Acting
Oct 29, 1971
Glasgow, Scotland, UK
John Alford
Acting
Biography
The Glasgow-born actor was cast in Grange Hill after attending a London stage school from the age of nine where he studied alongside EastEnders' stars Patsy Palmer and Sid Owen. After appearing briefly in an ITV sitcom called Now and Then (1983), Alford landed the role in Grange Hill (1978) at the age of 11. But the young actor found fame too tough to handle and started drinking heavily. By the time he left the show at the age of 17 he had reportedly spent up to £80,000 on alcohol and gambling. John, most famous for his role of young fireman Billy in the hit TV series, London's Burning (1988), became an overnight pop star with reggae version of the song "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" which went into the UK charts at number 13 in 1996. In December of that year, just before he was due to appear in pantomime in Sunderland, Alford collapsed and was taken to hospital in Newcastle suffering from a rare blood disorder. In May 1999, he was jailed for nine months for supplying drugs to an undercover Journalist. After the drug charges and sentence John found TV work extremely difficult to find and became a roofer. The following year he appeared in Mike Bassett: England Manager (2001), playing the part of Deano.
Feature Films (5)
After England's football (soccer) manager has a heart attack, Mike Bassett is hired as the new manager and promptly announces the team will win the World Cup.
Mike Bassett: England Manager
Homage to the cult classic “Mondo Hollywood”, a groovy mushrooms dealer and a man from the 5th dimension journey through Hollywood to find the meaning of “Mondo.”
Mondo Hollywoodland
In April 2015, the Hatton Garden Safe Deposit Company, an underground safe deposit facility in London's Hatton Garden area, was burgled by 4 elderly men. With the stolen property having a value of up to £200 million, the incident has been called the "largest burglary in English history".
The Hatton Garden Job
Tony's been away for 25 Years. Now he's back and looking to put a team of faces together to do a job in Scotland.
What's the Score
Television & Series (8)
Children's drama series following the lives of students and teachers at Grange Hill comprehensive school.
Grange Hill
Drama series about the staff and patients at Holby City Hospital's emergency department, charting the ups and downs in their personal and professional lives.
Casualty
Drama series about the staff and patients at Holby City Hospital's emergency department, charting the ups and downs in their personal and professional lives.
Casualty
Going Live! was a Saturday morning magazine show, broadcast on BBC1 between 1987 and 1993. It was presented by Phillip Schofield and Sarah Greene. Other presenters included Trevor and Simon, Peter Simon, Emma Forbes, and puppet Gordon the Gopher. The show was broadcast during the autumn to spring seasons, with other shows such as the 8:15 from Manchester and Parallel 9 taking over during the summer months. It was preceded by Saturday Superstore, and succeeded by Live & Kicking. In 1988, when the second series started, Greene was hurt in a helicopter crash with her then boyfriend, Mike Smith. Guest presenters stood in for her including T'Pau's Carol Decker. Similarly, in 1992-93 during the final series, Schofield was starring in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and was unable to present the show. A third presenter took his place. Originally, Neighbours actor Kristian Schmid took the role but soon left after problems with his work permit. Various other celebrities to stand in included Shane Richie and Robbie Williams during his Take That days.
