A sentence
containing the words ‘Brighton’ and ‘film’ is rarely complete without a mention
of Quadrophenia.
The 1979
British drama is based on The Who’s rock opera of the same name, with much of
the film set in and around Brighton.
The Grand
hotel and Madeira Drive are just some of the city’s sites to feature
prominently.
But, what
happened to the actors who starred in the cult Mod classic after filming
finished?
1. Mark Wingett
Mark Wingett,
right, played rebellious Mod Dave. Aged just 18 at the time, it was the
Leicestershire-born actor’s first major role. But it was far from his last.
Four years
later, he made his first appearance as PC Jim Carver in a pilot episode for a
TV show called Woodentop. The show would become crime drama The Bill, and the
59-year-old maintained his role for 21 years starring in almost 800 episodes. He
was key to several major storylines in the long-running series, with his
character battling alcoholism and issues surrounding gambling during his time
on the show.
In 2005, the
year he left The Bill, Mark appeared in BBC One soap EastEnders for a one-week
stint as Mike Swann - the father of characters Mickey Miller and Dawn Swann,
who were played by Joe Swash and Kara Tointon respectively. In the same year,
he also played London Gangster Terry Molloy in police drama Heartbeat.
He returned
to the silver screen for Snow White and the Huntsman in 2012.
Phil Daniels
played the lead role of young London-based Mod Jimmy Cooper. Though he was just
21 at the time, he had already appeared in several productions on the screen and
stage after training at the Anna Scher Theatre School in Islington. This
included a role in the 1972 film Anoop And The Elephant and playing a waiter in
the 1976 Bugsy Malone film.
Quadrophenia
followed in 1979, with a role in 1980 film Breaking Glass alongside Hazel
O’Connor one of several parts he played during a busy few years.
Alongside his
acting work, Phil also released several records with New Wave band The Cross. Together,
they released the album Phil Daniels + The Cross in 1979. Phil also later
narrated the tracks Parklife and Me, White Noise on the Parklife and Think Tank
albums for Blur.
Other notable
acting roles have included playing Del Boy’s grandfather in a prequel to Only
Fools and Horses called Rock and Chips, and voicing Fletcher in Chicken Run.
Phil Davis
played the part of Chalky in Quadrophenia, with the wiry youngster being
knocked off his scooter by a rocker in one memorable scene. Though he looks
very different nowadays, fans of the hit show Sherlock may recognise him from
his role as Jeff Hope. The murderous taxi driver perplexed the famous
detective, played by Benedict Cumberbatch, in a 2010 episode of the BBC series.
After appearing in Quadrophenia, the actor’s next major role was in historical drama The Bounty. He played midshipman Edward Young, and was part of an esteemed cast which included the likes of Mel Gibson, Laurence Olivier, Liam Neeson and Anthony Hopkins.
He returned
to the small screen for roles such as lender Smallweed in the BBC adaptation of
Bleak House in 2005 and crime family solicitor Micky Joy in British drama Silk.
The 67-year-old also assumed the role of untrustworthy serving man Jud Paynter
for the first two series of Poldark, which first aired in 2015.
4. Timothy Spall
Timothy Spall
plays a small role in Quadrophenia as the projectionist. But he has gone on to
have one of the most prolific acting careers of any of the film’s cast members
with more than 100 appearances across film and television.
Many will
know him for bringing the treacherous Peter Pettigrew to life in the Harry
Potter films, while others may know him for his roles as Peter Taylor in The
Damned United or Winston Churchill in The King’s Speech.
In this last
role, he was part of a cast which scooped the Screen Actors Guild Award for
Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture gong. The 63-year-old is
a five-time Bafta nominee, and a three-time British Independent Film Award
nominee. He has also won Best Actor at the Cannes Film Festival for his work in
the biographical drama Mr Turner, which shows the life of artist JMW Turner.
Timothy was
awarded an OBE in the 2000 New Year honours.
5. Ray Winstone
Few would
fail to recognise Ray Winstone if they passed him in the streets nowadays. The
actor played Kevin in Quadrophenia. He is protagonist Jimmy’s childhood best
friend, but while Phil Daniels’ character falls in with the Mods Kevin opts to
become a rival rocker instead. However, Ray is perhaps better known for roles
such as King Arthur in the 2004 film of the same name and Martin Scorcese’s
2006 feature The Departed.
His career
has spanned more than five decades, and in it he has worked alongside industry
royalty including the likes of Steven Spielberg, Leonardo DiCaprio, Angelina
Jolie and Mel Gibson. He has often played uncompromising Londoners, but told
the Evening Standard: “I’m not tough at all in real life. Loads of things in
life scare me.”
Gary Shail’s
role as Spider, arguably, remains his best known work in the acting industry. But
the 61-year-old has appeared in several established TV series over the years. He
has played roles in the likes of The Bill, Casualty and crime-action drama The
Professionals, as well as playing pimp Billy White in the TV mini-series Jack
The Ripper. Michael Caine also starred in the show.
He also has a
strong background in music, having written the original songs and theme music
for the 1983 BBC drama Johnny Jarvis, in which he played the character of Guy
Raines. His work on this production earned him a nomination for the Ivor
Novello Awards.
In 1995, Gary
began working with music production company Natural Sound Source in London,
producing music for television, film and advertising.
Leslie Ash’s
casting as Steph, the romantic lead in Quadrophenia, marked her first major
film role. However, the actor would go on to portray another cult character
when she played Debs in BBC sitcom Men Behaving Badly, alongside Caroline
Quentin, Martin Clunes and Neil Morrissey. She stayed on the show for five
years between 1992 and 1997. During this time, she released a single called
Tell Him with co-star Caroline Quentin under the name Quentin and Ash. The
track reached number 25 in the UK singles chart.
Quadrophenia
was released in 1979, but the now 60-year-old made her television debut 15
years previously. In 1964, aged just four, she asked “Mummy, why are your hands
so soft?”in an advert for Fairy Liquid. She began her career as a fashion
model, appearing on the front of several teen magazines, before being cast in
Quadrophenia. The year after filming, she featured in the Iron Maiden music
video for the band’s song Women In Uniform. Several film roles followed,
including appearances in The Balance of Nature and Curse of the Pink Panther,
both in 1983.
Since the end
of her time on Men Behaving Badly, Leslie has appeared on Loose Women and Holby
City, as well as working with Transparent Television to make a documentary
about the unregulated cosmetic beauty industry.
Unlike many
of the Quadrophenia cast, Sting was already a household name when he assumed
the role of Ace Face in the cult classic. But it is music, rather than his
acting, that has brought him the greatest acclaim. The musician, real name
Gordon Sumner, was the principal songwriter, bassist, singer and frontman of
new wave rock band The Police between 1977 and 1984 before embarking on a solo
career in 1985. With the band, he secured five number one singles with Walking
On The Moon, Message In A Bottle, Don’t Stand So Close To Me, Every Little
Thing She Does Is Magic and Every Breath You Take.
He has
received 17 Grammy Awards and three Brit Awards during a glittering career. And,
in 2019, Sting received a BMI Award for Every Breath You Take after the track
become the most played song in radio history. In 2000, he received a star on
the Hollywood Walk of Fame and he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of
Fame as a member of the Police in 2003. A CBE from the Queen followed later
that year for his services to music.
However,
despite this impressive catalogue of musical achievements, he has also found
time to continue to make appearances in film and television – both as himself
and as an actor. This includes a role in Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels,
and a cameo in The Simpsons.
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