Gary Holton
Gary as Wayne, in Auf Wiedersehen Pet
Birth name	Gary Holton
Born	September 22, 1952(1952-09-22) London, England
Died	October 25, 1985 (aged 33) Wembley, London
Spouse(s)	Donna Holton (ex-wife)
Official site	http://garyholtonsite.tripod.com
Notable roles	Wayne Winston Norris in Auf Wiedersehen, Pet

Gary Holton (22 September 1952 - 25 October 1985) was an English actor and musician from London. He is best remembered for playing the part of Wayne in the UK TV comedy Auf Wiedersehen, Pet. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... is the 265th day of the year (266th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1952 (MCMLII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Image File history File links Flag_of_England. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem No official anthem - the United Kingdom anthem God Save the Queen is commonly used England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto)1 Unified  -  by Athelstan 927 AD  Area  -  Total... October 25 is the 298th day of the year (299th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link displays 1985 Gregorian calendar). ... Wembley, until 1965 a borough in its own right, forms the northern part of the London Borough of Brent. ... Information Occupation Carpenter Relationships Single Portrayed by Gary Holton Wayne Winston Norris (b. ... Auf Wiedersehen, Pet is a popular British comedy-drama series about a group of seven British migrant construction workers: Wayne, Dennis, Oz, Bomber, Barry, Neville and Moxey, who are living and working on a German building site. ... is the 265th day of the year (266th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1952 (MCMLII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... October 25 is the 298th day of the year (299th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link displays 1985 Gregorian calendar). ... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem No official anthem - the United Kingdom anthem God Save the Queen is commonly used England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto)1 Unified  -  by Athelstan 927 AD  Area  -  Total... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... Auf Wiedersehen, Pet is a popular British comedy-drama series about a group of seven British migrant construction workers: Wayne, Dennis, Oz, Bomber, Barry, Neville and Moxey, who are living and working on a German building site. ...

Early life

Gary was the third child of Ernie and Joan Holton. As a child he grew up in the slums of the East End, whilst musicaly talented Gary's real ambition was to act. Early on in his life, he began working in the theatre world with the Sadlers Wells Opera Company and was with them for three years. Soon after leaving education at the public Westminster School, he joined the Old Vic Theatre Company and from there he went on to work with the Royal Shakespeare Company at Stratford. The term East End is most commonly used to refer to the East End of London. ... The Royal College of St Peter at Westminster (almost always known as Westminster School) is one of Britains leading boys independent schools and one of the nine public schools set out in the Public Schools Act 1868. ... The exterior of the Old Vic from the corner of Baylis Road and Waterloo Road. ... Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a British theatre company. ... Stratford-upon-Avon Stratford-upon-Avon is a town in Warwickshire, England. ...

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. Hair, subtitled The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical, is a rock musical written during the anti-war sentiment and youth-sexual revolution of the 1960s. ...

The Heavy Metal Kids

Gary was a spectacular front-man for the band, which formed in 1974. With his raucous cockney accent he proved himself a popular cult glam rock icon of the age. The band were discovered by former Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich front-man Dave Dee, who signed them to Atlantic Records, and they recorded their debut album straight away "The Heavy Metal Kids", it was well received by the press, however did little to cause an impact upon the music scene. A blonde haired, very skilled worker with a 70s look. ... Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich were a UK pop group of the 1960s. ... Atlantic Records (Atlantic Recording Corporation) is an American record label, and operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of Warner Music Group. ...

They played many gigs with notable punk rock band The Adverts They had their first American Tour in 1975, in this short time they shortened their name to simply The Kids. The Adverts were an English punk rock band who formed in 1976 and broke up in 1979. ... Year 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In December, 1975, the Kids signed with producer Mickie Most's RAK label, but before work could begin on their next album, Holton was loudly sacked from the lineup amid a storm of drink and drug related headlines. Plans for the remaining members to continue on without him, however, came to naught and, in late 1977, Holton rejoined the band for a handful of live shows and the long-delayed third album, Kitsch. But by mid-1978, he had departed once again and, this time, the band broke up. Also: 1977 (album) by Ash. ... Year 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar). ...

Overall they were an underrated band. Whilst popular in Sweden they had little commercial success in Britain (though in 1976 their single "She's No Angel" was regularly played on BBC Radio 1, a favourite of legendary DJ John Peel, and this led to an appearance on Top Of The Pops), so they disbanded and Holton returned to acting. This page redirects from Radio 1. See Radio 1 (disambiguation). ... “Peel Sessions” redirects here. ... Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, was a long-running British music chart television programme, made and broadcast by the BBC. It was originally shown each week, mostly on BBC One, from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. ...

His musical endeavours were now confined to strict one-offs: in December 1978, Holton stood in for The Damned vocalist Dave Vanian on a short Scottish tour, he also recorded a solo single (which became a number one hit in Norway, a stunning 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. But even the opportunity to replace the late Bon Scott in AC/DC could not lure him back to full-time rock & roll. Year 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar). ... The Damned are a punk rock and later gothic rock band formed in London, England in 1976. ... David Vanian is and has always been the core of the seminal alternative punk band; The Damned. ... Kenneth Donald Kenny Rogers (born August 21, 1938, in Houston, Texas) is a prolific American country music singer, photographer, producer, songwriter, actor and businessman. ... Ruby, Dont Take Your Love To Town is a song written by Mel Tillis which was made world famous by Kenny Rogers and the First Edition in 1969. ...

Minor Television Roles

Gary returned on the acting scene, no real major parts came along for him. however he played the lead part Ken, in Stephen Frears's film Bloody Kids, alongside Only Fools and Horses star Gwenyth Strong. Stephen Frears in Sweden, 1989 promoting his movie Dangerous Liaisons. ... Only Fools and Horses is a British television sitcom, created and written by John Sullivan, and made and broadcast by the BBC. Seven series were originally broadcast in the UK between 1981 and 1991, with sporadic Christmas specials until 2003. ...

He played a number of smaller parts in Music Machine and Quadrophenia and also a wide variety TV parts including: Dreams of Leaving, Shoestring, The Knowledge, Tiny Revolutions, The Gentle Touch and the Minder episode "A Number of Old Wives' Tales". Music Machine is a series of childrens Christian musical albums that were made by Candle and Agape Force that all took place in a Land Called Love, Agapeland. ... Quadrophenia is a 1979 British film based on the 1973 rock opera album Quadrophenia by The Who. ... Shoestring was a BBC TV show set in Bristol. ... Please wikify (format) this article or section as suggested in the Guide to layout and the Manual of Style. ... The Gentle Touch is a British television drama made by LWT for ITV. Commencing transmission on the 11th April 1980, the series is notable for being the first to feature a woman police detective as its leading character, beating the BBC series Juliet Bravo by four months. ... Image:Arthur-Daley-book. ...

He memorably appeared in a successful series of TV adverts for Tennants Pilsner lager alongside model Debbie Linden in 1984. Debbie Linden, (1961 - 1997) was a British glamour model and actress best known for her role as Old Mr. ...

Gary's big break came with the character Wayne in the Central Television production Auf Wiedersehen, Pet. Central TV logo, 1985_1998 Central Independent Television, or to give it its familiar name, Central Television or Central, is a British Independent Television company that took over from ATV on 1 January 1982. ...

Auf Wiedersehen, Pet

Playing the part of Wayne Winston Norris in the smash hit comedy drama Auf Wiedersehen, Pet, Holton became a household name. People came to have great affection for all the characters in the show. Holton played a Cockney carpenter who liked his women, music and drink, which was actually very similar to his off-screen personality. Auf Wiedersehen, Pet is a popular British comedy-drama series about a group of seven British migrant construction workers: Wayne, Dennis, Oz, Bomber, Barry, Neville and Moxey, who are living and working on a German building site. ... St Mary-le-Bow The term cockney refers to working-class inhabitants of London, particularly east London, and the slang used by these people. ... Carpenter at work in Tennessee, June 1942. ...

He landed the part (the first of the seven 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, ex-foreign worker and director of "Quadrophenia".

The first series of Auf Wiedersehen Pet ran between 1983 and 1984 with viewing figures steadily rising and topping the 14 million mark, Ian la Frenais and Dick Clement had a huge hit on their hands and they had just written television history. The true-to-life storylines were believable, capturing the reality of honest working men screwed by the system. The first series ended with the lads returning to Blighty to become another of Margaret Thatcher's unemployment statistics, which was a reflection of Britain in the early 1980s. Year 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1984 Gregorian calendar). ...

The British public wanted more. There had to be a second series of the show, and in February 1985 filming began on Auf Wiedersehen Pet 2. The cast were no longer unknowns. Auf Wiedersehen Pet had turned Gary Holton and his colleagues all into stars in their own right and the pressure to come up with high quality material to match or even surpass the original was great. Ian la Frenais and Dick Clement duly obliged and again wrote thirteen episodes of brilliant comedy/drama. 1985 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Gary became very close to his acting colleagues in the show and, touchingly, the remaining members did not want to continue making the show, which was planned for a third series set in the Russia Embassy without him after his death. The final episode of the second series, broadcast after Holton's death, was dedicated to his memory.

The show was successfully revived in 2002 with the original writers and all of the surviving cast members, Gary despite being dead for seventeen years, was not forgotten, and Wayne was still essential to the plot. The gap in the line-up left by Holton was filled by Wyman, Wayne's illegitimate son, played by Noel Clarke. Also see: 2002 (number). ... Noel Clarke Noel Anthony Clarke (born 6 December 1975) is a British actor and writer from London. ...

Death

Holton was found dead by his girlfriend Janet Mclllewan in his bed on 25 October 1985. He had died from an overdose of alcohol and morphine, as well as traces of valium and cannabis. Pathologist Dr Rufus Crompton said during his coronery at Hornesy, North London, that he would have been drinking less that half-an-hour before his death, and that the morphine would have made him unconscious within a matter of minutes. Functional group of an alcohol molecule. ... Morphine (INN) (IPA: ) is a highly potent opiate analgesic drug and is the principal active agent in opium and the prototypical opiate. ... Diazepam, brand names: Valium, Seduxen, in Europe Apozepam, is a 1,4-benzodiazepine derivative, which possesses anxiolytic, anticonvulsant, sedative and skeletal muscle relaxant properties. ... Look up Cannabis in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Gary had a blood alcohol level of 199mg and a morphine level of 0.8mg. Holton had been a drug user for several years after experiences through the music scene and was addicted to heroin, a habit he had quit some time after the first series of Auf Wiedersehen Pet had been broadcast. He was considering setting up a clinic to help others with their addictions. Heroin (INN: diacetylmorphine, BAN: diamorphine) is an opioid synthesized directly from the extracts of the opium poppy, Papaver somniferum. ...

Holton had considerable debts and had two bankruptcy orders totalling ₤61,000 over him. Part of which were due to not paying tax since 1979 and also having a mortgage of ₤48,500 on his flat in Maida Vale, London. He died midway through the second series of Auf Wiedersehen, Pet, but the producers used body doubles and clever editing of dialogue already recorded to allow the series to be completed.

They eventually rescripted the series such that every indoor scene that originally included Holton excuses were made for his absence, normally tied into the character's love of the opposite sex. eg. Barry "Where's Wayne? Off down the port chasing skirt again?" Just before his death he had released a single "Catch A Falling Star". He is survived by two sons - Max (who is not his biological son) and Red, with model Susan Harrison.

Funeral

Gary's funeral took place on 22 November 1985, with a fifteen minute service at Golders Green Crematorium in London. His Mother, Father and two brothers cried openly as his coffin, adorned with an eight foot floral guitar, arrived. Janet McIllwan, clutching a photo of Gary, broke down and wept and hugged Donna Holton for comfort. Sue Harrison was absent from the service not wishing to be present with Gary's other girlfriends. Auf Wiedersehen Pet co-stars: Oz, Dennis, Barry, Neville, Bomber and Moxey were all there to pay their respects at the service. November 22 is the 326th day (327th on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link displays 1985 Gregorian calendar). ... Golders Green Crematorium and Mausoleum is one of the oldest crematoria in Britain. ...

Trivia

• Gary Holton was good friends with Ronnie Wood, whom he physically resembled, this was commented in Auf Wiedersehen Pet.
• He was considered as a replacement for Bon Scott as the lead singer of AC/DC.

Ron Wood (born June 1, 1947 in London) is a British rock guitarist and best known as a member of The Rolling Stones and The Faces. ... Ronald Belford Bon Scott (July 9, 1946 – February 19, 1980) was a Scottish born Australian rock musician. ... AC/DC are a hard rock band formed in Sydney, Australia in 1973 by brothers Angus and Malcolm Young. ...

External links

• Gary Holton at the Internet Movie Database
• The Unofficial Gary Holton Fan Site
• Heavy Metal Kids Official Website