Johnny Briggs was born on September 5, 1935, in South London, to Ernest and Rose Briggs, and had a younger sister, Barbara, who tragically passed away in 1955 at the age of 15.
As a young boy, Johnny sang soprano in a church choir and during World War II, he was evacuated to the English countryside for his safety. Back in London, he won a scholarship at the age of 12 to the prestigious Italia Conti Stage Academy, where he was classmates with notable actors Nanette Newman and Anthony Newley.
Johnny's early career involved a scattering of parts in movies, stage plays, and TV shows. In 1953, he served in Germany with the Royal Tank Regiment for two years before resuming his acting career.
In 1961, Johnny married Caroline Sinclair and they had two children, Mark and Karen, before divorcing in 1975. The same year, he married schoolteacher Christine Allsop and they had four children together: Jennifer, Michael, Stephanie, and Anthony.
Johnny is perhaps best known to British audiences as Mike Baldwin, a role he played on the popular TV series Coronation Street for almost 30 years, starting in 1976. American audiences may recognize him as the young sailor who was flogged in the 1962 film Damn the Defiant!
Although Johnny has been working less frequently in recent years, he remains an avid golfer and has had a long and distinguished career in the entertainment industry.
