Ricky Tomlinson (born September 26, 1939) is an English actor. September 26 is the 269th day of the year (270th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: God Save the King/Queen Capital London (de facto) Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2006 est. ... Actors in period costume sharing a joke while waiting between takes during location filming An actor or actress is a person who acts, or plays a role, in a dramatic production. ...

Early life

Tomlinson was born in Blackpool and has lived in Liverpool most of his life. It has been suggested that South Shore, Blackpool be merged into this article or section. ... Liverpool skyline. ...

Before turning to acting, he worked as a building site plasterer for many years, becoming involved in trade union politics and activism. In 1972 he joined the flying pickets in a building workers dispute in Shrewsbury. He was sentenced to two years in prison after being found guilty of 'conspiracy to intimidate' as one of the so-called Shrewsbury Two, and in 1975 disrupted the TUC conference by shouting from the wings after he had been prevented from speaking from the stage. It was revealed in 2002 that he had been monitored in the 1970s by MI5. A Trade Union (Labour union) ... is a continuous association of wage-earners for the purpose of maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment. ... 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... Employees of the BBC form a picket line during a strike in May 2005. ... Statistics Population: 70,059 Ordnance Survey OS grid reference: SJ495123 Administration District: Shrewsbury and Atcham Shire county: Shropshire Region: West Midlands Constituent country: England Sovereign state: United Kingdom Other Ceremonial county: Shropshire Historic county: Shropshire Services Police force: West Mercia Fire and rescue: {{{Fire}}} Ambulance: West Midlands Post office and... Des Warren (1937-2004) was a construction worker, trade union activist and - with Ricky Tomlinson - one of the Shrewsbury Two imprisoned for conspiracy to intimidate whilst picketing in Shrewsbury, United Kingdom, during 1972. ... 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ... Image:TradeUnionsCongress20050108 CopyrightKaihsuTai. ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

In his 2003 autobiography he revealed that between 1968 and 1972, prior to his involvement with trade union politics, he was a member of the National Front^[1], which he now bitterly regrets and puts down to being "politically naive and poorly educated". 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday. ... 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... The name National Front, is used by a number of political parties and coalitions. ...

Television career

As an actor he has found considerable success, appearing as Bobby Grant in the soap opera Brookside, and as Jim Royle in the sitcom The Royle Family. Bobby Grant was a fictional character in the defunct Channel 4 soap opera Brookside. ... For Philippine soap opera, see Teleserye. ... For other uses, see Brookside (disambiguation). ... Jim Royle is a patriarchal character played by Ricky Tomlinson in UK comedy series The Royle Family. ... The Royle Family is a popular BBC television situation comedy (sitcom) that ran for three series between 1998 and 2000. ...

In 2002 Tomlinson starred in the BBC TV Series Nice Guy Eddie playing a Liverpool private investigator. Using down-to-earth cases - actually based upon real life cases by Liverpool private investigator Tony Smith - the show also starred Tom Ellis and John Henshaw. For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... A private investigator, private detective, PI, or private eye, is a person who undertakes investigations, usually for a private citizen or some other entity not involved with a government or police organization. ... Tom Ellis Tom Ellis is a British actor who currently plays Oliver Cousins in EastEnders and Justyn in No Angels. ... John Henshaw (born 1951) is a British actor famed for his roles as Ken the landlord in Early Doors, Wilf Bradshaw in Born and Bred and PC Roy Bramwell in the He is sometimes associated with playing hard men. Henshaw grew up in Ancoats in Manchester - one of 12 brothers...

He has also starred in several films, notably Mike Bassett: England Manager, Raining Stones and Hillsborough, a made-for-TV film about the families' of the victims of the Hillsborough stadium disaster. Mike Basset:England Manager Mike Bassett: England Manager (2001) is a satirical comedy, following the fortunes of the manager of Division One football club Norwich City F.C., Mike Bassett, who having led his side to the Mr Clutch Cup, is appointed England manager. ... Raining Stones is a 1993 film directed by Ken Loach. ... The Memorial at Hillsborough. ...

Tomlinson has fronted a series of commercials for privatised former nationalised utility British Gas. In 2003 he published an autobiography, entitled Ricky. The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... Centrica plc (LSE: CNA) is a large multinational company, based in the UK but also with interests in North America and Europe. ... Cover of An autobiography, from the Greek auton, self, bios, life and graphein, write, is a biography written by the subject or composed conjointly with a collaborative writer (styled as told to or with). The term dates from the late eighteenth century, but the form is much older. ...

Tomlinson is also a keen banjo player, having played the instrument in many of the episodes of The Royle Family. In 2001 he teamed up with fellow Brookside actor, Michael Starke and other friends for his own rendition of well-known folk songs including It's A Long Way To Tipperary and a cover of The Pogues' Are You Lookin' At Me?. A CD album entitled Music My Arse was released the same year. He released a single at Christmas 2006 entitled Christmas My Arse which reached #25 in the UK Singles Chart. A four-string banjo For other uses, see Banjo (disambiguation) The banjo is a stringed instrument of African American origin. ... The Royle Family is a popular BBC television situation comedy (sitcom) that ran for three series between 1998 and 2000. ... 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see Brookside (disambiguation). ... Michael Starke (born Liverpool, UK), is a British actor best known previously, for his role as Sinbad in the popular soap, Brookside. ... Folk music, in the original sense of the term, is music by and of the people. ... The Pogues are a popular band of mixed Irish and English background, playing traditional Irish folk with influences from the English punk movement. ... A collection of various CD singles In music, a single is a short recording of one or more separate tracks. ... The UK Singles Chart is currently compiled by The Official UK Charts Company (OCC) on behalf of the British record industry. ...

On 19 June 2006 Tomlinson made his debut as the guest celebrity in Dictionary Corner on the popular and long-running UK Channel 4 game show Countdown. June 19 is the 170th day of the year (171st in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 195 days remaining. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... The Dictionary Corner occupies part of the Countdown Studios, Leeds, Yorkshire, England, which consists of two people, either men or women, who look up the words the contestants have given as their best solution, to see whether or not they are acceptable. ... It has been suggested that Channel Four Television Corporation be merged into this article or section. ... A countdown is the backward counting to indicate the seconds, days, etc. ...

In the summer of 2006, Tomlinson toured at theatres across the UK with his show An Evening with Ricky Tomlinson where he was interviewed about his life by Elton Welsby. Elton Welsby is a British television sports presenter. ...

In December 2006 he presented a programme in Channel Five's Disappearing Britain series entitled When Coal was King, in which he made controversial comments about Margaret Thatcher's potential death. The title given to this article is incorrect due to technical limitations. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, LG, OM, PC, FRS (born 13 October 1925), is the former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, in office from 1979 to 1990. ...

References

1. ^ His Royle shyness, The Observer, October 5 2003

External links

• Ricky Tomlinson at the Internet Movie Database
• Detailed account of Ricky's involvement in trade union politics and activism