Michael "Mikey" North is an English

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...

 actor best known for his role as Gary Windass

Gary Windass

Gary Windass is a fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. Portrayed by actor Mikey North, the character first appeared onscreen during the episode airing on 14 November 2008.-Background:...

 in 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...

.

Early life and career

North was born in the Cayton

Cayton

Cayton is a village and civil parish within the Scarborough borough of North Yorkshire, England and is mentioned in the Domesday book as Caitune...

 area of Scarborough

Scarborough (borough)

Scarborough is a non-metropolitan district and borough of North Yorkshire, England. In addition to the town of Scarborough, it covers a large stretch of the coast of Yorkshire, including Whitby and Filey....

 and began acting at the age of twelve in productions locally around the town. He was noticed by an agent at the age of eighteen whilst acting in a play at Scarborough Sixth Form College

Scarborough Sixth Form College

Scarborough Sixth Form College is located on the outskirts of Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England.-Background:The Sixth Form college offers a variety of study courses to around 1,000 mostly 16–19 year olds. Courses range from level 2 to level 3...

. His first professional work was in the play 'Bottle Universe' 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...

's West End

West End theatre

West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...

, which won him the British Theatre Guide

British Theatre Guide

The British Theatre Guide is an on-line database of specially commissioned reviews of theatre productions throughout the United Kingdom, together with theatre-related news reports, interviews with leading theatre practitioners, obituaries and comprehensive annual obituary listings.It also...

's award for the most promising newcomer. He also had small roles in 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...

, Britannia High

Britannia High

Britannia High was a British musical drama television series co-produced by Granada Television Britannia High was a British musical drama television series co-produced by Granada Television Britannia High was a British musical drama television series co-produced by Granada Television (now part of...

and Waterloo Road

Waterloo Road (TV series)

Waterloo Road is an award-winning British television drama series, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 9 March 2006. Set in a troubled comprehensive school in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, the series focuses on the lives of the school's teacher and students, and confronts social...

, before landing the role as Gary, the son of the troublesome Windass family in Coronation Street in 2008.