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John Leyton

Actor

John Leyton

Born February 17, 1939 in Frinton-on-Sea, Essex, England, UK14 films

John Dudley Leyton (born 17 February 1936) is an English actor and singer.

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Leyton as a singer is best known for his hit song "Johnny Remember Me" (written by Geoff Goddard and produced by Joe Meek), which reached number one in the UK Singles Chart in August 1961 despite being banned by the BBC for its death references. His follow-up single, "Wild Wind", reached number two in the charts.

Alongside singing, Leyton's acting career saw him appearing in television and films throughout the 1960s. His films included The Great Escape, Guns at Batasi, Von Ryan's Express and Krakatoa, East of Java. In 2009 he also had a small role in the film Telstar, a biopic based on Joe Meek's life in which Leyton himself was portrayed by Callum Dixon.

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The best way into John Leyton's work
The Great Escape posterFirst watchThe Great Escape19637.9as Willie 'Tunnel King'The Nazis, exasperated at the number of escapes from their prison camps by a relatively small number of Allied prisoners, relocate them to a high-security 'escape-proof' camp to sit out…View film

Essential films

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Filmography

14 films as actor
  1. 2008Telstar: The Joe Meek StorySir Edward
  2. 2005Colour Me KubrickLord Charles Benson
  3. 1981Baby TalkSteve
  4. 1981Dangerous Davies: The Last DetectiveDave Boot
  5. 1976SchizoAlan Falconer
  6. 1969Krakatoa, East of JavaRigby
  7. 1966The IdolTimothy
  8. 1965Every Day's a HolidayGerry Pullman
  9. 1965Von Ryan's ExpressLt. Orde
  10. 1964Guns at BatasiPrivate Wilkes
  11. 1963The Great EscapeWillie 'Tunnel King'
  12. 1959I'm All Right JackRecruit to Detto (uncredited)
  13. 1959Danger WithinPOW (uncredited)
  14. 1959The Captain's TablePassenger Watching Beauty Contest (uncredited)