John Frederick Joseph Savident was a British actor, known for his numerous television roles, including his portrayal of Fred Elliott in the soap opera Coronation Street from 1994 to 2006.
19 Facts About John Savident
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John Savident was known for his performance as Monsieur Firmin in the West End cast of The Phantom of the Opera.
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John Savident's acting career started when he joined Ashton Repertory.
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John Savident was educated at the town's grammar school and in 1955 joined the Manchester City Police, serving as a police officer before turning to acting as his profession.
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John Savident created the role of Monsieur Firmin in the original production of Phantom of the Opera, which opened on 9 October 1986 at Her Majesty's Theatre in Haymarket, London.
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John Savident appeared as the renegade scientist Egrorian in a 1981 episode of the cult science fiction TV series Blake's 7.
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John Savident had other television appearances in Danger Man, The Saint, Callan and Doctor Who.
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John Savident played Doctor Meredith in The Remains of the Day.
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John Savident made his first appearance on the show in 1994 and his character quickly became popular with viewers.
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In December 2005, John Savident announced that he was to leave Coronation Street citing undisclosed "personal reasons".
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John Savident's character died of a stroke nine months later, in October 2006.
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John Savident later revealed that he had retired from the show "because he wanted to spend more time with his family in Hertfordshire".
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John Savident was one of the readers on the BBC's online Advent Calendar in December 2006.
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John Savident appeared on Loose Women on 19 March 2009 to discuss his part as Sir Joseph Porter in the Gilbert and Sullivan operetta HMS Pinafore, which toured the United Kingdom during the spring and summer of 2009.
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John Savident guest-starred in the Christmas special episode of Holby City in 2012, playing patient Rupert Pool.
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John Savident voiced the character Pendle in the Doctor Who audio-drama Order of the Daleks.
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John Savident married Rona Hopkinson in 1961; they had two children and several grandchildren.
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On 1 December 2000, John Savident was involved in a serious incident with an escort at his flat in Manchester.
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John Savident died on 21 February 2024, at the age of 86.