Charles Lawson
Encyclopedia
Charles Lawson is a Northern Irish
film
and television
actor
.
, County Fermanagh
, Northern Ireland
,
Lawson was educated at Campbell College
(a Grammar School
) in Belfast
, Northern Ireland, and later at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama
in London
, England
.
(who is originally from Belfast) in the ITV
television soap opera
Coronation Street
. He first appeared as Jim in 1989 and remained a regular character for the next 11 years, since which time his appearances have been few and far between.
His other television work includes appearing as Seamus Duffryn in the Yorkshire Television
thriller miniseries
Harry's Game
(also known as Belfast Assassin) (1982) based around The Troubles
in Northern Ireland and as Trigg in the television film The Firm
(1988). He has also appeared in various other television series
including Doctors
(twenty-four episodes), Bread (three episodes), The Bill
(three episodes) and Rosemary and Thyme (one episode).
In 2009, Lawson appeared alongside an eight-foot frankfurter
sausage
in a German
television commercial
, advertising hot dogs. His overdubbed
catchphrase in the commercial is Betrachten Sie die Größe meiner Wurst! (English-language
translation — "Look at the size of my sausage!").
In 2010, Lawson revealed that he would return to Coronation Street for its 50th anniversary celebrations. He speculated that bosses may be planning to kill his character off. Ultimately, this has not happened.
In 2010, Lawson and his partner Debbie Stanley opened a farm shop in the centre of the Cheshire
village of Prestbury
.
People of Northern Ireland
Northern Irish people or people of Northern Ireland are "all persons born in Northern Ireland and having, at the time of their birth, at least one parent who is a British citizen, an Irish citizen or is otherwise entitled to reside in Northern Ireland without any restriction on their period of...
film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
and television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
.
Early life and education
He was born Quintin Charles Devenish Lawson in EnniskillenEnniskillen
Enniskillen is a town in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is located almost exactly in the centre of the county between the Upper and Lower sections of Lough Erne. It had a population of 13,599 in the 2001 Census...
, County Fermanagh
County Fermanagh
Fermanagh District Council is the only one of the 26 district councils in Northern Ireland that contains all of the county it is named after. The district council also contains a small section of County Tyrone in the Dromore and Kilskeery road areas....
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
,
Lawson was educated at Campbell College
Campbell College
Campbell College is a Voluntary Grammar school in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The College educates boys from ages 11–18. It is one of the eight Northern Irish schools represented on the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference and is a member of the Independent Schools Council.The school occupies...
(a Grammar School
Grammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and some other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching classical languages but more recently an academically-oriented secondary school.The original purpose of mediaeval...
) in Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
, Northern Ireland, and later at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama
Guildhall School of Music and Drama
Guildhall School of Music and Drama is an independent music and dramatic arts school which was founded in 1880 in London, England. Students can pursue courses in Music, Opera, Drama and Technical Theatre Arts.-History:...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Career
Lawson has appeared in at least three films and in at least twenty television productions. He is probably best known for appearing as Jim McDonaldJim McDonald (Coronation Street)
James "Jim" McDonald is a fictional character in the British television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. Portrayed by actor Charles Lawson, the character first appeared onscreen during the episode airing on 27 October 1989...
(who is originally from Belfast) in the ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
television soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
Coronation Street
Coronation Street
Coronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960...
. He first appeared as Jim in 1989 and remained a regular character for the next 11 years, since which time his appearances have been few and far between.
His other television work includes appearing as Seamus Duffryn in the Yorkshire Television
Yorkshire Television
Yorkshire Television, now officially known as ITV Yorkshire and sometimes unofficially abbreviated to YTV, is a British television broadcaster and the contractor for the Yorkshire franchise area on the ITV network...
thriller miniseries
Miniseries
A miniseries , in a serial storytelling medium, is a television show production which tells a story in a limited number of episodes. The exact number is open to interpretation; however, they are usually limited to fewer than a whole season. The term "miniseries" is generally a North American term...
Harry's Game
Harry's Game
Harry's Game is a British television miniseries made by Yorkshire Television for ITV in 1982. It is based on the novel of the same name by Gerald Seymour, which was published in 1975.The three-part serial starred Ray Lonnen as Capt...
(also known as Belfast Assassin) (1982) based around The Troubles
The Troubles
The Troubles was a period of ethno-political conflict in Northern Ireland which spilled over at various times into England, the Republic of Ireland, and mainland Europe. The duration of the Troubles is conventionally dated from the late 1960s and considered by many to have ended with the Belfast...
in Northern Ireland and as Trigg in the television film The Firm
The Firm (1988 film)
The Firm is a 1989 British drama film directed by Alan Clarke and written by Al Ashton for the BBC, starring Gary Oldman as Clive 'Bex' or 'Bexy' Bissel. The film is based on the activities of the Inter City Firm, football firm of West Ham United during the 1970s and 1980s although in the film the...
(1988). He has also appeared in various other television series
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
including Doctors
Doctors (BBC Soap Opera)
Doctors is a British daytime television soap opera, set in the fictional Midland town of Letherbridge, defined as being close to the City of Birmingham. It was created by Chris Murray; Mal Young drove its development, and Carson Black was the original producer. The first episode was broadcast on...
(twenty-four episodes), Bread (three episodes), The Bill
The Bill
The Bill is a police procedural television series that ran from October 1984 to August 2010. It focused on the lives and work of one shift of police officers, rather than on any particular aspect of police work...
(three episodes) and Rosemary and Thyme (one episode).
In 2009, Lawson appeared alongside an eight-foot frankfurter
Hot dog
A hot dog is a sausage served in a sliced bun. It is very often garnished with mustard, ketchup, onions, mayonnaise, relish and/or sauerkraut.-History:...
sausage
Sausage
A sausage is a food usually made from ground meat , mixed with salt, herbs, and other spices, although vegetarian sausages are available. The word sausage is derived from Old French saussiche, from the Latin word salsus, meaning salted.Typically, a sausage is formed in a casing traditionally made...
in a German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
television commercial
Television advertisement
A television advertisement or television commercial, often just commercial, advert, ad, or ad-film – is a span of television programming produced and paid for by an organization that conveys a message, typically one intended to market a product...
, advertising hot dogs. His overdubbed
Overdubbing
Overdubbing is a technique used by recording studios to add a supplementary recorded sound to a previously recorded performance....
catchphrase in the commercial is Betrachten Sie die Größe meiner Wurst! (English-language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
translation — "Look at the size of my sausage!").
In 2010, Lawson revealed that he would return to Coronation Street for its 50th anniversary celebrations. He speculated that bosses may be planning to kill his character off. Ultimately, this has not happened.
In 2010, Lawson and his partner Debbie Stanley opened a farm shop in the centre of the Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
village of Prestbury
Prestbury
Prestbury may refer to:* Prestbury, Cheshire* Prestbury, Gloucestershire* Prestbury, a subdivision of Aurora, Illinois...
.