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John Savident

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John Savident
Savident as Fred Elliott from the ITV soap opera Coronation Street
Born
John Frederick Joseph Savident

(1938-01-21)21 January 1938
St Peter Port, Guernsey
Died21 February 2024(2024-02-21) (aged 86)
OccupationActor
Years active1966–2011
Known forRole of Fred Elliott in Coronation Street (1994–2006)
Spouse
Rona Hopkinson
​
(m. 1961)​
Children2

John Frederick Joseph Savident (21 January 1938 – 21 February 2024) was a British actor, known for his numerous television roles, including his portrayal of Fred Elliott in the soap opera Coronation Street from 1994 to 2006. He was also known for his performance as Monsieur Firmin in the West End cast of The Phantom of the Opera. His other credits include The Avengers (1968), A Clockwork Orange (1971), The Professionals (1978), Blake's 7 (1979), Yes Minister (1980), Gandhi (1982), The Remains of the Day (1993) and Middlemarch (1994).

Early life

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Savident was born 21 January 1938 in St Peter Port, Guernsey,[1] and still lived there at the time of the German occupation of the island in 1940. He and his family escaped to Britain in a fishing boat and settled in Ashton-under-Lyne. His acting career started when he joined Ashton Repertory.

Savident was educated at the town's grammar school and in 1955 joined the Manchester City Police, serving as a police officer before turning to acting as his profession.[2]

Career

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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 in Haymarket, London.[3] He appeared as the renegade scientist Egrorian in a 1981 episode of the cult science fiction TV series Blake's 7.[4] He also had other television appearances in Danger Man, The Saint, Callan and Doctor Who.[1] He played Doctor Meredith in The Remains of the Day.[1]

Coronation Street

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Despite his many film and television roles, including civil servant Sir Frederick Stewart in Yes Minister,[1] and a part in A Clockwork Orange (1971),[1] it was only when Savident joined the cast of Coronation Street as the bellicose but romantic butcher Fred Elliott during the 1990s that he became a household name.[5][6] He made his first appearance on the show in 1994 and his character quickly became popular with viewers.[7]

In December 2005, Savident announced that he was to leave Coronation Street citing undisclosed "personal reasons". His character died of a stroke nine months later, in October 2006. He later revealed that he had retired from the show "because he wanted to spend more time with his family in Hertfordshire".[8]

Later work

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Savident was one of the readers on the BBC's online Advent Calendar in December 2006.[citation needed] That year, he appeared in the pantomime Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs as the henchman at Manchester Opera House, alongside his former Coronation Street co-star Suranne Jones, as well as Justin Moorhouse and an all-star seven dwarves including Warwick Davis.[citation needed]

In 2007, he was touring as the lead in a production of Hobson's Choice.[9] He appeared on Loose Women on 19 March 2009 to discuss his part as Sir Joseph Porter in the Gilbert and Sullivan operetta HMS Pinafore, which toured the United Kingdom during the spring and summer of 2009.[10]

He guest-starred in the Christmas special episode of Holby City in 2012, playing patient Rupert Pool.[11] He voiced the character Pendle in the Doctor Who audio-drama Order of the Daleks.[12]

Personal life

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Savident married Rona Hopkinson in 1961; they had two children and several grandchildren.[1]

On 1 December 2000, Savident was involved in a serious incident with an escort at his flat in Manchester. In the early hours of the morning, Savident was stabbed in the neck. The man was jailed for 7 years for the attack. [13]

Death

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Savident died on 21 February 2024, at the age of 86.[1]

Filmography

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Notes

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g "John Savident, who starred as butcher Fred Elliott in Coronation Street, dies aged 86". ITV News. 23 February 2024. Retrieved 23 February 2024.
  2. ^ Hadoke, Toby (25 February 2024). "John Savident obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  3. ^ "The Phantom of the Opera, Her Majesty's, London". the Guardian. 10 October 1986.
  4. ^ "Blake's 7 : Orbit (1981) - Brian Lighthill | Cast and Crew | AllMovie" – via www.allmovie.com.
  5. ^ "John Savident". BFI. Archived from the original on 6 August 2016.
  6. ^ "I've got no time for Corrie now, says actor John Savident". Manchester Evening News. 18 May 2011.
  7. ^ "Corrie at 60: Some of the beloved soap's most memorable characters". The Leader. 7 December 2020.
  8. ^ "Savident was 'disappointed' by Corrie chiefs". Digital Spy. 28 December 2008. Retrieved 13 August 2011.
  9. ^ "Theatre review: Hobson's Choice at Chichester Festival Theatre". British Theatre Guide.
  10. ^ "Review: HMS Pinafore, Carl Rosa Opera, Theatre Royal Bath". The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald. 6 May 2009.
  11. ^ "BBC One - Holby City, Series 15, And We Banish Shade". BBC.
  12. ^ "218. Order of the Daleks". bigfinish.com. Retrieved 7 March 2019.
  13. ^ John Savident (10 December 2002). "Man jailed for attack on Street star". BBC News. Retrieved 13 August 2011.
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