John Savident
| John Savident | |
|---|---|
| Born |
21 January 1938 Guernsey, Channel Islands |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1966–2011 |
| Spouse(s) | Rona |
| Children | 2 |
John Savident (born 21 January 1938) is a British actor, known for his television roles, including his portrayal of Fred Elliott in the soap opera Coronation Street from 1994 until 2006.
Savident was born in Guernsey and still lived there at the time of the German occupation of the Island in 1940. He and his family escaped to England in a fishing boat. During his early years he was a policeman before turning to acting as his profession.
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, Haymarket, London SW.
Despite his many film and TV roles, (including civil servant Sir Frederick Stewart in Yes, Minister and in A Clockwork Orange), it was only during the 1990s when he joined the cast of Coronation Street as the bellicose but romantic butcher Fred Elliott that he became a household name. He made his first appearance on the show in 1994 and his character quickly became popular with viewers.
On 1 December 2000, Savident was stabbed in the neck by Michael Smith who claimed he was acting in self-defence. Savident said at the time "I suddenly felt somebody come up behind me and whizz me round so I was face down on the bed and then I felt a prick on my throat". Savident had met Smith in a gay bar. They then went to Savident's home apparently to discuss the theatre which Smith claimed was a euphemism for sex. The next week on Coronation Street the large sticking plaster on his character's neck was explained as a "butchering accident".
In December 2005, Savident announced that he was to leave Coronation Street citing (undisclosed) "personal reasons" for his decision. His character died of a stroke nine months later. He later revealed that he had retired from the show "because he wanted to spend more time with his family in Hertfordshire".
Since leaving, he has been critical of the way the series is produced in a number of articles and television interviews, claiming that the programme is amongst other things "on too frequently" and "badly lit".
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