and Radio
Hallam. He has also been a producer for people such as Steve Penk, Mike
Sweeney and Noddy Holder
John McCane
..... country music singer and songwriter who tours with his band Last of
the Breed at different venues throughout Britain. Recently his song, Wrap My
Arms Around The World, was awarded the Single Of The Year 2002/2003 title.
It was nominated by radio DJs nationally and voted for by the listening
public
Tony Mercer
..... born in Salford, he lived in Kennedy Road, Weaste, not far from his
parents sweet shop on Tootal Road. He went to Tootal Drive Primary School
and then Salford Grammar where he came under the influence of art teacher
Dickon Hubbard, a founder member of the Salford Jets. He became interested
in stage lighting and gradually got into artistic direction. He now lives in
Moscow with his wife and son and in March 2005 returned to Salford to direct
the Lowry's latest dance spectacular The Sleeping Beauty which will be
staged in the Lyric Theatre
Johnny More
..... born in Claremont Street, Ordsall he became an impersonator who first
found fame with the Salford City Reporter's talent competition in the 1960s.
He starred in 1970s television shows such as Copycat and Who Do You Do and
chose acts like Frank Sinatra and Barry Manilow to impersonate. His act
became so popular that he wowed audiences all over the north and went on to
become the FIRST guest on the Des O'Connor show. He is still performing and
in 2005 was the star turn at a surprise birthday concert for Sir John Mills
Graham Nash
..... originally a guitar player with The Hollies, he grew up at 1 Skinner
St, Salford. In 1968 he left The Hollies and formed one of the first
supergroups with David Crosby, Stephen Stills and later Neil Young. In 2004
his fifty year hobby of taking photographs led to the first European
exhibition of his work at the Richard Goodall Gallery in Manchester and he
also produced a book
Nigel Pivaro
..... born
in Bridlington Avenue, Weaste, he became well known after playing the part
of Terry Duckworth in the television soap Coronation Street
Robert
Powell ..... star of
stage and film
Al Read
..... died 1987 .....
comedian who was born in Kipling Street, Broughton. His family had a sausage
and potted meat company in Kent Street
Mike Sweeney
..... radio DJ,
born in Ordsall, he went to Our Lady of Mount Carmel School and in 1977
formed the musical group, the Salford Jets. He is currently a DJ with the
radio station Capitol Gold
Tony Warren ..... creator of Coronation
Street
Michael Williams
.....
theatre and television actor, husband of Dame Judi Dench
Anthony Wilson
..... music mogul who was born in Hope Hospital on February 20th 1950. He
went to De La Salle Boys Grammar School and went on to become a television
presenter for Granada TV. He founded the influential Factory Records, home
to Salford bands New Order and the Happy Mondays and was co-owner of the
world famous Hacienda nightclub in Manchester. He died on August 10th
2007 of a heart attack following a battle with cancer of the kidney
Kenneth
Wolstenholme
..... BBC commentator and newscaster