Ronald Samuel Johnson (14 May 1949 – November 1998) was an English actor.

Biography

Johnson was born in Gateshead. the son of Samuel Johnson and Thomasina (Tina) Scott. He was brother to Kenneth (who died in September 1964), Raymond (Jimmy) and two sisters Valerie and Catherine. Johnson was raised in Gateshead and lived on the Springwell Estate. From an early age he was interested in music and played guitar, which he wore around his neck. Later he became a member of the band Pigmeat along with Jim Murray and Ray Stubbs. After playing bass guitar at

Live Theatre Live Theatre, formerly Live Theatre Company, is a new writing theatre and company based in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. As well as producing and presenting new plays many of which go on to tour nationally and internationally, it seeks out an ...

in a panto he was asked to act in the show. He applied for Equity membership but they already had a 'Ron Johnson' so he used his father's name of 'Sammy'. He appeared in several TV productions and often worked with local writers like C. P. Taylor,

Tom Hadaway Tom Hadaway (18 March 1923 – 3 March 2005) was a writer for stage and television, born in North Shields in North East England. Early life Hadaway was born on Howdon Road, North Shields on 18 March 1923. After leaving school, aged 14, he work ...

, Leonard Barras and Arthur McKenzie but continued to be a musician with the 'Ray Stubbs R&B Allstars' as well as forming 'Matt Vinyl and the Decorators'. Johnson was cast as Martin Cooper in the second series of ''

Auf Wiedersehen, Pet ''Auf Wiedersehen, Pet'' () is a British comedy-drama television programme about seven British construction workers who leave the United Kingdom to search for employment overseas. In the first series, the men live and work on a building site in ...

''. He was then chosen by

Jimmy Nail James Michael Aloysius Bradford (born 16 March 1954), known as Jimmy Nail, is an English singer-songwriter, actor, film producer, and television writer. He played the role of Leonard "Oz" Osborne in the television show '' Auf Wiedersehen, Pet'' ...

to play 'Stick' in ''

Spender ''Spender'' is a British television police procedural drama, created by Ian La Frenais and Jimmy Nail, that first broadcast on 8 January 1991 on BBC1. The series, which also starred Nail as the titular character, ran for three series between 1 ...

'', which was written by Jimmy Nail and Ian La Frenais. Other famous roles he played were in the animated comedy adaptation of VIZ's Sid the Sexist - where he provided the voice of the titular character and in ITV's adaptation of

Catherine Cookson Dame Catherine Ann Cookson, DBE (''née'' McMullen; 20 June 1906 – 11 June 1998) was a British writer. She is in the top 20 of the most widely read British novelists, with sales topping 100 million, while retaining a relatively low profile i ...

's ''The Gambling Man'' as Victor Pittie. He then turned to scriptwriting and moved to Spain in the hills above Málaga, where he died while out jogging in 1998 at the age of 49. After his death, the Sammy Johnson Memorial Fund was set up. There is a biennial variety concert named '' Sunday for Sammy'' hosted by Tim Healy and (until 2008) Jimmy Nail, featuring sketches with North East personalities.

Kevin Whately Kevin Whately (born 6 February 1951) is an English actor. He is best known for his roles as Neville "Nev" Hope in the British comedy drama '' Auf Wiedersehen, Pet'', Robert "Robbie" Lewis in the crime dramas '' Inspector Morse'' 1987–2000 an ...

Denise Welch Jacqueline Denise Welch (born 22 May 1958) is an English actress, television personality, writer and broadcaster. Her roles include Natalie Barnes in ''Coronation Street'' (1997–2000), Steph Haydock in '' Waterloo Road'' (2006–2010), and ...

and Peter Beardsley are amongst the regular contributors.

External links

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Sammy Johnson Memorial FundBBC Comedy Sammy Johnson
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Sammy 1949 births 1998 deaths English male television actors British expatriates in Spain Male actors from Newcastle upon Tyne Actors from County Durham Actors from Gateshead 20th-century English male actors