Johnny Vegas
Encyclopedia
Johnny Vegas is an English actor and comedian. He is known for his angry rants, portly figure, high husky voice and support of St Helens rugby league
club. More recently he has moved into dramatic acting.
, Lancashire
, the youngest of four children of Laurence and Patricia Pennington. Vegas has two older brothers (Robert and Mark) and an older sister (Catharine). He was raised as a Roman Catholic, but is now non practising. At the age of eleven, he attended St Joseph's College
in Upholland
, a Roman Catholic boarding-school seminary, to train for the priesthood, but came back homesick after four terms.
He studied art and ceramic design
at Middlesex University
for three years and attempted to forge a career in pottery
, but became disillusioned when he received a third class degree
. Despite this, his passion for pottery continues to this day. He returned to St Helens and became a live-in barman.
In 1996, Vegas made his TV debut as a contestant on Win, Lose or Draw
in the UK under his real name of Michael, but made references to the fact he wanted to be a comedian and that his stage name was "Johnny Vegas". His appearance was briefly shown during Channel 4
's 100 Greatest Stand-Ups and BBC Three
's Almost Famous 2. In the mid-nineties Vegas spent time living in London
and Glasgow
with the intention of becoming a stand up comedian. In London, he was mentored by 'comedy godfather' Malcolm Hardee
.
in St Helens where he developed his character's stage performance; in London, Malcolm Hardee repeatedly booked him at his Up The Creek stand up comedy club in Greenwich
. His career took off when he won the Festival Critics' Award at the 1997 Edinburgh Festival
, and was the first newcomer to be nominated for the Perrier Award. Vegas also won the Leicester Mercury
Comedian of The Year Competition in 1997. His early shows The Johnny Vegas Gameshow and The Johnny Vegas Show contained elements such as Butlins
style sing-a-longs, onstage pottery, verbal abuse of the audience, and drunkenness.
), a film made for an international gathering of potters.
This led to his work being acquired for a collection at the Victoria and Albert Museum
and a commission from Old Spice
to design a bottle for their aftershave.
In 2005 he participated in the celebrity special edition of The Generation Game
demonstrating how to make a pot, before judging the participants' attempts.
Vegas admitted on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross
in May 2008 that he has been losing weight after being diagnosed with gout
. On 30 October 2008, on an episode of 8 out of 10 Cats
, he mentioned that he had lost 4 stone (25 kilograms).
He fulfilled a lifetime ambition by appearing for St Helens Rugby League team in Keiron Cunningham
's testimonial game, a friendly against Hull FC, in 2005.
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
club. More recently he has moved into dramatic acting.
Early life
He was born in St HelensSt Helens, Merseyside
St Helens is a large town in Merseyside, England. It is the largest settlement and administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens with a population of just over 100,000, part of an urban area with a total population of 176,843 at the time of the 2001 Census...
, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, the youngest of four children of Laurence and Patricia Pennington. Vegas has two older brothers (Robert and Mark) and an older sister (Catharine). He was raised as a Roman Catholic, but is now non practising. At the age of eleven, he attended St Joseph's College
St Joseph's College, Upholland
St Joseph's College, Upholland is a Former Roman Catholic seminary, situated at Walthew Park, Upholland, Lancashire, England. The foundation of the large building was laid in April 1880 and college was opened in 1883...
in Upholland
Upholland
Upholland is a civil parish and village in West Lancashire, England. It is situated approximately 3 miles east of Skelmersdale, also in West Lancashire, and 4½ miles west of Wigan in Greater Manchester.-Geography:...
, a Roman Catholic boarding-school seminary, to train for the priesthood, but came back homesick after four terms.
He studied art and ceramic design
Ceramics (art)
In art history, ceramics and ceramic art mean art objects such as figures, tiles, and tableware made from clay and other raw materials by the process of pottery. Some ceramic products are regarded as fine art, while others are regarded as decorative, industrial or applied art objects, or as...
at Middlesex University
Middlesex University
Middlesex University is a university in north London, England. It is located in the historic county boundaries of Middlesex from which it takes its name. It is one of the post-1992 universities and is a member of Million+ working group...
for three years and attempted to forge a career in pottery
Pottery
Pottery is the material from which the potteryware is made, of which major types include earthenware, stoneware and porcelain. The place where such wares are made is also called a pottery . Pottery also refers to the art or craft of the potter or the manufacture of pottery...
, but became disillusioned when he received a third class degree
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
. Despite this, his passion for pottery continues to this day. He returned to St Helens and became a live-in barman.
In 1996, Vegas made his TV debut as a contestant on Win, Lose or Draw
Win, Lose or Draw (UK game show)
Win, Lose or Draw was a television game show that aired for several seasons in the ITV daytime schedule in 1990, produced by Scottish Television. The game was based on an American television game show of the same name.-Format:...
in the UK under his real name of Michael, but made references to the fact he wanted to be a comedian and that his stage name was "Johnny Vegas". His appearance was briefly shown during Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
's 100 Greatest Stand-Ups and BBC Three
BBC Three
BBC Three is a television network from the BBC broadcasting via digital cable, terrestrial, IPTV and satellite platforms. The channel's target audience includes those in the 16-34 year old age group, and has the purpose of providing "innovative" content to younger audiences, focusing on new talent...
's Almost Famous 2. In the mid-nineties Vegas spent time living in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
with the intention of becoming a stand up comedian. In London, he was mentored by 'comedy godfather' Malcolm Hardee
Malcolm Hardee
Malcolm Hardee was an English comedian, author, comedy club proprietor, compère, agent, manager and "amateur sensationalist"....
.
Early performances
Before his success in the late '90s, Vegas was a compere of many comedy nights at the Citadel Arts CentreCitadel Arts Centre
The Citadel Arts Centre, commonly referred to as The Citadel, is a multi disciplinary arts centre situated in the centre of St Helens in Merseyside, England occupying a Victorian building on the corner of Waterloo Street and Milk Street...
in St Helens where he developed his character's stage performance; in London, Malcolm Hardee repeatedly booked him at his Up The Creek stand up comedy club in Greenwich
Greenwich
Greenwich is a district of south London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich.Greenwich is best known for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich Meridian and Greenwich Mean Time...
. His career took off when he won the Festival Critics' Award at the 1997 Edinburgh Festival
Edinburgh Festival
The Edinburgh Festival is a collective term for many arts and cultural festivals that take place in Edinburgh, Scotland each summer, mostly in August...
, and was the first newcomer to be nominated for the Perrier Award. Vegas also won the Leicester Mercury
Leicester Mercury
The Leicester Mercury is a British regional newspaper, owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust, for the city of Leicester and the counties of Leicestershire and Rutland...
Comedian of The Year Competition in 1997. His early shows The Johnny Vegas Gameshow and The Johnny Vegas Show contained elements such as Butlins
Butlins
Butlins is a chain of large holiday camps in the United Kingdom. Butlins was founded by Billy Butlin to provide affordable holidays for ordinary British families....
style sing-a-longs, onstage pottery, verbal abuse of the audience, and drunkenness.
Feature films
- The Virgin of Liverpool (2003)... Jackie Symes
- Cheeky (2003)... Alf Price
- BlackballBlackball (film)Blackball is a 2003 British comedy sports film, borrowed from the Australian film, Crackerjack about Cliff Starkey , a fictional rebellious young bowls player. His dream is to play for his country, but always preferred to play by his own rules, much to the disapproval of the local bowls club...
(2003)... Trevor - Sex Lives of the Potato MenSex Lives of the Potato MenSex Lives of the Potato Men is a British comedy film released in 2004.The film is about the sexual antics of a group of potato delivery men in Birmingham and stars Johnny Vegas and Mackenzie Crook....
(2004)... Dave - Terkel in TroubleTerkel in TroubleTerkel in Trouble is a Danish animated film. In the original language all the voices are done by stand-up comedian Anders Matthesen, who also wrote the original story – released on a CD.-Plot summary:...
(2004)... Uncle Stewart (Voice in English language version) - The LibertineThe Libertine (2005 film)The Libertine is a 2004 film starring Johnny Depp, John Malkovich, Samantha Morton and Rosamund Pike. Directed by Laurence Dunmore in his first outing and adapted by Stephen Jeffreys' from his play of the same name, the film stars Johnny Depp as John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester, a notorious rake...
(2004)... SackvilleCharles Sackville, 6th Earl of DorsetCharles Sackville, 6th Earl of Dorset and 1st Earl of Middlesex was an English poet and courtier.-Early Life:He was son of Richard Sackville, 5th Earl of Dorset...
Television
- HappinessHappiness (TV series)Happiness was a British sitcom broadcast on BBC2 with dramatic, melancholy overtones written by Paul Whitehouse and David Cummings with Whitehouse in the lead role.There have been two series thus far, the first running in 2001 and the second in 2003...
(2001–2003, 12 episodes)... Charlie Doyle - Black BooksBlack BooksBlack Books is a British sitcom television series created by Dylan Moran and Graham Linehan and produced by Nira Park, first broadcast on Channel 4 from 2000 to 2004...
(2002, 1 episode)... The Landlord - Shooting StarsShooting StarsShooting Stars is a British television comedy panel game broadcast on BBC Two as a pilot in 1993, then as 3 full series from 1995 to 1997, then on BBC Choice from January to December 2002 with 2 series before returning to BBC Two for another 3 series from 2008 until its axing in 2011...
(2002, 19 episodes) - Tipping the VelvetTipping the Velvet (TV serial)Tipping the Velvet is a 2002 BBC television drama serial based on the bestselling debut novel by Sarah Waters of the same name. It originally screened in three episodes on BBC Two and was produced for the BBC by the independent production company Sally Head Productions...
(2002)... Gully Sutherland - Ed Stone Is DeadEd Stone Is DeadEd Stone Is Dead was a 2002 BBC sitcom starring Richard Blackwood, Bill Paterson and Claudie Blakley. It centers around Ed Stone who accidentally is killed by the grim reaper Nigel and becomes half-dead....
(2003, 1 episode)... Waiter - Top Gear (2003, 1 episode)
- Bleak House (2005, 6 episodes)... Krook
- Dead Man WedsDead Man WedsDead Man Weds is a 6-part comedy series shown on ITV on British TV in January and early February 2005 .The series was written by Dave Spikey who played the part of Jerry St Clair in Phoenix Nights...
(2005, 6 episodes)... Lewis Donat - ShakespeaRE-Told (2005, episode based on A Midsummer Night's DreamA Midsummer Night's DreamA Midsummer Night's Dream is a play that was written by William Shakespeare. It is believed to have been written between 1590 and 1596. It portrays the events surrounding the marriage of the Duke of Athens, Theseus, and the Queen of the Amazons, Hippolyta...
)... BottomNick BottomNick Bottom is a character in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream who provides comic relief throughout the play, and is famously known for getting his head transformed into that of an ass by the elusive Puck within the play.- Overview :... - IdealIdeal (TV series)Ideal is a British comedy-drama, or dark comedy originally broadcast on digital channel BBC Three, created by Graham Duff and produced by BBC Comedy North and Baby Cow Productions. It stars Johnny Vegas as small-time cannabis dealer Moz....
(2005–2011, 53 episodes)... Moz - BenidormBenidorm (TV series)Benidorm is an award-winning British television comedy-drama that is produced by Tiger Aspect for ITV and written by Derren Litten, co-writer of The Catherine Tate Show, exploiting the working-class stereotype of this popular tourist destination....
(2007–2009, 17 episodes)... Geoff Maltby (The Oracle) - MassiveMassive (TV series)Massive is a sitcom broadcast on digital channel BBC Three. It is set in Manchester and stars Ralf Little and Carl Rice as Danny and Shay, who leave their office jobs to set up a record label when Danny inherits £10,000 following the death of his grandmother.The series began airing on BBC Three on...
(2008, 6 episodes)... Tony - Dave's One Night StandDave's One Night Stand-External links:* at Dave's official website...
(2010, 1 episode) - Celebrity JuiceCelebrity JuiceCelebrity Juice is a British television comedy panel game show on ITV2 that has been airing since 24 September, 2008. The show is presented by Keith Lemon, with regular captains Holly Willoughby and Fearne Cotton, alongside regular panellist Rufus Hound...
(2011, 1 episode)
Ceramics
Having achieved fame in entertainment Vegas received plaudits for his ceramic work. Ceramic Review praised him, leading to a role in Pot Shots (collaborating with Roger LawRoger Law
Roger Law is a caricaturist and one half of Fluck & Law , creators of the satirical TV puppet show Spitting Image.-Early life:...
), a film made for an international gathering of potters.
This led to his work being acquired for a collection at the Victoria and Albert Museum
Victoria and Albert Museum
The Victoria and Albert Museum , set in the Brompton district of The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England, is the world's largest museum of decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 4.5 million objects...
and a commission from Old Spice
Old Spice
Old Spice is a prominent American brand of male grooming products. It is manufactured by Procter & Gamble, which acquired the brand in 1990 from the Shulton Company.-History:...
to design a bottle for their aftershave.
In 2005 he participated in the celebrity special edition of The Generation Game
The Generation Game
The Generation Game was a British gameshow produced by the BBC in which four teams of two competed to win prizes...
demonstrating how to make a pot, before judging the participants' attempts.
Personal life
Vegas married Catherine "Kitty" Donnelly in August 2002 and sold pictures of the wedding to Viz magazine for a penny. The couple separated in 2004. They reunited briefly (twice) in 2005. Vegas and Donnelly were divorced by agreement on 11 March 2008 after having lived apart for more than two years. In early April 2011, Vegas married columnist and Irish TV producer, Maia Dunphy in Seville.Vegas admitted on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross
Friday Night with Jonathan Ross
Friday Night with Jonathan Ross was a British comedy chat show presented by Jonathan Ross. It was first broadcast on BBC One on 2 November 2001. The programme featured Ross's take on current topics of conversation, guest interviews and live music from both a guest music group and the house band...
in May 2008 that he has been losing weight after being diagnosed with gout
Gout
Gout is a medical condition usually characterized by recurrent attacks of acute inflammatory arthritis—a red, tender, hot, swollen joint. The metatarsal-phalangeal joint at the base of the big toe is the most commonly affected . However, it may also present as tophi, kidney stones, or urate...
. On 30 October 2008, on an episode of 8 out of 10 Cats
8 Out of 10 Cats
8 out of 10 Cats is a television comedy panel game made by Zeppotron for Channel 4. It was first broadcast on 3 June 2005. The show is based on statistics and opinion polls, and draws on polls produced by a variety of organizations and new polls commissioned for the programme, carried out by...
, he mentioned that he had lost 4 stone (25 kilograms).
He fulfilled a lifetime ambition by appearing for St Helens Rugby League team in Keiron Cunningham
Keiron Cunningham
Keiron Cunningham is a former British professional rugby league footballer. A Great Britain and Wales international representative hooker, he played his entire club rugby career at St...
's testimonial game, a friendly against Hull FC, in 2005.
External links
- Manchester Alternative Comedy
- Sitting pretty by Miranda SawyerMiranda SawyerMiranda Sawyer is an English journalist and broadcaster.She grew up in Wilmslow, Cheshire with her brother Toby, who is an actor. She has a degree in Jurisprudence from Pembroke College, Oxford...
– The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, 15 May 2005. - St Helens Rugby