Simon Gregson
Encyclopedia
Simon Gregson is an English
actor. He is known for being a cast member
of the British
soap opera
Coronation Street
in which he has played Steve McDonald
since 1989.
Whilst a pupil at The Kingsway School
, Gatley, Gregson entered a search for the part of one of two new cast members to join the soap Coronation Street as the 'McDonald Twins'. Fellow Kingsway pupil Nicholas Cochrane
was selected out of the class to become Andy McDonald, and a search was on for another class member who had the same height, build and hair colouring as him. As Gregory was the only member of the class to fit these criteria, he was selected and the two were sent for further auditions at Granada Television. Both were selected as the McDonald Twins, starting their television careers in their teens in 1989, their first episode being aired on 27 October 1989.
A couple of years later, Gregson changed his surname (from Gregory) after he joined the actors union Equity.
In the 1990s, Gregson became known in the press for various traffic offences and problems with alcohol and drugs. He was written out of the series for over a year after The Sun newspaper ran a story in which Gregson allegedly admitted regularly spending £1000 a month on cocaine. He returned to his Coronation Street role after rehabilitation.
In 2009 Gregson, along with Coronation Street co-star Michelle Keegan
, starred in the third part of the Red Dwarf: Back to Earth
special as himself.
He is now in his 22nd year with Coronation Street. Simon supports Manchester City F.C.
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. He is known for being a cast member
Cast member
A cast member is:* An actor who performs in a theatrical production, motion picture, or television program. The actors who perform in the show are collectively referred to as the cast....
of the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
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...
in which he has played Steve McDonald
Steve McDonald (Coronation Street character)
Steven James "Steve" McDonald, is a fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. Portrayed by actor Simon Gregson, the character first appeared onscreen during the episode airing on 6 December 1989.-1989–2004:...
since 1989.
Whilst a pupil at The Kingsway School
The Kingsway School
The Kingsway School is a coeducational comprehensive state secondary school in Stockport, Greater Manchester. It has specialist status in Mathematics, Science and Computing....
, Gatley, Gregson entered a search for the part of one of two new cast members to join the soap Coronation Street as the 'McDonald Twins'. Fellow Kingsway pupil Nicholas Cochrane
Nicholas Cochrane
Nicholas Cochrane is an English actor, best known for his role as Andy McDonald in long-running soap opera Coronation Street....
was selected out of the class to become Andy McDonald, and a search was on for another class member who had the same height, build and hair colouring as him. As Gregory was the only member of the class to fit these criteria, he was selected and the two were sent for further auditions at Granada Television. Both were selected as the McDonald Twins, starting their television careers in their teens in 1989, their first episode being aired on 27 October 1989.
A couple of years later, Gregson changed his surname (from Gregory) after he joined the actors union Equity.
In the 1990s, Gregson became known in the press for various traffic offences and problems with alcohol and drugs. He was written out of the series for over a year after The Sun newspaper ran a story in which Gregson allegedly admitted regularly spending £1000 a month on cocaine. He returned to his Coronation Street role after rehabilitation.
In 2009 Gregson, along with Coronation Street co-star Michelle Keegan
Michelle Keegan
Michelle Elizabeth Keegan is an English actress who currently plays Tina McIntyre in the soap opera Coronation Street.-Biography:...
, starred in the third part of the Red Dwarf: Back to Earth
Red Dwarf: Back to Earth
Red Dwarf: Back to Earth is a three part TV miniseries continuation of the science fiction sitcom Red Dwarf, broadcast on the British television channel Dave between 10 April and 12 April 2009 and subsequently released on DVD on 15 June 2009 & on Blu-ray on 31 August 2009. It was the first...
special as himself.
He is now in his 22nd year with Coronation Street. Simon supports Manchester City F.C.
Personal life
Gregson married his longtime partner Emma Gleave on 13 November 2010. They already had two sons at the time of their marriage.External links
- Simon Gregson at the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...