John Leyton

Infobox actor


bgcolour = Grey
name = John Leyton
caption =
birthname = John Dudley Leyton
birthdate = Birth date and age|1939|02|17|df=yes
location = Frinton-on-Sea, England
deathdate =
deathplace =
height =
othername =
yearsactive = ca. 1959 —present
spouse =
website = http://www.johnleyton.com/
notable role = Pvt. Wilkes in Guns at Batasi"
Flight Lt. William Dickes "The Tunneler" in "The Great Escape"
academyawards =
goldenglobeawards =
baftaawards =

John Leyton (born John Dudley Leyton, 17 February 1939, Frinton-on-Sea, Essex) is an English actor and singer.

Career

As a singer he is best known for his hit song "Johnny Remember Me" (written by Geoff Goddard and produced by Joe Meek) which reached Number 1 in the UK Singles Chart in August 1961.

Leyton went to Highgate School and after completing his National Service, he studied drama, paying his way through drama school with bit-part roles in films and on television. His first major acting role was his portrayal of Ginger in a 1960 Granada TV adaptation of "Biggles", which earned him a large following of young female fans and led to the formation of a John Leyton fan club.

Following the success of "Biggles", Leyton was persuaded by his manager, Robert Stigwood, to audition as a singer for record producer Joe Meek, and subsequently recorded a cover version of "Tell Laura I Love Her", which was released on the Top Rank record label. At that time, however, Top Rank was undergoing a takeover by EMI, but in 1961 the Top Rank label went bankrupt and Leyton's records were then issued by EMI on the HMV record label. EMI had already released Ricky Valance's version of the same song. Leyton's recording was withdrawn from sale, whilst Valance's version reached Number 1 in the UK chart.

A second single - "The Girl on the Floor Above" - was released on the HMV label, but was not a success. His first big hit, "Johnny Remember Me", coincided with his appearance as an actor in the popular ATV television series "Harpers West One", in which he played a singer named Johnny Saint Cyr. Leyton performed "Johnny Remember Me" during the show (backed by The Outlaws), and the single subsequently charted at Number 1. His next single, "Wild Wind", reached number 2 in the UK Singles Chart, and later singles also achieved lower chart positions.

Leyton appeared in "Guns at Batasi" in 1964 and also played a minor role in the film "The Great Escape" featuring Steve McQueen and James Garner, and in "Von Ryan's Express" starring Frank Sinatra. By the mid 1960s, he was no longer successful as a singer, but had begun to make a name for himself as a movie actor in the U.S., taking starring roles in several major films in the mid to late 1960s.

He returned to the UK in the early 1970s and unsuccessfully attempted to re-launch his singing career, signing to the York record label in 1973. A year later Leyton's cover of the Kevin Johnson hit, "Rock 'n' Roll (I Gave You The Best Years Of My Life)" was issued in the UK but without success. Acting roles became fewer and farther between during the 1970s, and by the early 1980s, he was no longer active in showbusiness.

In the 1990s, however, he began performing in the "Solid Gold Rock 'n' Roll Show", appearing with artists such as Marty Wilde and Joe Brown. The Autumn 2004 tour featured Leyton, Showaddywaddy, Freddy Cannon and Craig Douglas. Leyton has also returned to acting, with a cameo appearance in the 2005 film "Colour Me Kubrick" starring John Malkovich.

In May 2006, Leyton released "Hi Ho, Come On England", a re-working of Jeff Beck's "Hi Ho Silver Lining", to coincide with the World Cup in Germany. During the summer of 2007 he filmed a cameo appearance in the forthcoming Nick Moran film "Telstar - The Movie". He also topped the bill at the Theatre Royal, Windsor, along with 1960s stars Jess Conrad and Craig Douglas at a concert named "60s Icons". Leyton continues to tour the UK and Scandinavia performing his hits (sometimes backed by the Rapiers) and can boast an internet following with his official website (see below).

External links

* [http://www.johnleyton.com/ JohnLeyton.com] — John Leyton official website
*imdb name|0508105|John Leyton