Ross Davidson
Encyclopedia
William Russell "Ross" Davidson (25 August 1949, Airdrie, North Lanarkshire
– 16 October 2006, Frinton-on-Sea
, Essex
) was a British
actor
best known for his role as Andy O'Brien in the BBC
soap opera
EastEnders
.
teacher in Scotland
in the early 1970s. He also played water polo at international level for Scotland and left teaching to run a pub and disco in Glasgow
, but furthered his ambitions to act by attending night classes.
He made his screen acting début on television in A Degree of Uncertainty (1979), a BBC Play for Today
set in a Scottish university, then appeared as a kilted dancer in Stanley Baxter on Television (1979). He also had small parts as a mime troupe member in The Comedy of Errors ("BBC Television Shakespeare
", 1983) and a photographer in Widows II (1985), as well as appearing in the film The Pirates of Penzance
(1983) and the Monty Python
short The Crimson Permanent Assurance
(1983). In Spain
, Holland and Germany
, he was seen in commercials for products ranging from chewing gum to beer.
In 1985, he became one of the original cast of BBC's flagship soap opera EastEnders
. He played the altruistic nurse Andy O'Brien for 18 months, after which his screen alter-ego went down in history for being the first main character to be killed off, dying in a road accident in August 1986.
Just before leaving EastEnders, Davidson recorded a pop single, "Jigsaw Puzzle", that failed to chart. He then returned to acting in stage plays (he had previously appeared in Guys and Dolls at the National Theatre
) and returned to the small-screen in 1987 as a television presenter. He presented the BBC lunchtime magazine show Daytime Live (1987–88) and the sports challenge series Run the Gauntlet (1989–90).
He later returned to acting and went on to star in the Channel 4
soap opera Brookside
; the Welsh soap Pobol Y Cwm
and he also played the role of Peter O'Dell in the Scottish soap Take the High Road
for three years. More recently he starred as Andy Morgan in the Channel 4
soap opera Hollyoaks
from 1999 - 2002.
While working on EastEnders, Davidson famously dated his co-star Shirley Cheriton
, who played his on-screen girlfriend Debbie Wilkins
. She broke up with Davidson after five years. He married Barbara Black in 2005 and the couple already had a son together; Drew Davidson. They lived together in the Essex
resort of Frinton-on-Sea
. Barbara Black Davidson had three children from her previous marriage.
In February 2005, Davidson was diagnosed with brain cancer, and swiftly underwent surgery. It was unsuccessful, and a month later he was re-admitted to the Oldchurch Hospital in Romford
, where he was told that he had a glioblastoma Grade 4
- the fastest growing, most invasive form of brain cancer.
In July 2005, Davidson went public with the news that his tumour was inoperable and that his life expectancy was 12–18 months. Davidson had commented "I'm going to try everything to beat this".
He died 15 months later from the illness, aged 57.
Airdrie, North Lanarkshire
Airdrie is a town within North Lanarkshire, Scotland. It lies on a plateau roughly 400 ft above sea level, and is approximately 12 miles east of Glasgow city centre. Airdrie forms part of a conurbation with its neighbour Coatbridge, in the former district known as the Monklands. As of 2006,...
– 16 October 2006, Frinton-on-Sea
Frinton-on-Sea
Frinton-on-Sea is a small seaside town in the Tendring District of Essex, England. It is part of the Parish of Frinton and Walton.-History:...
, Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
) was a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
best known for his role as Andy O'Brien in the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
EastEnders
EastEnders
EastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...
.
Career
Davidson started his working life as a physical educationPhysical education
Physical education or gymnastics is a course taken during primary and secondary education that encourages psychomotor learning in a play or movement exploration setting....
teacher in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
in the early 1970s. He also played water polo at international level for Scotland and left teaching to run a pub and disco in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, but furthered his ambitions to act by attending night classes.
He made his screen acting début on television in A Degree of Uncertainty (1979), a BBC Play for Today
Play for Today
Play for Today is a British television anthology drama series, produced by the BBC and transmitted on BBC1 from 1970 to 1984. During the run, more than three hundred programmes, featuring original television plays, and adaptations of stage plays and novels, were transmitted...
set in a Scottish university, then appeared as a kilted dancer in Stanley Baxter on Television (1979). He also had small parts as a mime troupe member in The Comedy of Errors ("BBC Television Shakespeare
BBC Television Shakespeare
The BBC Television Shakespeare was a set of television adaptations of the plays of William Shakespeare, produced by the BBC between 1978 and 1985.-Origins:...
", 1983) and a photographer in Widows II (1985), as well as appearing in the film The Pirates of Penzance
The Pirates of Penzance
The Pirates of Penzance; or, The Slave of Duty is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. The opera's official premiere was at the Fifth Avenue Theatre in New York City on 31 December 1879, where the show was well received by both audiences...
(1983) and the Monty Python
Monty Python
Monty Python was a British surreal comedy group who created their influential Monty Python's Flying Circus, a British television comedy sketch show that first aired on the BBC on 5 October 1969. Forty-five episodes were made over four series...
short The Crimson Permanent Assurance
The Crimson Permanent Assurance
The Crimson Permanent Assurance is a short film that plays as the beginning of the feature-length motion picture Monty Python's The Meaning of Life...
(1983). In Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, Holland and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, he was seen in commercials for products ranging from chewing gum to beer.
In 1985, he became one of the original cast of BBC's flagship soap opera EastEnders
EastEnders
EastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...
. He played the altruistic nurse Andy O'Brien for 18 months, after which his screen alter-ego went down in history for being the first main character to be killed off, dying in a road accident in August 1986.
Just before leaving EastEnders, Davidson recorded a pop single, "Jigsaw Puzzle", that failed to chart. He then returned to acting in stage plays (he had previously appeared in Guys and Dolls at the National Theatre
Royal National Theatre
The Royal National Theatre in London is one of the United Kingdom's two most prominent publicly funded theatre companies, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company...
) and returned to the small-screen in 1987 as a television presenter. He presented the BBC lunchtime magazine show Daytime Live (1987–88) and the sports challenge series Run the Gauntlet (1989–90).
He later returned to acting and went on to star in the Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
soap opera Brookside
Brookside
Brookside is a defunct British soap opera set in Liverpool, England. The series began on the launch night of Channel 4 on 2 November 1982, and ran for 21 years until 4 November 2003...
; the Welsh soap Pobol Y Cwm
Pobol y Cwm
Pobol y Cwm is a Welsh-language television soap opera which has been produced by the BBC since October 1974. The longest-running television soap opera produced by the BBC, Pobol y Cwm was originally transmitted on BBC Wales television and later transferred to the Welsh-language station S4C when it...
and he also played the role of Peter O'Dell in the Scottish soap Take the High Road
Take the High Road
Take the High Road was a Scottish soap opera produced by Scottish Television, and set in the fictional village of Glendarroch , and claims to have about 2 million fans, including the Queen Mother...
for three years. More recently he starred as Andy Morgan in the Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
soap opera Hollyoaks
Hollyoaks
Hollyoaks is a long-running British television soap opera, first broadcast on Channel 4 on 23 October 1995. It was originally devised by Phil Redmond, who has also devised shows including Brookside and Grange Hill...
from 1999 - 2002.
Personal life
Davidson's first marriage was to a primary school teacher, but this ended within three years. He took his ex-wife's maiden name, Ross, as his stage name.While working on EastEnders, Davidson famously dated his co-star Shirley Cheriton
Shirley Cheriton
Shirley Cheriton is a British actress and performer, best known for her roles as Debbie Wilkins in the BBC soap opera EastEnders and her portrayal of Miss Prescott in the Are You Being Served? follow up, Grace & Favour...
, who played his on-screen girlfriend Debbie Wilkins
Debbie Wilkins
Deborah "Debbie" Wilkins is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Shirley Cheriton.Debbie was Walford's first upwardly mobile character...
. She broke up with Davidson after five years. He married Barbara Black in 2005 and the couple already had a son together; Drew Davidson. They lived together in the Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
resort of Frinton-on-Sea
Frinton-on-Sea
Frinton-on-Sea is a small seaside town in the Tendring District of Essex, England. It is part of the Parish of Frinton and Walton.-History:...
. Barbara Black Davidson had three children from her previous marriage.
In February 2005, Davidson was diagnosed with brain cancer, and swiftly underwent surgery. It was unsuccessful, and a month later he was re-admitted to the Oldchurch Hospital in Romford
Romford
Romford is a large suburban town in north east London, England and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Havering. It is located northeast of Charing Cross and is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan...
, where he was told that he had a glioblastoma Grade 4
Glioblastoma multiforme
Glioblastoma multiforme is the most common and most aggressive malignant primary brain tumor in humans, involving glial cells and accounting for 52% of all functional tissue brain tumor cases and 20% of all intracranial tumors. Despite being the most prevalent form of primary brain tumor, GBMs...
- the fastest growing, most invasive form of brain cancer.
In July 2005, Davidson went public with the news that his tumour was inoperable and that his life expectancy was 12–18 months. Davidson had commented "I'm going to try everything to beat this".
He died 15 months later from the illness, aged 57.