Sammy Johnson
Birthday: Born in 1949-05-14 in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, England, UK
Deathday: 1998-11-01
Born Ronald Samuel Johnson, Sammy Johnson (14th May 1949 to November 1998) was an English actor best known for the role of Stick in Spender. A close friend of Jimmy Nail, this was just one of the many programmes they co-starred in together (the others being Crocodile Shoes and Auf Wiedersehen, Pet). He also appeared in an adaptation of Catherine Cookson's The Gambling Man, and as Viz's famous comic book character Sid the Sexist, as well as the 1985 film Seacoal, 1989's And a Nightingale Sang, the 1997 TV film King Leek and a guest appearance in Casualty in 1996. One of his final roles was as Terry in Lost in France, a series of short topical specials that saw him play the patriarch of a family of football fans following the exploits of the England team during the 1998 World Cup. Later that year, and whilst training for Newcastle's the Great Northern Run, Johnson died of a heart attack whilst out jogging in the hills above his home in Málaga. He was 49 years old. Since his death, a memorial fund has been set up on his name and a biennial variety concert named Sunday for Sammy hosted by Tim Healy and (until 2008) Jimmy Nail, featuring sketches with North East personalities and former colleagues of Sammy. Kevin Whately, Denise Welch and Peter Beardsley are amongst the regular contributors. Away from acting, Sammy was a musician, playing guitar in bands such as Pigmeat, Ray Stubbs R&B Allstars and Matt Vinyl and the Decorators.
TV Credits
Auf Wiedersehen, Pet
Character: Martin Cooper
Seven British construction workers escape Britain's ever growing dole queues and travel to Germany to work on a site in Dusseldorf. We follow their trials and tribulations of working away from home and away from the women they left behind....
Crocodile Shoes
Character:
Crocodile Shoes is a British 7-part television series made by the BBC and screened on BBC One in 1994. The series was written by and starred Jimmy Nail as a factory worker who becomes a country and western singer. A sequel, Crocodile Shoes II followed in 1996 and the theme tune "Country Boy" was a hit for Nail too....
Spender
Character: Stick
Jimmy Nail plays tough cop Spender, forced to return to his native Newcastle after a failed undercover operation in London. He uses tough and unconventional methods to tackle the criminal underworld, but he must also deal with the friends, enemies and family he left behind, and never expected to return to. Sammy Johnson played Spender's sidekick Stick, while Denise Welch played Spender's wife....
The Gambling Man
Character:
Based on one of Catherine Cookson's most beloved works which revolves around slick cardplayer Rory Connor (played by Robson Green), a rags-to-riches gambler faced with a life-changing decision. Never one to shy away from high stakes, Rory is in the game of his life when he's asked to make the ultimate sacrifice for his brother. Directed by Norman Stone, it also stars Bernard Hill, Sylvestra Le Touzel and Sammy Johnson....
Wycliffe
Character: Adrian Wright
Wycliffe is a British television series, based on W. J. Burley's novels about Detective Superintendent Charles Wycliffe. It was produced by HTV and broadcast on the ITV Network, following a pilot episode on 7 August 1993, between 24 July 1994 and 5 July 1998. The series was filmed in Cornwall, with a production office in Truro. Music for the series was composed by Nigel Hess and was awarded the Royal Television Society award for the best television theme. Wycliffe is played by Jack Shepherd, ass...
Lost In France
Character: Terry Rudd
This brief series (12 episodes of 10 or 15 minutes each screened over a three week period) followed the adventures of a family pursuing the English football team around France during the World Cup. The series was written during filming to acknowledge the success or failure of the team in the competition....
Movie Credits
King Leek
Character: Popeye
A comic tale of competitive leek growing in the north of England, where the stakes are high and the tactics are dirty. Vegetable mad Malcolm has just one ambition in life - to grow the biggest leek in the region. But will he be crowned 'King Leek'?...
Sid the Sexist
Character: Sidney Smutt
Viz magazine's 'Sid the Sexist' comes to life in this animated version of the exploits of 'Tyneside's silver tongued cavalier.'...
Spender : The French Collection
Character: Kenneth Norman 'Stick' Oakley
Spender Christmas Special: Spender is sent to France to escort Tommy Thornton who has been extradited to the UK....
And a Nightingale Sang
Character: Shipyard Worker
Set in working class Newcastle, the Stott family fight their private battles against the backdrop of the conflict of World War II. Helen Stott, over thirty and with a limp, is resigned to being left on the shelf until she meets and falls in love with Norman, a serviceman from London. In contrast, her younger sister Joyce has quite a way with men, and finds herself a little too popular with the troops, especially when her husband pops up on leave from his regiment....
Seacoal
Character: Ronnie
Betty and her daughter Corinna are introduced to the harsh seacoaling way of life by Ray, an ex-seacoaler returning from a job with ICI. His offer of a caravan on a cliff top and promises of the Klondyke that awaits them at least seem preferable to the violent marriage she has left behind. The film sets Betty's struggle for survival against the wider struggles of the seacoaling community, surviving on the fringes of capitalism. Despite the exploitation by a local entrepreneur, run-ins with dole ...
In Fading Light
Character: Dandy Mac
A feature drama set in the declining fishing industry in North Shields, the film centres on the upheaval caused in a traditional fishing community by the unexpected arrival of a young woman....
The Happy Hunting Ground
Character: Ron
In amongst the fishing quaysides of the North East of England, manipulative Bob is first able to wangle his way into a prominent position within a fish distribution firm. It isn’t long before he has his sights not only on the boss’s job - but also his wife as well....