Mick Ford (born 1 August 1952) is a British actor, screenwriter and playwright, best known for his portrayal of intellectual convict Archer in the cinema version of '' Scum''.
Early life and education
Ford was born on 1 August 1952 in
Croydon, Surrey
Croydon is a large town in South London, England, south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a local government district of Greater London; it is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater London, with an extensive ...
. His father, Noel Ford, fought on the front lines as a Desert Rat during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
National Youth Theatre
The National Youth Theatre of Great Britain (NYT) is a youth theatre and charity in London, created with the aim of developing young people's artistic skills via theatrical productions and other creative endeavours. Founded in 1956 as the world ...
, where he appeared in numerous plays, including the premiere of ''
Zigger Zagger
''Zigger Zagger'' is a 1967 play by Peter Terson which was the first work to be commissioned by the National Youth Theatre who revived it at Wilton's Music Hall in 2017 for its 50th anniversary.The Sailor's Return'', Ford's best known role came in the 1979 film '' Scum''. Set in a
borstal
A borstal is a type of youth detention centre. Such a detention centre is more commonly known as a borstal school in India, where they remain in use today. Until the late 20th century, borstals were present in the United Kingdom, several mem ...
, Ford plays the inmate Archer, an intelligent vegetarian trouble-maker who just wants to serve his time ''"In (his) own little way"''. Ford also had a role that year in the television film ''
The Knowledge
Taxis are regulated throughout the United Kingdom, but the regulation of taxicabs in London is especially rigorous with regard to mechanical integrity and driver knowledge. An official report observed that: "Little however is known about the regula ...
'' (for which he also performed the title song) in which he stars as an unemployed man who is encouraged by his girlfriend ( Kim Taylforth) to apply to the Metropolitan Police Public Carriage Office to become a
black cab
A hackney or hackney carriage (also called a cab, black cab, hack or taxi) is a carriage or car for hire. A hackney of a more expensive or high class was called a remise. A symbol of London and Britain, the black taxi is a common sight on t ...
driver. In 1980 he was the main character in the European TV-miniseries ''
Caleb Williams
Caleb Sequan Williams (born November 18, 2001) is an American professional American football, football quarterback for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). Following one season of college football with the Oklahoma Sooners f ...
'' by
Herbert Wise
Herbert Wise (31 August 1924 – 5 August 2015) was an Austrian-born film and television producer and director.
Biography
Herbert Wise was born as Herbert Weisz in Vienna, Austria, and began his career as a director at Shrewsbury Repertory Comp ...
. He also appeared opposite
Trevor Howard
Trevor Wallace Howard-Smith (29 September 1913 – 7 January 1988) was an English stage and screen actor. After varied work in the theatre, he achieved leading man star status in the film '' Brief Encounter'' (1945), followed by '' The Third M ...
in the film '' Light Years Away'' (1981), and appeared in the play, ''The Promise''. His later film roles include ''
Kim
Kim may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Kim (given name), a list of people and fictional characters
* Kim (surname), a list of people and fictional characters
** Kim (Korean surname)
*** Kim dynasty (disambiguation), several dynas ...
How to Get Ahead in Advertising
''How to Get Ahead in Advertising'' is a 1989 British black comedy fantasy film written and directed by Bruce Robinson, and starring Richard E. Grant and Rachel Ward.
In the film, an advertising executive has a nervous breakdown and finds hi ...
'' (1989) .
Ford is also a writer. He wrote episodes of ''
William and Mary William and Mary often refers to:
* The joint reign of William III of England (II of Scotland) and Mary II of England (and Scotland)
* William and Mary style, a furniture design common from 1700 to 1725 named for the couple
William and Mary may al ...
'', '' Ashes to Ashes'' and several Netflix miniseries adaptations of
Harlan Coben
Harlan Coben (born January 4, 1962) is an American writer of mystery novels and thrillers. The plots of his novels often involve the resurfacing of unresolved or misinterpreted events in the past, murders, or fatal accidents and have multiple ...
's novels. In 2010, Ford wrote the four-part drama ''Single Father'', starring David Tennant. In 2017, Ford adapted the memoir ''
The Boy with the Topknot
''The Boy with the Topknot'' is a 2017 British romantic drama film starring Sacha Dhawan and Joanna Vanderham. The film is based on Sathnam Sanghera's memoir of the same name. The film premiered on BBC. The film is about a Sikh
Sikhs (sin ...
'' into a BBC TV movie. In 2024, ITV broadcast Ford's crime mystery thriller series '' After the Flood''.
Personal life
Ford was married to the director of St Pancras Community Centre, Ruth Roberts, with whom he had two children. Roberts died in September 2010. He later married former actress Rudi Davies, whose mother was novelist
Beryl Bainbridge
Dame Beryl Margaret Bainbridge (21 November 1932 – 2 July 2010) was an English writer. She was primarily known for her works of psychological fiction, often macabre tales set among the English working class. She won the Whitbread Awards priz ...