Gary Holton

Gary Frederick Holton (22 September 1952 – 25 October 1985) was a British singer-songwriter, musician and actor from London.

In 1966 he had a part in Congreve's Love For Love with Laurence Olivier, and at fourteen played the title role in Menotti's Amahl and the Night Visitors.

Soon after leaving education at Westminster School, he joined the Old Vic Theatre Company, and from there he went on to work with the Royal Shakespeare Company at Stratford.

At seventeen, he joined the touring company of Hair, and remained with them for two years.

When he left the company, his musical talents led him to front the rock band Heavy Metal Kids as vocalist.

He was the frontman of the band Heavy Metal Kids (1972–1977), worked with Casino Steel (1981–1984), and played the part of Wayne (a.k.a. London) in the UK television comedy Auf Wiedersehen, Pet (1983–1985).

Gary was the front-man for the band, which formed in 1972.

With his cockney accent, he became a popular glam rock singer.

The band were discovered by former Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich front-man Dave Dee, who signed them to Atlantic Records.

Their eponymous debut album was well received by the press, but had achieved limited sales.

They later played many gigs with punk rock band The Adverts.

On their first American tour in 1975, they shortened their name to "The Kids".

His musical endeavours were confined to strict one-offs for a while: in December 1978, Holton stood in for The Damned vocalist Dave Vanian on a short Scottish tour; and he also recorded a solo single (which became a number one hit in Norway), a punk-country version of Kenny Rogers's "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town" with the Boys' keyboardist Casino Steel, with whom he would later write a song simply titled "Auf Wiedersehen Pet" about his experiences in the show.

Holton and Steel recorded three albums together, all of them doing well in Norway.

But even the opportunity to replace the late Bon Scott in AC/DC could not lure him back to full-time rock & roll.

Holton made his screen acting debut in 1979, when he played the character of Eddie Hairstyle in the television movie The Knowledge with Michael Elphick and Kim Taylforth.

Holton did not receive much credit for this role, nor for his role as an uncredited character in the film Quadrophenia, released the same year.

However, after appearing in the television series Shoestring, Holton played the lead part of Ken in the 1979 film Bloody Kids.

In 1980, he played the character of Keith in an episode of television series Play for Today, and as a minor character in the film Breaking Glass.

Holton also sang the theme tune to 1980s British children's drama, Murphy's Mob, which was produced by Central Television.

Playing the part of Wayne Winston Norris in the popular comedy drama Auf Wiedersehen, Pet, Holton played a Cockney carpenter, nicknamed "London" by Oz. The character Norris liked his women, music and drink, which was similar to his off-screen personality.

He landed the part, the first of the seven main characters to be cast, after he was introduced to Ian La Frenais at a party.

La Frenais and his writing partner Dick Clement had been drafting storylines and working on an idea given to them by Franc Roddam, who was the director of Quadrophenia.

He appeared as a minor character in the 1981 television film Tiny Revolutions, and guest-starred as Rick Sloan in the television series The Gentle Touch.

The first series of Auf Wiedersehen, Pet ran between 1983 and 1984.

He appeared in the TV series Minder, in which he played villain Barry, in 1984.

He also briefly appeared in the first episode of the television series Bulman the following year.

He also appeared in an episode of Shoestring filmed in Bristol.

Holton was offered the role of villain 'Nasty' Nick Cotton in the television soap opera EastEnders, but he turned down the role and it was instead given to Holton's friend John Altman, who bore a strong resemblance to him, and would go on to succeed him as the lead singer of the Heavy Metal Kids.

He made an appearance on the TV programme The Tube in 1984 with a band named as The Actors, which included fellow Quadrophenia star Gary Shail on bass guitar, and they performed a song entitled "Long-Legged Blue-Eyed Blonde".

Holton died from an overdose of morphine combined with alcohol in 1985.

Gary Holton was born in Clapham, south London, the first child of Ernie and Joan Holton, and grew up in Kennington.

Whilst musically talented, and a member of a rock band as a schoolboy at Beaufoy School, Lambeth, his real ambition was to act.

Early on in his life, Holton began working in the theatre world with the Sadler's Wells Opera Company, debuting in opera appearances aged eleven, and was with them for three years.

In February 1985, filming began on the second series.

The final episode of the second series, broadcast after Holton's death, was dedicated to his memory.

In 1985 he was also briefly in a band he formed with Glen Matlock and James Stevenson called The Gang Show.

The show was revived in 2002 with the original writers and all of the surviving cast members.

The gap in the line-up left by Holton was filled by Wyman, Wayne's illegitimate son, played by Noel Clarke.

While acting on Auf Wiedersehen, Pet, Holton had only two other roles.