John Alford (actor)
Encyclopedia
John Alford is a Scottish
-born English
actor
.
stage school from age 11 in London
, alongside future EastEnders
stars Sid Owen
and Patsy Palmer
.
He appeared as a child actor in ITV
sitcom Now and Then, before landing the role of Robbie Wright in 1985 in Grange Hill
. Alford featured on the Grange Hill "Just Say No
" anti-drug single. In 1980, he appeared in Not The Nine O Clock News, joining in a song about a strike-breaking train driver. Prior to his solo singing career,
In 1988, he took his most famous adult role as fireman
Billy Ray in ITV's London's Burning
. In 1996 this led to a short lived singing career during which he released a self-titled album. His first release was Smoke Gets In Your Eyes which reached number 13 and stayed in the UK chart for 5 weeks. His highest hit was Blue Moon/ Only You which reached number 9 in the UK charts and stayed charts for 4 weeks. His last release was If/ Keep on Running which got to number 24 and stayed in the UK chart for 3 weeks.
In December 1996, just before he was due to appear in pantomime
in Sunderland, Alford collapsed and was taken to hospital in Newcastle suffering from a rare blood disorder. His career was disrupted in 1999 after being convicted of supplying drugs to an undercover tabloid newspaper reporter. Released early under an electronic tag, he found work hard to come by, and became a roof
er.
In 2001, he gained a role in the film Mike Bassett: England Manager
. In 2003 he played the part of drug-dealing and scheming flight attendant, Dean, in Mile High
.
In 2005, Alford appeared in the Reality TV show Trust Me...I'm A Beauty Therapist, where celebrities trained and worked in a salon doing Hair and Beauty. He has since appeared twice in Casualty
, in May 2009 and May 2010.
undercover reporter Mazher Mahmood
, and subsequently jailed for nine months. During his trial, Alford said in his defence that he was set up, and complained that Mahmood was not punished for this. He was released after six weeks after agreeing to electronic tagging
.
In January 2006 Alford was found guilty of drunk driving and subsequently banned from driving for sixteen months. Magistrates ordered him to pay a £150 fine and £100 costs.
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
-born English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
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...
.
Career
Alford attend Anna Scher'sAnna Scher Theatre
The Anna Scher Theatre is a community-based theatre school based in Islington, North London. The school turns out some of London's best child and adult actors.-Anna Scher:...
stage school from age 11 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...
, alongside future EastEnders
EastEnders
EastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...
stars Sid Owen
Sid Owen
Sid Owen is an English actor, television presenter and former singer, most famous for playing the role of Ricky Butcher in the BBC One soap opera EastEnders, which he appeared in from 1988 until 2000, 2002 until 2004 and then again from March 2008.-Career:Prior to his role in EastEnders he had a...
and Patsy Palmer
Patsy Palmer
Patsy Palmer is an English actress. Palmer made an early television appearance on the children's drama show Grange Hill, but is best known for playing Bianca Jackson in the popular British television soap opera EastEnders. Originally in the cast from 1993–1999, Palmer returned to EastEnders in...
.
He appeared as a child actor in 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...
sitcom Now and Then, before landing the role of Robbie Wright in 1985 in Grange Hill
Grange Hill
Grange Hill is a British television drama series originally made by the BBC. The show began in 1978 on BBC1 and was one of the longest running programmes on British television...
. Alford featured on the Grange Hill "Just Say No
Just Say No
"Just Say No" was an advertising campaign, part of the U.S. "War on Drugs", prevalent during the 1980s and early 1990s, to discourage children from engaging in recreational drug use by offering various ways of saying no. Eventually, this also expanded the realm of "Just Say No" to violence and...
" anti-drug single. In 1980, he appeared in Not The Nine O Clock News, joining in a song about a strike-breaking train driver. Prior to his solo singing career,
In 1988, he took his most famous adult role as fireman
Firefighter
Firefighters are rescuers extensively trained primarily to put out hazardous fires that threaten civilian populations and property, to rescue people from car incidents, collapsed and burning buildings and other such situations...
Billy Ray in ITV's London's Burning
London's Burning
London's Burning was a British television drama programme produced by London Weekend Television for the ITV network that focused on the lives of members of the London Fire Brigade, principally those of the Blue Watch at a fictional fire station called Blackwall.It was broadcast between 1986 and...
. In 1996 this led to a short lived singing career during which he released a self-titled album. His first release was Smoke Gets In Your Eyes which reached number 13 and stayed in the UK chart for 5 weeks. His highest hit was Blue Moon/ Only You which reached number 9 in the UK charts and stayed charts for 4 weeks. His last release was If/ Keep on Running which got to number 24 and stayed in the UK chart for 3 weeks.
In December 1996, just before he was due to appear in pantomime
Pantomime
Pantomime — not to be confused with a mime artist, a theatrical performer of mime—is a musical-comedy theatrical production traditionally found in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Jamaica, South Africa, India, Ireland, Gibraltar and Malta, and is mostly performed during the...
in Sunderland, Alford collapsed and was taken to hospital in Newcastle suffering from a rare blood disorder. His career was disrupted in 1999 after being convicted of supplying drugs to an undercover tabloid newspaper reporter. Released early under an electronic tag, he found work hard to come by, and became a roof
Roof
A roof is the covering on the uppermost part of a building. A roof protects the building and its contents from the effects of weather. Structures that require roofs range from a letter box to a cathedral or stadium, dwellings being the most numerous....
er.
In 2001, he gained a role in the film Mike Bassett: England Manager
Mike Bassett: England Manager
Mike Bassett: England Manager is a 2001 satirical comedy film directed by Steve Barron, following the fortunes of the manager of Division One football club Norwich City, Mike Bassett, who having led his side to the 'Mr Clutch Cup', is appointed England manager.The film takes the form of a...
. In 2003 he played the part of drug-dealing and scheming flight attendant, Dean, in Mile High
Mile High
Mile High is a British television drama based on the lives of the cabin crew members of "fresh!", a budget airline based in London. The name of the show comes from the "Mile High Club". The show was broadcast on Sky1 from 2003 to 2005.-Background:...
.
In 2005, Alford appeared in the Reality TV show Trust Me...I'm A Beauty Therapist, where celebrities trained and worked in a salon doing Hair and Beauty. He has since appeared twice in Casualty
Casualty (TV series)
Casualty, stylised as Casual+y, is a British weekly television show broadcast on BBC One, and the longest-running emergency medical drama television series in the world. Created by Jeremy Brock and Paul Unwin, it was first broadcast on 6 September 1986, and transmitted in the UK on BBC One. The...
, in May 2009 and May 2010.
Personal life
In 1999 he was convicted of supplying drugs to the News of the WorldNews of the World
The News of the World was a national red top newspaper published in the United Kingdom from 1843 to 2011. It was at one time the biggest selling English language newspaper in the world, and at closure still had one of the highest English language circulations...
undercover reporter Mazher Mahmood
Mazher Mahmood
Mazher Mahmood is an undercover reporter with The Sunday Times newspaper. He previously spent 20 years working for the defunct British tabloid newspaper News of the World. He has been dubbed as "Britain’s most notorious undercover reporter."...
, and subsequently jailed for nine months. During his trial, Alford said in his defence that he was set up, and complained that Mahmood was not punished for this. He was released after six weeks after agreeing to electronic tagging
Electronic tagging
Electronic tagging is a form of non-surreptitious surveillance consisting of an electronic device attached to a person or vehicle, especially certain criminals, allowing their whereabouts to be monitored. In general, devices locate themselves using GPS and report their position back to a control...
.
In January 2006 Alford was found guilty of drunk driving and subsequently banned from driving for sixteen months. Magistrates ordered him to pay a £150 fine and £100 costs.