John Leyton | |
|---|---|
 Leyton as Lt. Orde in Von Ryan's Express, 1965 | |
| Born | John Dudley Leyton 17 February 1936 Frinton-on-Sea, Essex, England |
| Years active | 1959–2015 |
| Known for | Pte. Wilkes in Guns at Batasi Flight Lt. William Dickes "Tunnel King"' in The Great Escape |
| Spouse |
Diana Leyton (m. 1967) |
| Children | 2 |
John Dudley Leyton (born 17 February 1936)[1] is an English retired actor and singer.
Leyton as a singer is best known for his hit song "Johnny Remember Me" (written by Geoff Goddard and produced by Joe Meek),[2] which reached number one in the UK Singles Chart in August 1961 despite being banned by the BBC for its death references.[3] His follow-up single, "Wild Wind", reached number two in the same chart.
Alongside singing, Leyton's acting career saw him appearing in television and films throughout the 1960s. His films included The Great Escape, Guns at Batasi, Von Ryan's Express and Krakatoa, East of Java. In 2009, he also had a small role in the film Telstar, a biopic based on Joe Meek's life in which Leyton himself was portrayed by Callum Dixon.[4]
- ^ Young, Graham (20 December 2013). "Film star who broke into big time". Birmingham Post. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
- ^ Rice, Jo (1982). The Guinness Book of 500 Number One Hits (1st ed.). Enfield, Middlesex: Guinness Superlatives Ltd. p. 60. ISBN 0-85112-250-7.
- ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 320. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ^ "Film and television". John Leyton Official Website. John Leyton & JRM Partner. Archived from the original on 21 June 2012. Retrieved 11 June 2012.