Sammy Johnson
Encyclopedia
Biography
The son of Samuel Johnson and Thomasina (Tina) Scott, his birth name was Ronald Samuel Johnson. He was brother to two brothers Kenneth (who died in September 1964), Raymond (Jimmy) and two sisters Valerie and Catherine. He has two children Lorraine and Lynn.
British Actors' Equity Association
Equity is the trade union for actors, stage managers and models in the United Kingdom. It was formed in 1930 by a group of West End performers....
membership but they already had a 'Ron Johnson' so he used his father's name of 'Sammy'. He appeared in several TV productions and often worked with local writers like C. P. Taylor, Tom Hadaway
Tom Hadaway
Tom Hadaway was born in North Shields in North East England. It was in the north-east that he began writing plays based on his experiences and observations of the region...
, Leonard Barras and Arthur McKenzie but continued to be a musician with the 'Ray Stubbs R&B Allstars' as well as forming 'Matt Vinyl and the Decorators'.
Sammy was cast as Martin Cooper in the second series of Auf Wiedersehen, Pet
Auf Wiedersehen, Pet
Auf Wiedersehen, Pet is a British comedy-drama television programme about seven English migrant construction workers. In the first series, the men live and work on a building site in Düsseldorf....
. He was then chosen by Jimmy Nail
Jimmy Nail
James Bradford "Jimmy" Nail is an English singer-songwriter, actor, musician, film producer, film score composer and television writer....
to play 'Stick' in Spender
Spender
Spender is a BBC television drama set in Newcastle upon Tyne, written by Ian La Frenais and Jimmy Nail, who also starred. The series was produced by Martin McKeand . The series was broadcast on BBC between 1991 and 1993...
, which was written by Jimmy Nail and Ian La Frenais. Other famous roles he played were in VIZ
Viz (comic)
Viz is a popular British comic magazine which has been running since 1979.The comic's style parodies British comics of the post-war period, notably The Beano and The Dandy, but with incongruous language, crude toilet humour, black comedy, surreal humour and either sexual or violent storylines...
's Sid the Sexist
Sid the Sexist
Sid the Sexist is a character from the English comic book Viz. The strip was created and mostly drawn by Simon Donald until he left the magazine in 2003, when Paul Palmer took over as artist...
and in ITV's adaptation of Catherine Cookson
Catherine Cookson
Dame Catherine Cookson DBE was a British author. She became the United Kingdom's most widely read novelist, with sales topping 100 million, while retaining a relatively low profile in the world of celebrity writers...
's The Gambling Man as Victor Pittie. He then turned to scriptwriting and moved to Spain in the hills above Malaga
Málaga
Málaga is a city and a municipality in the Autonomous Community of Andalusia, Spain. With a population of 568,507 in 2010, it is the second most populous city of Andalusia and the sixth largest in Spain. This is the southernmost large city in Europe...
, which is where he died while out jogging in 1998 at the age of 49.
After his death, the Sammy Johnson Memorial Fund was set up. There is a biannual variety concert named Sunday for Sammy
Sunday for Sammy
Sunday for Sammy is a series of biannual charity concerts held in aid of the Sammy Johnson Memorial Fund, which benefits young performers. The concerts have been held at Newcastle City Hall, with the exception of 2006, when the show has hosted at The Sage Gateshead...
hosted by Tim Healy
Tim Healy (actor)
Timothy Malcolm Healy is an English actor. He is best known for playing Dennis Patterson in the television series Auf Wiedersehen, Pet. He is married to the actress Denise Welch.-Career:...
and (until 2008) Jimmy Nail, featuring sketches with North East personalities. Kevin Whately
Kevin Whately
Kevin Whately is an English actor.Whately is known for his starring role as Neville Hope in the British television comedy Auf Wiedersehen, Pet, his role as Dr Jack Kerruish in the drama series Peak Practice, and as Robert "Robbie" Lewis in the crime dramas Inspector Morse and...
, Denise Welch
Denise Welch
Jacqueline Denise Healy is an English actress, dancer and television presenter.-Early life:Denise Welch was born in Ebchester, County Durham, to father Vin and mother Ann and has a younger sister Debbie...
and Peter Beardsley
Peter Beardsley
Peter Andrew Beardsley MBE is an English former footballer who played between 1979 and 1999. He once set a record transfer fee in the game and represented his country 59 times between 1986 and 1996, once as captain...
are amongst the regular contributors.