Robson Green
Encyclopedia
Robson Green is an English
actor
, singer–songwriter
and presenter
.
, Northumberland
, and baptised in Bethel Chapel, (Ford's View), and named in Northeast tradition as first son after family surnames: Robson
is his grandmother's maiden surname, while Golightly is after the surname of his maternal grandmother, Cissie Golightly (* born 1906 in Seghill,Northumberland ) , daughter of William Golightly, born 1874 in Felling, a miner and a famous trade union
leader in the 1920s.
Green grew up in Dudley, a small mining village in North Tyneside
, where his father worked down the coal mining pits. After being inspired by over-flying jets, he decided he wanted to join the Royal Air Force
. On starting secondary school, he joined the Air Training Corps
, and also picked up a guitar for the first time, later forming his first band, Solid State, in 1982. Latterly he also spent one night a week at Backworth
Drama Centre, and then played in a series of productions at both school and Backworth.
On leaving school at 17, and deciding against the RAF, he joined Swan Hunter
s ship yard as a draughtsman
, and on one occasion tried his hand at professional boxing
(actually attended 3 boxing training sessions for a play Francie Nichol in which he played a boxer
). After two years at Swan's, he decided on a career in acting, and after auditioning began training under the tutelage of artistic director Max Roberts - his director previously at Backworth. During his training he continued his musical career, as one member of a successful local band, The Workie Tickets. By 1988 he had started his screen career, featured in the award-winning series Shields Stories, a series of short stories about social issues made by Amber Films.
Green first made his name as an actor in the BBC
series Casualty, but after three series moved to national prominence as Fusilier
Dave Tucker in the drama series Soldier Soldier
. One episode in 1995 called for Green and co-star Jerome Flynn
to sing "Unchained Melody
." Subsequently ITV
was inundated by people looking to buy the song, and the pair were persuaded by Simon Cowell
to release it as a single - a double A-side with White Cliffs of Dover
. It stayed at No.1 for 7 weeks in the UK Singles Chart
, selling more than 1.9 million copies and making it the best-selling single of the year, and winning the duo the Music Week
Awards in 1996 for best single and best album. Subsequently they had two further #1 singles and two #1 albums, all re-makes of standards.
The song gave Green the opportunity to sign a long term deal with ITV, and star in several of the network's dramas, including Touching Evil
, Grafters
and Reckless
. In 1996, he set up an independent production company, Coastal Productions, with business partner Sandra Jobling to give youngsters from the North East the opportunities he struggled for. The company has since produced or co-produced most of Green's television work, as well as local productions at the Theatre Royal in Newcastle upon Tyne
. In 2002, Green starred as clinical psychologist Dr. Tony Hill
in the crime drama Wire in the Blood
.
His production company has brought at least four new dramas to the small screen in recent years, including the massive ratings hit Christmas Lights. The success of this one-off drama led to a series being commissioned under the name Northern Lights
, which was followed by a sequel called City Lights
). Coastal also produces drama series, including Hereafter starring then showbiz couple Stephen Tompkinson
and Dervla Kirwan
.
In 1997, Green starred in the TV movie, The Student Prince . (This film is no relation to either the Romberg operetta or the 1954 MGM film
.)
In July 1998, Green received an Honorary Degree from the University of Northumbria
and, in September 2006, he was voted by the UK general public as number 35 in a poll of TV's Greatest Stars.
In 2000, Green starred alongside James Bolam
, Susan Jameson
and Jamie Bell
in a legal drama entitled Close and True, which was screened on ITV. In 2003 he starred in a ITV mini-seires Unconditional Love (TV drama), In 2003 he starred in the BBC TV series Trust
and in 2005, Green co-starred in the mini-series Like Father Like Son, as Dominic Milne, a teacher whose girlfriend's son is accused of murdering a school student. The boy's father was a well-known serial killer, thus the title. Milne is later accused, after it was revealed that the student had been claiming a sexual relationship with him.
In 2005, Green starred in a mini-series, Rocket Man
, playing a widower trying to build a rocket to send his dead wife's ashes into space.
Green presents his own series Extreme Fishing with Robson Green
, where he travels over the world investigating and participating in the sport, coining fishing catchphrases such as "get in" and "we're in". During 2009 whilst promoting the second series on BBC Breakfast
, Green claimed that 90% of all coarse fish caught by anglers die. This rapidly caused an angry response from coarse anglers in the UK who believed this comment to be unsubstantiated and potentially damaging to the sport.
In December 2009 ITV1 presented Robson Green's Wild Swimming Adventure
, a tour of swimming locales around the UK.
In July 2010, Green began filming the seventh series of BBC drama Waterloo Road
. He will appear on screen from 2011.
In 2011, Green starred in the third series of the BBC Three programme Being Human
in which he played a werewolf named McNair.
Alison Ogilvie by his then-close friend, television director Andrew Gunn
. They married on 22 June 1991, but separated after eight years. He then met former model Vanya Seager while recording "Unchained Melody
" at BMG Records
; they later had a son, Taylor Robson (born 2000). The couple married in 2001 at Cliveden House in Buckinghamshire
after a family celebration in Mauritius
, making Green stepfather to Vanya's daughter Lara. The family now lives in Surrey
and in Northamptonshire
.
Robson is the uncle of fellow actor Daymon Britton, who appeared as youth club worker Dom in the long-running BBC kids drama, Byker Grove
.
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
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, singer–songwriter
Singer–songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
and presenter
Presenter
A presenter, or host , is a person or organization responsible for running an event. A museum or university, for example, may be the presenter or host of an exhibit. Likewise, a master of ceremonies is a person that hosts or presents a show...
.
Biography
Robson Golightly Green was born in HexhamHexham
Hexham is a market town and civil parish in Northumberland, England, located south of the River Tyne, and was the administrative centre for the Tynedale district from 1974 to 2009. The three major towns in Tynedale were Hexham, Prudhoe and Haltwhistle, although in terms of population, Prudhoe was...
, Northumberland
Northumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
, and baptised in Bethel Chapel, (Ford's View), and named in Northeast tradition as first son after family surnames: Robson
Robson
Robson may refer to:*Robson , a surname and list of people with that name*Robson, British Columbia, a small community*Robson, West Virginia, an unincorporated village in Fayette County, West Virginia, United States...
is his grandmother's maiden surname, while Golightly is after the surname of his maternal grandmother, Cissie Golightly (* born 1906 in Seghill,Northumberland ) , daughter of William Golightly, born 1874 in Felling, a miner and a famous trade union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
leader in the 1920s.
Green grew up in Dudley, a small mining village in North Tyneside
North Tyneside
The Metropolitan Borough of North Tyneside is a metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England and is part of the Tyneside conurbation. Its seat is Wallsend Town Hall....
, where his father worked down the coal mining pits. After being inspired by over-flying jets, he decided he wanted to join the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
. On starting secondary school, he joined the Air Training Corps
Air Training Corps
The Air Training Corps , commonly known as the Air Cadets, is a cadet organisation based in the United Kingdom. It is a voluntary youth group which is part of the Air Cadet Organisation and the Royal Air Force . It is supported by the Ministry of Defence, with a regular RAF Officer, currently Air...
, and also picked up a guitar for the first time, later forming his first band, Solid State, in 1982. Latterly he also spent one night a week at Backworth
Backworth
Backworth is a village in the metropolitan borough of North Tyneside in the county of Tyne and Wear, England, about west of Whitley Bay on the north east coast. It lies northeast of Newcastle and north northwest of Sunderland...
Drama Centre, and then played in a series of productions at both school and Backworth.
On leaving school at 17, and deciding against the RAF, he joined Swan Hunter
Swan Hunter
Swan Hunter, formerly known as "Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson", was one of the best known shipbuilding companies in the world. Based in Wallsend, Tyne and Wear, the company was responsible for some of the greatest ships of the early 20th century — most famously, the RMS Mauretania which...
s ship yard as a draughtsman
Technical drawing
Technical drawing, also known as drafting or draughting, is the act and discipline of composing plans that visually communicate how something functions or has to be constructed.Drafting is the language of industry....
, and on one occasion tried his hand at professional boxing
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
(actually attended 3 boxing training sessions for a play Francie Nichol in which he played a boxer
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
). After two years at Swan's, he decided on a career in acting, and after auditioning began training under the tutelage of artistic director Max Roberts - his director previously at Backworth. During his training he continued his musical career, as one member of a successful local band, The Workie Tickets. By 1988 he had started his screen career, featured in the award-winning series Shields Stories, a series of short stories about social issues made by Amber Films.
Green first made his name as an actor in the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
series Casualty, but after three series moved to national prominence as Fusilier
Fusilier
Fusilier was originally the name of a soldier armed with a light flintlock musket called the fusil. The word was first used around 1680, and has later developed into a regimental designation.-History:...
Dave Tucker in the drama series Soldier Soldier
Soldier Soldier
Soldier Soldier is a British television drama series. The title comes from a traditional song of the same name.Produced by Central Television and broadcast on the ITV network, it ran for a total of seven series and 82 episodes from 1991 to 1997...
. One episode in 1995 called for Green and co-star Jerome Flynn
Jerome Flynn
Jerome Flynn is an English actor best known for his role as Corporal Paddy Garvey of the King's Fusiliers in the ITV series Soldier Soldier....
to sing "Unchained Melody
Unchained Melody
"Unchained Melody" is a 1955 song with music by Alex North and lyrics by Hy Zaret. It has become one of the most recorded songs of the 20th century, by some counts having spawned over 500 versions in hundreds of different languages....
." Subsequently 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...
was inundated by people looking to buy the song, and the pair were persuaded by Simon Cowell
Simon Cowell
Simon Phillip Cowell is an English A&R executive, television producer, entrepreneur, and television personality. He is known in the United Kingdom and United States for his role as a talent judge on TV shows such as Pop Idol, The X Factor, Britain's Got Talent and American Idol...
to release it as a single - a double A-side with White Cliffs of Dover
White cliffs of Dover
The White Cliffs of Dover are cliffs which form part of the British coastline facing the Strait of Dover and France. The cliffs are part of the North Downs formation. The cliff face, which reaches up to , owes its striking façade to its composition of chalk accentuated by streaks of black flint...
. It stayed at No.1 for 7 weeks in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
, selling more than 1.9 million copies and making it the best-selling single of the year, and winning the duo the Music Week
Music Week
Music Week is a trade paper for the UK record industry.Founded in 1959 as Record Retailer, it was relaunched on 18 March 1972 as Music Week . On 17 January 1981 the title was again changed, owing to the increasing importance of sell-through videos, to Music & Video Week...
Awards in 1996 for best single and best album. Subsequently they had two further #1 singles and two #1 albums, all re-makes of standards.
The song gave Green the opportunity to sign a long term deal with ITV, and star in several of the network's dramas, including Touching Evil
Touching Evil
Touching Evil is a British television drama serial, which began airing in 1997. It was produced by United Productions for Anglia Television, and screened on the ITV network. The first series consisted of six fifty-minute episodes. It was created by Paul Abbott, and written by Abbott with Russell T...
, Grafters
Grafters
Grafters was a British drama–comedy programme originally broadcast in the UK on ITV from 27 October 1998 to 20 December 1999 for 16 episodes over two series....
and Reckless
Reckless (TV serial)
Reckless is a British television serial written by Paul Abbott. Produced by Granada Television for the ITV network, it aired in six parts in the UK in 1997.A two-hour sequel, Reckless: The Movie, was shown in 1998....
. In 1996, he set up an independent production company, Coastal Productions, with business partner Sandra Jobling to give youngsters from the North East the opportunities he struggled for. The company has since produced or co-produced most of Green's television work, as well as local productions at the Theatre Royal in Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
. In 2002, Green starred as clinical psychologist Dr. Tony Hill
Dr. Tony Hill
Dr Tony Hill is a fictional character created by Scottish crime writer Val McDermid. He is portrayed by actor Robson Green in the ITV television series Wire in the Blood based on her Tony Hill series of novels.-Overview:...
in the crime drama Wire in the Blood
Wire in the Blood
Wire in the Blood was a British crime drama television series, devised and produced by Coastal Productions for the ITV network that ran from 2002 to 2009. The series is based on characters created by Val McDermid; a university clinical psychologist, Dr Anthony "Tony" Valentine Hill , is teamed with...
.
His production company has brought at least four new dramas to the small screen in recent years, including the massive ratings hit Christmas Lights. The success of this one-off drama led to a series being commissioned under the name Northern Lights
Northern Lights (TV series)
Northern Lights is a 2006 comedy-drama broadcast on ITV starring Mark Benton and Robson Green. It is a spin-off of the 2004 Christmas special Christmas Lights....
, which was followed by a sequel called City Lights
City Lights (ITV series)
City Lights is a British comedy-drama broadcast on ITV starring Robson Green and Mark Benton. The show is a sequel to the 2006 series Northern Lights .-Plot:...
). Coastal also produces drama series, including Hereafter starring then showbiz couple Stephen Tompkinson
Stephen Tompkinson
Stephen Tompkinson is a British actor. He is best known for his work in comedy and drama productions such as Drop the Dead Donkey, Ballykissangel, Grafters, In Deep, Wild at Heart and DCI Banks....
and Dervla Kirwan
Dervla Kirwan
Dervla Kirwan is an Irish actress famous for roles in British television shows such as Ballykissangel and Goodnight Sweetheart...
.
In 1997, Green starred in the TV movie, The Student Prince . (This film is no relation to either the Romberg operetta or the 1954 MGM film
The Student Prince (film)
The Student Prince is a 1954 CinemaScope color film musical featuring, as the credits read, "the singing voice of Mario Lanza". Lanza had become embroiled in a bitter dispute with MGM during production and the studio dismissed him. Under the terms of the settlement with Lanza, MGM retained the...
.)
In July 1998, Green received an Honorary Degree from the University of Northumbria
Northumbria University
Northumbria University is an academic institution located in Newcastle upon Tyne in the North East of England. It is a member of the University Alliance.- History :...
and, in September 2006, he was voted by the UK general public as number 35 in a poll of TV's Greatest Stars.
In 2000, Green starred alongside James Bolam
James Bolam
James Christopher Bolam, MBE is a British actor, best known for his roles as Jack Ford in When the Boat Comes In, Trevor Chaplin in The Beiderbecke Trilogy, Terry Collier in The Likely Lads and its sequel Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?, Roy Figgis in Only When I Laugh, Dr Arthur Gilder in...
, Susan Jameson
Susan Jameson
Susan Jameson is an English actress who is best known for her television work.Jameson was born in Barnt Green, Worcestershire, England, UK. She is married to actor James Bolam with whom she has a daughter, Lucy...
and Jamie Bell
Jamie Bell
Andrew James Matfin "Jamie" Bell is an English actor. He is best known for his roles in the films Billy Elliot , King Kong , Hallam Foe , Jumper , Defiance , The Eagle and The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn .- Early life :Bell was born in Billingham, in the Borough of...
in a legal drama entitled Close and True, which was screened on ITV. In 2003 he starred in a ITV mini-seires Unconditional Love (TV drama), In 2003 he starred in the BBC TV series Trust
Trust (TV series)
Trust was a UK television program produced written and created by Simon Block for the BBC by Box TV Productions. It starred Robson Green and a cast of other British actors including Sarah Parish, Neil Stuke, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Eva Birthistle and Ian McShane...
and in 2005, Green co-starred in the mini-series Like Father Like Son, as Dominic Milne, a teacher whose girlfriend's son is accused of murdering a school student. The boy's father was a well-known serial killer, thus the title. Milne is later accused, after it was revealed that the student had been claiming a sexual relationship with him.
In 2005, Green starred in a mini-series, Rocket Man
Rocket Man (TV series)
Rocket Man is a BBC television drama series, produced in 2005, about a recently widowed Welsh man who is struggling to build a rocket in which to launch his wife's ashes into space. It was created by Alison Hume and stars Robson Green, Charles Dale and John Rhys Halliwell...
, playing a widower trying to build a rocket to send his dead wife's ashes into space.
Green presents his own series Extreme Fishing with Robson Green
Extreme Fishing with Robson Green
Extreme Fishing with Robson Green is a factual entertainment show broadcast on Channel Five. The show sees actor and fishing enthusiast Robson Green travel around the world in search of the greatest fishing destinations...
, where he travels over the world investigating and participating in the sport, coining fishing catchphrases such as "get in" and "we're in". During 2009 whilst promoting the second series on BBC Breakfast
BBC Breakfast
BBC Breakfast is the morning television news programme simulcast on BBC One and the BBC News channel. It is presented live from BBC Television Centre in White City, West London, and contains a mixture of news, sport, weather, business and feature items...
, Green claimed that 90% of all coarse fish caught by anglers die. This rapidly caused an angry response from coarse anglers in the UK who believed this comment to be unsubstantiated and potentially damaging to the sport.
In December 2009 ITV1 presented Robson Green's Wild Swimming Adventure
Robson Green's Wild Swimming Adventure
Robson Green's Wild Swimming Adventure is a show featuring Robson Green which airs in December 2009. Robson Green undertakes an aquatic journey through the wild waters of Britain in this new two part documentary series for ITV .-Episodes:...
, a tour of swimming locales around the UK.
In July 2010, Green began filming the seventh series of BBC drama 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...
. He will appear on screen from 2011.
In 2011, Green starred in the third series of the BBC Three programme Being Human
Being Human (TV series)
Being Human is a British supernatural drama television series. It was created and written by Toby Whithouse and is currently broadcast on BBC Three. The show blends elements of flatshare comedy and horror drama...
in which he played a werewolf named McNair.
Personal life
Green was introduced to occupational therapistOccupational therapist
An occupational therapist is trained in the practice of occupational therapy. The role of an occupational therapist is to work with a client to help them achieve a fulfilled and satisfied state in life through the use of "purposeful activity or interventions designed to achieve functional...
Alison Ogilvie by his then-close friend, television director Andrew Gunn
Andrew Gunn
Andrew Gunn is a British television director. He was born in Staffordshire and later grew up on Tyneside before attending film school in Surrey and Dorset...
. They married on 22 June 1991, but separated after eight years. He then met former model Vanya Seager while recording "Unchained Melody
Unchained Melody
"Unchained Melody" is a 1955 song with music by Alex North and lyrics by Hy Zaret. It has become one of the most recorded songs of the 20th century, by some counts having spawned over 500 versions in hundreds of different languages....
" at BMG Records
BMG
Bertelsmann Music Group, , was a division of Bertelsmann before its completion of sale of the majority of its assets to Japan's Sony Corporation of America on October 1, 2008. It was established in 1987 to combine the music label activities of Bertelsmann...
; they later had a son, Taylor Robson (born 2000). The couple married in 2001 at Cliveden House in Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
after a family celebration in Mauritius
Mauritius
Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...
, making Green stepfather to Vanya's daughter Lara. The family now lives in Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
and in Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
.
Robson is the uncle of fellow actor Daymon Britton, who appeared as youth club worker Dom in the long-running BBC kids drama, Byker Grove
Byker Grove
Byker Grove was a British television series which aired between 1989 and 2006 and was created by Adele Rose. The show was broadcast at 5.10pm after Newsround on CBBC on BBC One...
.