Wigan

George Formby, OBE , born George Hoy Booth, was a British comedy actor, singer-songwriter, and comedian. He sang light, comical songs, accompanying... himself on the banjo ukulele or banjolele. He was a major star of stage and screen in the 1930s and 1940s. Formby was born at 3 Westminster Street, Wigan, Lancashire, as George Hoy Booth. The eldest of seven surviving children, Formby was born blind because of an obstructive caul. His sight was restored during a violent coughing fit or sneeze when he was a few months old. His father James Booth used the stage name George Formby, adopted from the town of Formby, Lancashire. He was one of the great music hall comedians of his day, fully the equal of his son's later success. His father, not wishing him to watch his performances, moved the family to Atherton Road in Hindley. It was from there that the younger Formby was apprenticed as a jockey when he was seven. He rode his first professional race at 10, when he weighed under 4 stone . The family next moved to Stockton Heath, Cheshire in a home on London Road. It was from there that the young George began his career as an entertainer.
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Roy Mitchell Kinnear was a British character actor. He was familiar to UK audiences for his appearances in many British television comedy shows, and... is also remembered for his film appearances as Veruca Salt's father, Mr. Salt, in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and as Planchet to Michael York's D'Artagnan in The Return of the Musketeers . It was during the filming of the latter that Kinnear died as a result of a riding accident. Kinnear was born in Wigan, Lancashire, England, the son of Annie Smith and Roy Muir Kinnear. His father was a dual international in rugby union and league - having played for Scotland and Great Britain national rugby league team international, making one Lions appearance and three for Other Nations, and scoring 81 tries in 184 games for Wigan; he collapsed and died while playing rugby union with the RAF in 1942, at age 38. Scotland Rugby League have named their Student Player of the Year Award after him. Kinnear was educated at George Heriot's School, in Edinburgh.
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Kathryn Drysdale is an English actress best known for her role as Louise in the BBC comedy series Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps from... 2001 until her departure from the show in 2009 alongside Sheridan Smith. She has also appeared in the fourth series of the ITV sitcom, Benidorm. In 2006 Drysdale appeared in "Catch" at the Royal Court Theatre and in 2008 made her Royal Shakespeare Company debut in A Midsummer Night's Dream and Love's Labour's Lost. In 2009 she appeared in A Sudden Loss of Dignity at the Bush Theatre and on tour. In 2012 Drysdale will appear in The Recruiting Officer at the Donmar Warehouse. Born to an Afro-Caribbean father and a white mother, Drysdale was adopted when she was a week old. She trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama.
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Marie Ault was a British actress. Born at Wigan, Lancashire, she was a star in many British films of the silent era but is most remembered for her... role as Daisy Bunting's mother in The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog directed by Alfred Hitchcock. She also had bit parts in films such as Jamaica Inn and Caesar and Cleopatra . She died in London, England on 9 May 1951.
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Simon Tong is a guitarist and keyboardist who was a member of The Verve between 1996 and 1999 and is currently a member of Erland and the Carnival... and Transmission. He has also played on tour with Blur, Gorillaz and the unnamed supergroup responsible for The Good, the Bad & the Queen. He ranks in BBC's "The Axe Factor" as the 40th greatest guitarist of the latest 30 years. From 1996 to 1999, Simon was a guitarist and keyboardist for The Verve. He was brought in to replace lead guitarist Nick McCabe after the band's first short-lived split, but remained with them when McCabe returned. Their third album was 1997's highly acclaimed Urban Hymns. He played on many of their hits from that time such as The Drugs Don't Work, Bittersweet Symphony and Sonnet. The Verve disbanded in 1999 and later reformed in 2007, this time without Simon. By 2009 they had disbanded again. After The Verve disbanded, Simon remained relatively active. He was a member of short lived band The Shining from 2002 to 2003, where he contributed guitar, keyboards and songwriting.
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Greg Ellis is an English actor known for his TV, movie, and video game voice over work. He has appeared in films such as the Pirates of the... Caribbean series, the 2009 Star Trek film , Titanic, Beowulf, To End All Wars, and Mr. and Mrs. Smith. His television work includes Trust Me, The X-Files, Valentine, Nip-Tuck, the 2008 remake Knight Rider series, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , and in the third season of 24 . He also has a steady voice over career. His voice was featured in the PlayStation 2 games Rogue Galaxy , Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII , and Tomb Raider: Underworld . His minor video game work includes voices for SOCOM II: U.S. Navy SEALs, SOCOM 3: U.S. Navy SEALs, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords, Tomb Raider: Legend, and Ty the Tasmanian Tiger. He has also voiced characters in cartoons such as The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy, Invader Zim, and all three series of the Ben 10 franchise.
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