Alan Ford (actor)
| Alan Ford | |
|---|---|
| Born |
23 February 1938 Walworth, London, England, UK |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1973–present |
Alan Ford (born 23 February 1938)[1] is an English actor. He is best known for his roles in the Guy Ritchie crime capers Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch, and from guest starring in The Bill.
Early life
Ford grew up in the Walworth area of south London. He dropped out of school at the age of fifteen and took on various jobs, ending with two years of National Service in the Royal Army Ordnance Corps.[1]
Studies and training
Francois Truffaut cast Ford as one of the firemen in his Fahrenheit 451. Ford next auditioned for and was granted a place at the East 15 Acting School. For three years he studied drama in all its forms: Shakespeare, Chekhov, restoration, commedia dell'arte, pantomime, music, dance, fencing, Stanislavski and improvisation.[1] One of his tutors there at that time was the then unknown Mike Leigh.
Acting career
Ford appeared in Exorcist: The Beginning and, much earlier, as 'Roosta' in the original radio version of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, along with a small speaking role in the British gangster film The Long Good Friday.
Ford played Clifford Harding in G.F. Newman's Law & Order in 1978, then had a brief role in the film An American Werewolf in London, where he plays the taxi driver who says the line, "It puts you in mind of the days of the old demon barber of Fleet Street, doesn't it?" in response to the recent wave of murders around London. He has also proved himself a comic actor. He was involved in the Armando Iannucci production Knowing Me, Knowing You with Alan Partridge, playing a boxing promoter called Terry Norton; and he worked again with Iannucci playing the 'East End Thug' in The Armando Iannucci Shows. He later appeared as a priest in every episode of Snuff Box. In 2015, he played former Thotch band manager 'Big' Basil Steel in Brian Pern: 45 Years of Prog & Roll.
In 1998, Ford narrated and appeared in the Guy Ritchie directed crime comedy Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, and, in 2000, he appeared in his most memorable role as crime boss 'Brick Top' in Ritchie's film Snatch.
Ford was featured in the 2010 music video "For He's a Jolly Good Felon" by Welsh rockers Lostprophets.
2011 saw him starring as crime boss 'Carter' in the British film noir Jack Falls alongside his Lock, Stock co-stars Jason Flemyng and Dexter Fletcher, while in 2014, he was cast in the British crime thriller Two Days in the Smoke alongside fellow Lock, Stock actor Stephen Marcus.[2]
In 2013 Ford had a guest role in the Norwegian-American TV show Lilyhammer as crime family boss 'Uncle Terry'.
Writer
In 2006, Ford published his novel Thin Ice.[3] He said the book "evolved from a collection of anecdotes and actors’ tales."[4]
In music
Ford's voice is featured in the dubstep song "Cockney Thug" by Rusko, "Crunch" by Flux Pavilion and Datsik, "Damien" by Modestep & Funtcase, the death metal song "A Child Is Missing" from the Illdisposed album The Prestige and the hip-hop song "Sinister" by Aesop Rock, Vast Aire and Yeshua from the 2001 Centrifugal Phorce compilation Euphony.
Filmography
Films
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Skin Traffik | Paul Hamilton | Released |
| 2013 | The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared | Pim | |
| Two Days in the Smoke | Jack | post-production | |
| 2012 | The Sweeney | Harry | |
| Cockneys vs Zombies | Ray Macguire | ||
| Airborne | Max | ||
| Strippers vs Werewolves | Harry | ||
| 2011 | Lethal | Simon | post-production |
| Jack Falls | Carter | ||
| 2010 | Mission London | Sibling | |
| The Ballad of Mulla and Mullins | Johnson | Short Film | |
| 2009 | Dead Man Running | Sol | |
| 2008 | NightDragon | Hansen | |
| 2004 | Exorcist: The Beginning | Jefferies | |
| 2002 | The Great Dome Robbery | Narrator | |
| 2000 | Snatch | Brick Top | |
| Furry Story | Fredglob (voice) | ||
| 1998 | Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels | Alan/Narrator | |
| 1992 | Chaplin | Warder | |
| 1991 | Buddy's Song | Phil | |
| 1981 | Venom | Peters | |
| An American Werewolf in London | Taxi Driver | ||
| 1980 | The Long Good Friday | Jack | |
| 1977 | The Squeeze | Taff |
Television
| Year | TV Show | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Toast of London | Alan the Fear Therapist | 1 episode: "Over the Moon" |
| 2014 | Toast of London | Alan the Homeopath | 1 episode: "Fool in Love" |
| Pod Prikritie | Himself | episode 9 | |
| 2013 | Lilyhammer | Terence | |
| Toast of London | Mick Carriage | 1 episode: Vanity Project | |
| 2011 | Casualty | Norman Danvers | 1 episode: Partners |
| 2010 | Hotel Trubble | Delgado | 1 episode: Hello Dolly |
| 2009 | My Almost Famous Family | Terry | 2 episodes: Beat Surrender / The Girl Is Mine |
| Doctors | George Swade | 1 episode: Mr Jelly | |
| The Legend of Dick & Dom | King of Kong | 1 episode: Rock Hard | |
| 2008 | Hotel Babylon | Terry McCaffrey | 1 episode: Episode No.3.5 |
| Casualty | Tony Tillings | 1 episode: Thicker Than Water | |
| 2007 | The Real Outlaws | Himself - Presenter | |
| 2006 | The Bill | Davey Rolfe | 1 episode: 470 |
| Jane Hall | Dougie Stringer | 1 episode: Episode No.1.1 | |
| Snuff Box | Rick - Priest | 1 episode: Rich's Mother | |
| 2004 | Passer By | Publican | TV |
| Keen Eddie | Longfellow | 1 episode: Sticky Fingers | |
| The Bill | George Dooley | 1 episode: 188 | |
| 2003 | Waking the Dead | Jack Ely | 2 episodes: Walking on Water: Part 1 / Walking on Water: Part 2 |
| William and Mary | Taxi Driver | 1 episode: Episode No.1.1 | |
| 2001 | The Armando Iannucci Shows | East End Thug | 4 episodes |
| 2000 | Hero to Zero | Ron Warley | TV series |
| 1998 | Mosley | Prison Officer | 1 episode: Beyond the Pale |
| An Unsuitable Job for a Woman | City Receptionist | 1 episode | |
| 1997 | The Bill | Jimmy Robson | 1 episode: Joker |
| The Knock | Robbie Reynolds | 1 episode: Episode No.3.7 | |
| 1996 | London Bridge | Ron | Episode No.1.15 |
| No Bananas | Bernie Silver | 2 episodes: Sitzkreig / The Wedding | |
| Madson | Adrian | 1 episode: Episode No.1.2 | |
| 1994 | The Bill | Eric | 1 episodes: Ducking and Diving |
| Knowing Me, Knowing You with Alan Partridge | Terry Norton | 1 episode: Episode No.1.5 | |
| Little Napoleons | Gerald Nowell | 1 episode: The Big Interview | |
| Class Act | Geoff the Builder | 2 episodes: Episode No.1.2 / Episode No.1.3 | |
| Murder Most Horrid | First villain | 1 episode: Smashing Bird | |
| Minder | Bennett | 1 episode: Bring Me the Head of Arthur Daley | |
| Love Hurts | Punter | 1 episode: The Parent Trap | |
| 1993 | The Upper Hand | Barman | Minder |
| 1992 | The Bill | Maydell | 1 episode: On the Record, Off the Record |
| The Darling Buds of May | Danvers | 1 episode: Oh! To Be in England: Part 1 | |
| 1991 | The New Statesman | Police Inspector | 1 episode: Keeping Mum |
| 1990 | The Bill | Frank Litton | 1 episode: Old Wounds |
| Grange Hill | Mr. Ratcliffe | 3 episodes: Episode No.12.2 / Episode No.13.19 / Episode No.13.20 | |
| 1989 | The Bill | Harry | 1 episode: Just for the Crack |
| Birds of a Feather | Prison Officer | 2 episodes: Substitute / Sailing | |
| 1988 | Bergerac | Sammy Kline | 1 episode: Private Fight |
| 1987 | Rockliffe's Babies | Tommy | 1 episode: It's All Happening |
| 1986 | C.A.T.S. Eyes | Taxi Driver | 1 episode: Tranmere Dan and Tokyo Joe |
| Running Scared | Ron Martin | unknown episodes | |
| The Best Years of Your Life | Father | TV | |
| 1985 | The Bill | Tony Kemp | 1 episode: Home Beat |
| Summer Season | Harold | 1 episode: Rachel and the Roarettes | |
| 1983 | Keep It in the Family | Van driver | 1 episode: A Touch of the Orient |
| 1982 | BBC2 Playhouse | Actor | 1 episode: Jake's End |
| 1981–1982 | The Chinese Detective | Jack Arthur Bross | 2 episodes: Release / Oblomov |
| 1981 | Maybury | Mr. Clegg | 1 episode: Maisie and Mac |
| Smuggler | Giles Sawney | 2 episodes: The Respectable Traitor: Part 1 / The Respectable Traitor: Part 2 | |
| 1980 | Strangers | Johnny James | 1 episode: Clowns Don't Cry |
| Play for Today | Mr. Chancer | 2 episodes: The Adventures of Frank: Everybody's Fiddling Something / The Adventures of Frank: Seeds of Ice | |
| 1979 | Play for Today | Police sergeant | 1 episode: Waterloo Sunset |
| 1978 | Armchair Thriller | Bill | 1 episode: The Limbo Connection: Part 1 |
| Law & Order | Clifford Harding | 3 episodes: A Detective's Tale / A Villain's Tale / A Brief's Tale | |
| 1976 | Softly, Softly: Task Force | Micky Dixon | 1 episode: Say It with Flowers |
| 1974–1975 | Romany Jones | Ken | 5 episodes |
| 1973 | Softly, Softly: Task Force | Tommy Buckley | 1 episode: Slip of the Tongue |
References
- 1 2 3 "Alan Ford profile". Alanford.info. Retrieved 2015-03-01.
- ↑ Wilcock, Jessica (23 April 2012). "Matt Di Angelo to star in Two Days In The Smoke | News | Screen". Screendaily.com. Retrieved 2012-08-21.
- ↑ Ford, Alan. Thin Ice; Orion Publishing Group, Limited; ISBN 978-0-7538-2103-9; 2006, ISBN 978-0-297-84785-4
- ↑ "Thin Ice". Alanford.info. Retrieved 2015-03-01.
External links
- Alan Ford at the Internet Movie Database