Alan Igbon

Alan Igbon
Born(1952-05-29)29 May 1952
Died9 December 2020 (aged 68)[2]
NationalityEnglish
Occupationactor
Known forThe Front Line, The Professionals, Doctors, Brookside, Coronation Street and Boys from the Blackstuff.

Alan Igbon (29 May 1952 – 9 December 2020) was a British actor, best known for his roles in television series such as The Professionals, Coronation Street and Boys from the Blackstuff.

Life and career

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Alan Olanrewaju Igbon was born in Hulme,[2] Manchester, in May 1952.[1][3] His father Lawrence was Nigerian, and his mother Mary was Irish. Igbon grew up loving music and art and boxed in over 60 fights before training as an actor in London.

Early stage work came in 1974, at Liverpool Playhouse in the title role of a Toxteth youth who believes himself to be a descendent of the famed sea captain in Philip Martin's play, Nelson Lives in Liverpool 8.[2]

Igbon took the background part of inmate Meakin in the cinematic re-make of the controversial borstal TV film Scum (1979), whose character launched an emotional tirade against senior members of staff after the suicide of another convict.[3][2] The cast included Ray Winstone and Patrick Murray.[4]

Igbon appeared as Angadi, part of a kidnapping gang in the LWT drama The Professionals; episode The Acorn Syndrome (1980). Igbon starred as Loggo in Boys from the Blackstuff,[5] a BBC television drama about a group of unemployed men in Liverpool during the recession-ravaged early 1980s, written by Alan Bleasdale.[3] He also took a leading role in the sitcom The Front Line, playing the dreadlocked Sheldon, alongside Paul Barber as his police officer brother Malcolm, and had a role in the film Water (1985).[3]

Other staple programmes in which Igbon featured include Bleasdale's drama G.B.H.,[3] medical serial Doctors and Channel 4 soap opera Brookside. He had a supporting role in the third series of Auf Wiedersehen, Pet as a bodyguard and stooge to the programme's main villain (played by Boys from the Blackstuff co-star Michael Angelis) and then took a temporary role in ITV soap Coronation Street,[6] playing Tony Stewart the estranged father of regular character Jason Grimshaw. The character returned eleven years later in 2014, but the Igbon did not return for the role, which was recast to Terence Maynard.[7]

Death

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Igbon died on 9 December 2020, at the age of 68 from pneumonia. He was survived by his partner Sam, son Maximillian, sister Brenda, and brother Lawrence.[8]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
1979 Scum Meakin [3]
1980 Babylon Rupert [3]
1985 Water Cuban [3]

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1975 Nightingale's Boys Ola Episode - Tweety [3]
1975 Crown Court Peter Facey episode - the Trees Part 1 [3]
1975 Coronation Street Steve Baker 2 epidodes[3]
1978 Me! I'm Afraid of Virginia Woolf Boswell TV film
1978 Life Begins at 40 Darren Braithwaite 2 episodes - Pot Luck and Happy Families
1979 Playhouse Mike The Daughters of Albion [2]
1980 The Professionals Angadi 1 episode The Acorn Syndrome [2]
1980 Mixed Blessings Isaiah 3 episodes
1980 The Black Stuff Loggo Logmond main role (TV film) [3]
1981 Angels Tony 2 episodes
1982 No Problem! Isaiah 3 episodes
1982 Boys from the Blackstuff Loggo Logmond main role - 5 episodes[3]
1985 Brookside Gene 1 episodes [2]
1982 - 1985 The Front Line Sheldon 6 episodes
1989 Women in Tropical Places - TV film
1991 G.B.H Teddy 7 episodes[2]
1994 Blood on the Dole Art Gallery Attendant TV film
1994-1995 Moving Story (TV series) Dennis 3 episodes
1995 The Bill Colin West 1 episode - Old Habitats
1997 Cold Enough for Snow Pete in the Garage TV film
1997 Gobble 2nd Security man TV film
2002 Auf Wiedersehen, Pet Addey 3 episodes[3]
2003 Coronation Street Tony Stewart 25 episodes[3]
2004 Doctors Leon Marsh [3]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Alan Igbon dead: Coronation Street and Brookside star dies 'peacefully' aged 68". Express.co.uk. 6 January 2021. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h "Obituary: Alan Igbon, charismatic actor whose roles included Boys from the Blackstuff". HeraldScotland.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p "Tributes to Coronation Street actor Alan Igbon who has died aged 68". Manchester Evening News. 6 January 2021. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  4. ^ "Scum". whsmith.co.uk. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
  5. ^ "'Coronation Street' and 'Brookside' actor Alan Igbon dies aged 68". uk.news.yahoo.com. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  6. ^ Bourne, Stephen (19 July 2005). Black in the British Frame: The Black Experience in British Film and Television. A&C Black. pp. 170–. ISBN 9780826478986. Retrieved 21 September 2014.
  7. ^ "Alan Igbon dead: Coronation Street star dies aged 68 as actor's niece pays tribute". msn.com. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  8. ^ "Alan Igbon dead: Coronation Street and Brookside star dies at 68, says niece". Daily Mirror. Reach plc. 6 January 2021. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
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