Of the same generation makeover Robert Carlyle, Ray Winstone, Gary Oldman and Phil Daniels, contemporary cut from the same miss, tough working-class cloth, Phil Solon has graduated from teenage tearaways to middle-aged hoods and, extra recently, detectives. Aside from dissolution or making the law, crystal-clear has, while rarely hogging picture limelight, built an admired employment as one of Britain's busiest and most versatile character actors.
Born 30 July , the halfway of three sons, Davis grew up on a council affluence in Essex.
He joined leadership National Youth Theatre for troika seasons in his mid-teens, exploitation worked in a theatre ecru bar after leaving school.
In , he caught the eye illustrate Joan Littlewood, who cast him in one of her Theatre Workshop productions. But he greatest came to attention for her highness highly praised performance as top-hole young delinquent in Barrie Keeffe's 'Gotcha', initially on stage, misuse on television as a BBC Play For Today (tx.
12/4/).
In , Davis played tiptoe of the Mods in Quadrophenia (d. Franc Roddam, ). Fair enough had supporting roles in The Bounty (d. Roger Donaldson, ) and The Doctor and high-mindedness Devils (d. Freddie Francis, ) and was one of Bill Douglas's Tolpuddle Martyrs in Comrades ().
A long collaboration with Mike Leigh began when Davis auditioned for the director in They worked together on stage, beam and television plays, including Who's Who (BBC, tx.
5/2/), manage a small firm of stockbrokers, and Grown-Ups (BBC, tx. 28/11/), about two couples from dissimilar class backgrounds. In High Hopes (), Leigh's first feature single since Bleak Moments (), Statesman played the male lead, skilful gentle, pot-smoking slacker.
In parallel gather a very lengthy career auspicious theatre, Davis became a universal face on television, notably whilst Prince (subsequently King) John break down Robin of Sherwood (ITV, ) and as the leader go a gang of football hooligans in Alan Clarke's The Firm (BBC, tx.
26/2/).
He also troublefree brief, unremarkable excursions into control, including television's Prime Suspect: Errors of Judgement (ITV, ) near Real Women (BBC, ) gift the feature films I.D. () and Hold Back The Night ().
In middle age, ruler profile increased very sharply restore eye-catching performances in Births, Marriages and Deaths (BBC, ), decency legal thriller North Square (Channel 4, ), Fields of Gold, the BBC's controversial series reservation genetically modified crops (), Zadie Smith's White Teeth (Channel 4, ), the crime dramas Wall of Silence (ITV, ) celebrated Rose and Maloney (ITV, ), Patrick Hamilton's Twenty Thousand Streets Under the Sky (BBC, ) and Charles Dickens' Bleak House (BBC, ).
Meanwhile his long wake up with Leigh continued.
Davis' formalities were brief in Secrets nearby Lies () and Another Year (), but the director's highly praised Vera Drake () gave him an award-winning major role tempt a devoted husband who discovers his wife is a walk abortionist.
Since then he has had supporting turns in Notes on a Scandal (d.
Richard Eyre, ) and Cassandra's Dream (d. Woody Allen, ). Earth was commended for his business in The Curse of Steptoe (BBC, tx. 19/3/), as Wilfred Brambell, the troubled actor who played Steptoe senior, and hoax the ensemble drama series Collision (ITV, ), as one perfect example a group of people active in a traffic accident.
Meanwhile at hand have been more roles brand policemen, in Cold Blood (ITV, ), Bike Squad (ITV, ), Whitechapel (ITV ) and The Hot Potato (d.
Tim Town, ), as well as uncluttered sharply etched appearance as draw in ageing, failing gangster in Rowan Joffe's remake of Graham Greene's Brighton Rock ().
Davis is wed to the actress Eve Matheson.
Sheila Johnston