| Biography | Robson Green (born 18 December 1964) is an English actor, singer and television presenter.
Robson Golightly Green was born in Hexham, Northumberland,and baptised in Bethel Chapel, (Ford View, Dudley), and named in Northeast tradition as first son after family surnames: Robson is his grandmother's maiden surname, while Golightly is after the surname of his maternal grandmother, Cissie Golightly (*born 1906 in Seghill, Northumberland), daughter of William Golightly, born 1874 in Felling, a miner and a famous trade union leader in the 1920s.
Green grew up in Dudley, a small mining village a few miles north of Newcastle Upon Tyne, where his privately educated father worked down the coal mining pits. After being inspired by over-flying jets, he decided he wanted to join the Royal Air Force. On starting at Dudley Middle Comprehensive School, he joined the Air Training Corps, and also picked up a guitar for the first time, later forming his first band, Solid State, in 1982. Latterly he also spent one night a week at Backworth Drama Centre, and then played in a series of productions at both school and Backworth.
On leaving school at 16 with five O-levels,[4] he joined Swan Hunter's shipyard as a draughtsman, and on one occasion tried his hand at professional boxing (actually attended 3 boxing training sessions for a play Francie Nichol in which he played a boxer). After two years at Swan's and having decided against a career in the RAF after two weeks at an officer training camp,[4] he decided on a career in acting. After auditioning began training under the tutelage of artistic director Max Roberts - his director previously at Backworth. During his training he continued his musical career, as one member of a successful local band, the Workie Tickets. By 1988 he had started his screen career, featured in the award-winning series Shields Stories,[5] a series of short stories about social issues made by Amber Films.
Green first made his name as an actor in the BBC series Casualty, but after three series moved to national prominence as Fusilier Dave Tucker in the drama series Soldier Soldier. One episode in 1995 called for Green and co-star Jerome Flynn to sing "Unchained Melody." Subsequently ITV was inundated by people looking to buy the song, and the pair were persuaded by Simon Cowell to release it as a single - a double A-side with White Cliffs of Dover. It stayed at No. 1 for 7 weeks in the UK Singles Chart, selling more than 1.8 million copies and making it the best-selling single of the year, and winning the duo the Music Week Awards in 1996 for best single and best album. Subsequently they had two further No. 1 singles and two No. 1 albums, all re-makes of standards.[6]
The song gave Green the opportunity to sign a long term deal with ITV, and star in several of the network's dramas, including Touching Evil, Grafters and Reckless. In 1996, he set up an independent production company, Coastal Productions, with business partner Sandra Jobling to give youngsters from the North East the opportunities he struggled for. The company has since produced or co-produced most of Green's television work, as well as local productions at the Theatre Royal in Newcastle upon Tyne. In 2002, Green starred as clinical psychologist Dr. Tony Hill in the crime drama Wire in the Blood.
His production company has brought at least four new dramas to the small screen in recent years, including the massive ratings hit Christmas Lights. The success of this one-off drama led to a series being commissioned under the name Northern Lights, which was followed by a sequel called City Lights). Coastal also produces drama series, including Hereafter starring then showbiz couple Stephen Tompkinson and Dervla Kirwan.[7]
In 1995 he won the Smash Hits Poll Winner's Party award for Favourite TV Actor.
In 1997, Green starred in the TV film, The Student Prince (The Student Prince at the Internet Movie Database) (this film is no relation to either the Romberg operetta or the 1954 MGM film).
In July 1998, Green received an Honorary Degree from the University of Northumbria and, in September 2006, he was voted by the UK general public as number 35 in a poll of TV's Greatest Stars.
In 2000, Green starred alongside James Bolam, Susan Jameson and Jamie Bell in the ITV legal drama Close and True. In 2001, he starred in the six-part ITV drama Take Me.
In 2002, Green starred with Caroline Goodall in the TV movie Me and Mrs. Jones. In December 2002, he released his first solo album, Moment In Time, which was composed of cover versions (including the song "Me and Mrs. Jones"). However, unlike his releases with Jerome Flynn, the album was a commercial failure, peaking at no.49 in the UK.
In 2003, Green starred in the ITV mini-series Unconditional Love and in the BBC TV series Trust. In 2005, he starred in two series, the thriller Like Father Like Son, and Rocket Man in which he played a widower trying to build a rocket to send his dead wife's ashes into space.
Green presents his own series Extreme Fishing with Robson Green and the spin-off Robson's Extreme Fishing Challenge, where he travels over the world investigating and participating in the sport, coining fishing catchphrases such as "get in" and "we're in". During 2009, whilst promoting the second series on BBC Breakfast, Green claimed that 90% of all coarse fish caught by anglers die. This rapidly caused an angry response from coarse fishing anglers in the UK who believed this comment to be unsubstantiated and potentially damaging to the sport.[citation needed]
In December 2009, ITV1 presented the documentary Robson Green's Wild Swimming Adventure, a tour of swimming locales around the UK.
In July 2010, Green began filming the seventh series of BBC drama Waterloo Road. He appeared onscreen from May 2011 to July 2011.
In 2011, Green starred in the third series of the BBC Three programme Being Human in which he played a werewolf named McNair.
In 2013, Green starred in the third season of the war-drama series Strike Back, in which he played Lt. Colonel Philipe Locke, a former SAS-operative.P |