John Ernest Briggs (5 September 1935 – 28 February 2021) was an English actor. He was known for his role as Mike Baldwin in the soap opera ''

Coronation Street ''Coronation Street'' is an English soap opera created by Granada Television and shown on ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres around a cobbled, terraced street in Weatherfield, a fictional town based on inner-city Salford. Orig ...

'', in which he appeared from 1976 to 2006.

Early life

Briggs was born in

Battersea Battersea is a large district in south London, part of the London Borough of Wandsworth, England. It is centred southwest of Charing Cross and extends along the south bank of the River Thames. It includes the Battersea Park. History Batt ...

, south-west London, on 5 September 1935. His father was a master carpenter. He was evacuated from London during

the Blitz The Blitz was a German bombing campaign against the United Kingdom in 1940 and 1941, during the Second World War. The term was first used by the British press and originated from the term , the German word meaning 'lightning war'. The Germa ...

campaign of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. He was awarded a scholarship to train at the Italia Conti Academy stage school when he was 12 years old. There, he learned alongside

Millicent Martin Millicent Mary Lillian Martin (born 8 June 1934) is an English actress, singer, and comedian. She was the lone female singer of topical songs on the weekly BBC Television satire show ''That Was the Week That Was'' known as TW3 (1962–1963), a ...

, Nanette Newman and Anthony Newley.

Career

One of Briggs' first acting roles was in ''

Quartet In music, a quartet or quartette (, , , , ) is an ensemble of four singers or instrumental performers; or a musical composition for four voices and instruments. Classical String quartet In classical music, one of the most common combinations o ...

'' (1948), alongside George Cole. Briggs also worked as a stagehand at the Windmill Theatre, before completing two years of

national service National service is the system of voluntary government service, usually military service. Conscription is mandatory national service. The term ''national service'' comes from the United Kingdom's National Service (Armed Forces) Act 1939. The ...

with the

Royal Tank Regiment The Royal Tank Regiment (RTR) is the oldest tank unit in the world, being formed by the British Army in 1916 during the First World War. Today, it is the armoured regiment of the British Army's 12th Armoured Infantry Brigade. Formerly known as t ...

in Germany. Upon his return to acting in 1955, Briggs worked in theatre and made his television debut in ''The Younger Generation'' with John Thaw. He featured in the police drama '' No Hiding Place'', as well as a few ''Carry On'' films. He also had roles in a number of other British shows, including ''

Crossroads Crossroads, crossroad, cross road or similar may refer to: * Crossroads (junction), where four roads meet Film and television Films * ''Crossroads'' (1928 film), a 1928 Japanese film by Teinosuke Kinugasa * ''Cross Roads'' (film), a 1930 Brit ...

'', '' The Saint'', '' The Persuaders!'' and '' Thick as Thieves''. In 2005 Briggs announced his intention to leave the role of Mike Baldwin in ''Coronation Street'', citing the hectic filming schedule as the main reason for his departure. After appearing in 2,348 episodes, he filmed his final scenes in the show on 13 March 2006 and they were broadcast on 7 April. Briggs' character (who had been ill with

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and progressively worsens. It is the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As ...

for several months) collapsed and died in the arms of Ken Barlow in the street after suffering a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ma ...

. Briggs' last theatre appearance was at the Manchester Opera House in the 2007 pantomime in which he played the father of Cinderella alongside former ''Coronation Street'' co-star Tina O'Brien. Despite suggesting he was to retire from acting after leaving ''

'', Briggs made appearances in both ''

Agatha Christie's Marple ''Agatha Christie's Marple'' (or simply ''Marple'') is a British ITV television programme loosely based on the books and short stories by British crime novelist Agatha Christie. The title character was played by Geraldine McEwan from the first ...

'' and ''

Holby City ''Holby City'' (stylised on-screen as HOLBY CIY) is a British medical drama television series that aired weekly on BBC One. It was created by Tony McHale and Mal Young as a spin-off from the established BBC medical drama '' Casualty'', and ...

'' in 2007, as well as the short-lived ITV soap opera '' Echo Beach'' in 2008. In 2009, Briggs appeared in long running daytime soap '' Doctors''. In 2012, he appeared in a ''Coronation Street'' sketch to raise money for the charity ''

Text Santa ''Text Santa'' was a charity initiative set up in 2011 by ITV to support UK-based charities during the Christmas period. The appeal to the public is to donate money mainly via text donation and profits from merchandise. The telethons have been h ...

''.

Personal life

Briggs had an apartment in Portishead Quays, Portishead,

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lor ...

and a house in

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and ...

, United States. He was a keen golfer. In 2006, Briggs received a lifetime achievement award at the British Soap Awards for his thirty years of contribution to ''Coronation Street''. He was awarded the MBE in the

2007 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 2007 were appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours are awarded as part of the New Year celebrati ...

. Briggs died on 28 February 2021, at the age of 85, following a long illness. The following day's episode of ''Coronation Street'' was dedicated to him.

Selected filmography

* '' Hue and Cry'' (1947) – Bit Part (uncredited) * '' Oliver Twist'' (1948) – Undetermined Minor Role (uncredited) * ''

'' (1948) – Boy on Common (segment "The Kite") (uncredited) * '' Helter Skelter'' (1949) – BBC Page Boy (uncredited) * '' The Lavender Hill Mob'' (1951) – Small Role (uncredited) * ''

The Magic Box ''The Magic Box'' is a 1951 British Technicolor biographical drama film directed by John Boulting. The film stars Robert Donat as William Friese-Greene, with numerous cameo appearances by performers such as Peter Ustinov and Laurence Olivier. ...

'' (1951) – Youth (uncredited) * Inspector Morley: Late of Scotland Yard (1952 TV series) - (Delivery Boy) - (episode 1, 'Murder at Scotland Yard', with '' Dorothy Bramhall)'' * ''

Cosh Boy ''Cosh Boy'' (released in the United States as ''The Slasher'') is a 1953 British film noir directed by Lewis Gilbert and starring James Kenney and Joan Collins. It was made at Riverside Studios in Hammersmith. Plot Based on an original play by ...

'' (1953) – Skinny Johnson * '' Second Fiddle'' (1957) – Jimmy * ''

The Diplomatic Corpse ''The Diplomatic Corpse'' is a 1958 British comedy thriller film directed by Montgomery Tully and starring Robin Bailey, Susan Shaw and Liam Redmond. It was produced as a second feature by ACT Films. The film's sets were designed by the art dir ...

'' (1958) – Johnny (Office Boy) * ''

Sink the Bismarck! ''Sink the Bismarck!'' is a 1960 black-and-white CinemaScope British war film based on the 1959 book '' The Last Nine Days of the Bismarck'' by C. S. Forester. It stars Kenneth More and Dana Wynter and was directed by Lewis Gilbert.Weiler, A.H ...

'' (1960) – Young Seaman on Prince of Wales (uncredited) * '' Light Up the Sky!'' (1960) – Leslie Smith * '' The Bulldog Breed'' (1960) – Johnny Nolan * '' The Wind of Change'' (1961) – Frank Marley * '' Information Received'' (1961) – Willis * ''

H.M.S. Defiant ''H.M.S. Defiant'' (released as ''Damn the Defiant!'' in the United States) is a British naval war CinemaScope and Technicolor film from 1962 starring Alec Guinness and Dirk Bogarde. It tells the story of a mutiny aboard the fictitious ship of ...

'' (1962) – Wheatley * '' The Wild and the Willing'' (1962) – Dai Hawkins * '' Doctor in Distress'' (1963) – Medical Student (uncredited) * '' A Stitch in Time'' (1963) – Armed Robber * ''

The Leather Boys ''The Leather Boys'' is a 1964 British drama film about the rocker subculture in London featuring a gay motorcyclist. This film is notable as an early example of a film that violated the Hollywood production code, yet was still shown in the Unit ...

'' (1964) – Boy Friend * ''

The Devil-Ship Pirates ''The Devil-Ship Pirates'' is a 1964 British pirate adventure film directed by Don Sharp. The film was the first of several collaborations between Don Sharp and star Christopher Lee. Plot A pirate ship, involved in 1588 battles on the side of ...

'' (1964) – Pablo, a pirate * '' 633 Squadron'' (1964) – Flt Lt Jones * '' The Intelligence Men'' (1965) – Boy in cinema * ''

Carry On Up the Khyber ''Carry On Up the Khyber'' is a 1968 British comedy film, the 16th in the series of 31 ''Carry On'' films (1958–1992). It stars ''Carry On'' regulars Sid James, Kenneth Williams, Charles Hawtrey, Joan Sims, Bernard Bresslaw and Peter Butte ...

'' (1968) – Sporran Soldier (uncredited) * ''

La ragazza con la pistola ''The Girl with the Pistol'' ( it, La ragazza con la pistola) is a 1968 Italian comedy film directed by Mario Monicelli. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Monica Vitti won the David di Donatello as Best Actre ...

'' (1968) – Brawler (uncredited) * ''

Some Girls Do ''Some Girls Do'' is a 1969 British comedy spy film directed by Ralph Thomas. It was the second of the revamped Bulldog Drummond films (following 1967's ''Deadlier Than the Male'') starring Richard Johnson as Drummond, made following the succes ...

'' (1969) – Air Traffic Controller * '' The Last Escape'' (1970) – Cpl. O'Connell * ''

Perfect Friday ''Perfect Friday'' is a British bank heist film released in 1970, directed by Peter Hall. It stars Ursula Andress as Lady Britt Dorset, Stanley Baker as Mr Graham, David Warner as Lord Nicholas Dorset and T. P. McKenna as Smith. Plot Mr. Gra ...

'' (1970) – Taxi Driver * '' Quest for Love'' (1971) – Club Barman (uncredited) * ''

Au Pair Girls ''Au Pair Girls'' is a 1972 British sex comedy film directed by Val Guest. It stars Gabrielle Drake, Astrid Frank, Me Me Lai and Nancie Wait. Part of the British 1970s softcore sex comedy genre, the film also includes appearances by mainstre ...

'' (1972) – Malcolm * '' Bless This House'' (1972) – Open Truck Driver * ''

Go for a Take ''Go for a Take'' is a 1972 British comedy film, directed by Harry Booth and featuring Dennis Price, Bob Todd, Reg Varney, Norman Rossington, Sue Lloyd and Anouska Hempel. Debbie Russ reprises her role as the character "Tiger" from the televis ...

'' (1972) – Assistant Director (uncredited) * '' The Best Pair of Legs in the Business'' (1973) – Millet * ''

Secrets of a Door-to-Door Salesman ''Secrets of a Door-to-Door Salesman'' is a 1973 sex comedy film directed by Wolf Rilla.European Nightmares: Horror Cinema in Europe Since 1945' (2012). Columbia University Press. p. 65. Also known as ''Naughty Wives''. Plot The film is about ...

'' (1973) – Loman * '' Man About the House'' (1974) – Milkman * '' Bedtime with Rosie'' (1974) – Man in Cafe * '' Carry On Behind'' (1975) – Plasterer (uncredited) * '' Carry On England'' (1976) – Melly's Driver * ''

The Office Party ''The Office Party'' is a 1976 British sex comedy directed by David Grant and starring Alan Lake, Johnny Briggs, Pamela Grafton, Ellie Reece-Knight and Theresa Wood. It depicts the sexual misadventures of staff enjoying an office party wher ...

'' (1976) – Peter

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Briggs, Johnny 1935 births 2021 deaths 20th-century British Army personnel 20th-century English male actors 21st-century English male actors Alumni of the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts English male soap opera actors English male stage actors English male film actors Male actors from London Members of the Order of the British Empire People from Battersea Royal Tank Regiment soldiers