Neil Anthony Morrissey (born 4 July 1962) is an English actor, businessman, narrator, and television presenter. He is perhaps best known for his roles as Rocky in ''
Boon'', and Tony in ''
Men Behaving Badly
''Men Behaving Badly'' is a British sitcom that was created and written by Simon Nye. It follows the lives of Gary Strang ( Martin Clunes) and his flatmates Dermot Povey ( Harry Enfield; series 1 only) and Tony Smart ( Neil Morrissey; series ...
''. Other notable acting roles include Deputy Head Eddie Lawson in the
BBC One
BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television b ...
school-based drama series ''
Waterloo Road'', and Nigel Morton in ''
Line of Duty
''Line of Duty'' is a British police procedural and serial drama television programme created by Jed Mercurio and produced by World Productions for the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). It began broadcasting on BBC Two on 26 June 2012. ...
''. Morrissey also provided the voice of the
titular character, Lofty, Roley, and others in ''
Bob the Builder
''Bob the Builder'' is a British animated children's television series created by Keith Chapman for HIT Entertainment which ran from to in the United Kingdom through the CBBC strand and later CBeebies. The series centres on the adventures ...
''.
Early life
Morrissey was born in
Stafford
Stafford () is a market town and the county town of Staffordshire, England. It is located about south of Stoke-on-Trent, north of Wolverhampton, and northwest of Birmingham. The town had a population of 71,673 at the 2021–2022 United Kingd ...
,
Staffordshire
Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation ''Staffs''.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It borders Cheshire to the north-west, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, ...
on 4 July 1962,
the third of four sons of Irish parents who were both psychiatric nurses. Neil, aged 10, and his brother Stephen,
aged 12, stole sweets and stationery from a shop.
In court, a magistrate issued a care order and the pair were sent to separate
children's homes,
Neil spending most of his time (six years) at Penkhull Children's Home, from 1974.
under the care of Margaret Cartlidge.
"we were slightly feral, left to our own devices, getting into loads of trouble, burgling and vandalising stuff in Stafford"
He attended
Thistley Hough Academy in
Penkhull
Penkhull is a district of the city of Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, part of Penkhull and Stoke electoral ward, and Stoke Central parliamentary constituency.
Penkhull is a conservation area, and includes Grade II listed buildings suc ...
,
where he passed all nine
CSEs with
O-Level-equivalent grades,
despite purportedly being downgraded from taking
GCE exams on account of his being raised in care.
He went on to further study for his
A-levels
The A-level (Advanced Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational ...
at the
City of Stoke-on-Trent Sixth Form College.
Morrissey had developed his skills and reputation as an actor through his teenage years at Stoke Schools Theatre, Stoke Repertory Theatre,
performing at the
Edinburgh Fringe Festival
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (also referred to as the Edinburgh Fringe, the Fringe or the Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is the world's largest performance arts festival, which in 2024 spanned 25 days, sold more than 2.6 million tickets and featur ...
in 1979.
He further studied acting at the
Guildhall School of Music and Drama
The Guildhall School of Music and Drama is a music school, music and drama school located in the City of London, England. Established in 1880, the school offers undergraduate and postgraduate training in all aspects of classical music and jazz al ...
,
after receiving an educational grant, and he 'sofa-surfed' with friends, and performed
street theatre
Street theatre is a form of theatrical performance and presentation in outdoor public spaces without a specific paying audience. These spaces can be anywhere, including shopping centres, car parks, recreational reserves, college or universi ...
, to survive first year.
Career
Acting
In 1984, Morrissey, in his film debut, played Able Seaman
Matthew Quintal in historical mariner drama ''
The Bounty'',
alongside
Mel Gibson
Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson (born January 3, 1956) is an American actor and filmmaker. The recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Mel Gibson, multiple accolades, he is known for directing historical films as well for his act ...
,
Anthony Hopkins
Sir Philip Anthony Hopkins (born 31 December 1937) is a Welsh actor. Considered one of Britain's most recognisable and prolific actors, he is known for List of Anthony Hopkins performances, his performances on the screen and stage. Hopkins ha ...
and
Laurence Olivier
Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier ( ; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor and director. He and his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud made up a trio of male actors who dominated the British stage of the m ...
.
In 1987, Morrissey rose to notoriety as dim biker Rocky in the
ITV drama series ''
Boon'',
alongside
Michael Elphick.
Many of the actors from ''
Boon'', were also involved in the 1990 British spoof horror film ''
I Bought a Vampire Motorcycle
''I Bought a Vampire Motorcycle'' is a 1990 British Horror comedy (genre), comedy horror film about a Norton Commando, motorcycle possessed by an evil spirit, which rides by itself and kills people, particularly members of a particular motorcyc ...
'', where he played the lead role of Noddy.
In 1992, Morrissey took on the role of Tony in ''
Men Behaving Badly
''Men Behaving Badly'' is a British sitcom that was created and written by Simon Nye. It follows the lives of Gary Strang ( Martin Clunes) and his flatmates Dermot Povey ( Harry Enfield; series 1 only) and Tony Smart ( Neil Morrissey; series ...
'', created to replace
Harry Enfield
Henry Richard Enfield (born 30 May 1961) is an English comedian. He is known in particular for his television work, including '' Harry Enfield's Television Programme'', '' Harry Enfield & Chums'' and '' Harry & Paul'', across which he created ...
, who departed after the first series.
The series became one of the most popular UK sitcoms of the 90s and Morrissey became a national celebrity.
During the early 1990s he appeared as "Sammy the
Chamois
The chamois (; ) (''Rupicapra rupicapra'') or Alpine chamois is a species of Caprinae, goat-antelope native to the mountains in Southern Europe, from the Pyrenees, the Alps, the Apennines, the Dinarides, the Tatra Mountains, Tatra to the Carpa ...
" in
Noel Edmonds
Noel Ernest Edmonds (born 22 December 1948) is an English businessman, and former television presenter, radio DJ, writer and producer. Edmonds first became known as a disc jockey on Radio Luxembourg before moving to BBC Radio 1 in the UK, pres ...
' ''
Noel's House Party''.
In 1998, Morrissey starred in the
John Godber
John Harry Godber (born 18 May 1956) is an English playwright, known mainly for observational comedy, observational comedies. The ''Plays and Players Yearbook'' of 1993 rated him the third most performed playwright in the UK after William Shak ...
rugby league
Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...
film ''
Up 'n' Under
''Up 'n' Under'' is a comedy by English playwright John Godber, first staged at the Hull Truck Theatre in 1984. It won The Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Comedy that same year. The sequel, ''Up 'n' Under II'', followed in 1985.
Plot
It fo ...
''.
Neil also voiced Wilfred Toadflax and Dusty Dogwood in ''
Brambly Hedge'' (1997), which was produced by
HIT Entertainment
HIT Entertainment Limited (stylised as HiT) was a British-American entertainment company founded in 1982 as Henson International Television, the international distribution arm of The Jim Henson Company, by Jim Henson, Peter Orton, and Sophie Turn ...
. After this, Neil voiced several characters in the
HIT Entertainment
HIT Entertainment Limited (stylised as HiT) was a British-American entertainment company founded in 1982 as Henson International Television, the international distribution arm of The Jim Henson Company, by Jim Henson, Peter Orton, and Sophie Turn ...
children's television series ''
Bob the Builder
''Bob the Builder'' is a British animated children's television series created by Keith Chapman for HIT Entertainment which ran from to in the United Kingdom through the CBBC strand and later CBeebies. The series centres on the adventures ...
'',
including the lead character, Bob, for over a decade between 1999 and 2011.
During his voice acting role, he achieved two UK number 1 singles, with "
Can We Fix It?" (which was the 2000 UK Christmas No 1), and "
Mambo No 5" in 2001.
He later provided voice narration for
Morph,
and
Maisy.
In 2000, Morrissey starred in TV comedy film ''Happy Birthday, Shakespeare'', where he played a coach driver, in a cast that included
Amanda Holden
Amanda Louise Holden (born 16 February 1971) is an English media personality, actress and singer. Since 2007, she has been a judge on the television talent competition show '' Britain's Got Talent'' on ITV. She also co-hosts the national ''H ...
,
Les Dennis
Leslie Dennis Heseltine (born 12 October 1953) is an English television presenter, actor and comedian. He presented '' Family Fortunes'' from 1987 to 2002.
Early life
Dennis was born as Leslie Dennis Heseltine on 12 October 1953 in the Liv ...
, and
Freddie Highmore
Alfred Thomas Highmore (born 14 February 1992) is an English actor. He is known for his starring roles beginning as a child, in the films '' Finding Neverland'' (2004), '' Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'' (2005), '' Arthur and the Invisibles ...
.
In 2002, Morrissey returned to TV screens in the drama series ''
Paradise Heights'',
which ran for two series. He then had a starring role in the
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
sitcom ''
Carrie and Barry
''Carrie & Barry'' is a British television sitcom first broadcast on BBC One
BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and flagship channel, and is k ...
'' from 2004 until 2005.
His work in West End theatre work includes ''Speed'', ''
Robin Hood
Robin Hood is a legendary noble outlaw, heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature, theatre, and cinema. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions o ...
'', ''The Daughter In-Law'' and his critically acclaimed West End performance in ''
A Passionate Woman.'' In 2005 Morrissey performed in
Victoria Wood
Victoria Wood (19 May 1953 – 20 April 2016) was an English comedian, actress, musician, screenwriter, and director. Wood wrote and starred in dozens of sketches, plays, musicals, films and sitcoms over several decades, and her live comedy act ...
's musical adaptation of ''
Acorn Antiques'' alongside
Julie Walters
Dame Julia Mary Walters (born 22 February 1950), known professionally as Julie Walters, is an English actress. She is the recipient of four British Academy Television Awards, two British Academy Film Awards, two International Emmy Awards, a Go ...
,
Celia Imrie,
Duncan Preston and
Josie Lawrence
Josie Lawrence (born Wendy Lawrence; 6 June 1959) is an English actress and comedian. She is best known for her work with the Comedy Store Players improvisational troupe, the television series '' Whose Line Is It Anyway?'' and as Manda Best in ...
.
Morrissey took over the role of Nathan Detroit from Nigel Lindsay in the London revival of ''
Guys and Dolls
''Guys and Dolls'' is a musical theater, musical with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. It is based on "The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown" (1933) and "Blood Pressure", which are two short stories by Damon Run ...
'' from March to June 2006.
In 2007, he appeared in British TV show ''
Skins'',
as Marcus Ainsworth, the father of
Hannah Murray's character
Cassie Ainsworth.
He reprised the role in 2013, when appearing in both parts of ''
Skins Pure''.
In 2007, he appeared in the
BBC One
BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television b ...
school-based drama series, ''
Waterloo Road'' as the new deputy headteacher, Eddie Lawson. In 2009, he left Waterloo Road after the fourth series.
In January 2012, Morrissey took on the role of Fagin in Lionel Bart's musical ''
Oliver'' at the
Palace Theatre in Manchester.
Morrissey starred alongside
Adrian Edmondson
Adrian Charles Edmondson (born 24 January 1957) is an English actor, comedian, musician, writer and television presenter. Part of the alternative comedy boom in the early 1980s, he and his comedy partner Rik Mayall starred in the television sitc ...
,
Robert Webb
Robert Patrick Webb (born 29 September 1972) is an English comedian, actor and writer. He rose to prominence alongside David Mitchell as part of the comedy duo Mitchell and Webb.
Mitchell and Webb starred in the Channel 4 sitcom '' Peep Show' ...
and
Miles Jupp in the play ''
Neville's Island'' at
Duke of York's Theatre
The Duke of York's Theatre is a West End theatre in St Martin's Lane, in the City of Westminster, London. It was built for Frank Wyatt and his wife, Violet Melnotte, who retained ownership of the theatre until her death in 1935. Designed by ...
, London during Autumn 2014.
In 2015, he played a character called Keith, who is Johnny (Joe Maw) and Tee's (Mia McKenna Bruce) villainous mother's former boyfriend, in the
CBBC
CBBC is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast children's television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is also the brand used for all BBC content for children aged 6 to 12. Its sister c ...
sitcom ''
The Dumping Ground
''The Dumping Ground'' (also informally referred to as ''The DG'') is a Television in the United Kingdom, British children's television series, children's television drama series that focuses on the lives and experiences of young people who ...
''. In December 2015, Morrissey starred in BBC Two's comedy-drama ''
A Gert Lush Christmas'', playing the father of
Russell Howard's character.
In 2016, he joined the cast of ''
Grantchester
Grantchester () is a village and civil parish on the River Cam or Granta (river), Granta in South Cambridgeshire, England. It lies about south of Cambridge.
Name
The village of Grantchester is listed in the 1086 Domesday Book as ''Granteset ...
'' for the second series, where he played the role of Harding Redmond. Also in 2016, he took part in the second series of
ITV's reality series ''
Bear Grylls: Mission Survive''.
From 2017, Morrissey played Greg McConnell in ITV's ''
The Good Karma Hospital'',
for several seasons until 2022. He portrayed Peter Carr in Series 3 of ''
Unforgotten'' in 2018.
In 2021, he starred as Frank Stevenson in series four of the BBC series ''
The Syndicate'', starring alongside
Katherine Rose Morley.
In 2023, he was the subject of ''DNA Journey'' with
Adrian Dunbar.
Morrissey played the part of Captain Perrot, an accomplice of
Colonel Blood, in ''The Crown Jewels'', a humorous play written by screenwriter
Simon Nye
Simon Nye (born 29 July 1958) is an English screenwriter, best known for television comedy. He wrote the hit British sitcom, sitcom ''Men Behaving Badly'', and all of the four ITV Pantos. He co-wrote the 2006 film ''Flushed Away'', created an ad ...
and performed at the
Garrick Theatre
The Garrick Theatre is a West End theatre, located in Charing Cross Road, in the City of Westminster, named after the stage actor David Garrick. It opened in 1889 with ''The Profligate'', a play by Arthur Wing Pinero, and another Pinero play, ...
in
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
in 2023, about Blood's theft of the
Crown Jewels
Crown jewels are the objects of metalwork and jewellery in the regalia of a current or former monarchy. They are often used for the coronation of a monarch and a few other ceremonial occasions. A monarch may often be shown wearing them in portra ...
) in 1671. The part of Blood was played by
Aidan McArdle,
Al Murray played King
Charles II, and the cast also included
Mel Giedroyc
Melanie Clare Sophie Giedroyc ( , ; born 5 June 1968) is an English actress, comedian and television presenter.
With Sue Perkins, she has co-hosted series including ''Light Lunch'' for Channel 4, '' The Great British Bake Off'' for the BBC an ...
.
Spoof show
On 1 April 2006, a
BBC Three
BBC Three is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was first launched on 9 February 2003 with programmes for a 16 to 34-year-old target aud ...
spoof programme titled ''Neil Morrissey's Secret'' documented sides of Morrissey's life that were previously unknown to the world at large.
It alleged he has a house, wife and two children in
Jordan
Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian ter ...
,
as well as a degree in
botany
Botany, also called plant science, is the branch of natural science and biology studying plants, especially Plant anatomy, their anatomy, Plant taxonomy, taxonomy, and Plant ecology, ecology. A botanist or plant scientist is a scientist who s ...
,
for which he had studied for 20 years.
These studies were integral to his motivation to find a breakthrough in anti-ageing, which supposedly occurred naturally amongst the local population. It was said that he had invented a cream called The Essence which contains extracts of a plant found only in a remote Jordanian village.
In the documentary the cream's acolytes include celebrities such as
Jane Seymour
Jane Seymour (; 24 October 1537) was Queen of England as the third wife of King Henry VIII from their marriage on 30 May 1536 until her death the next year. She became queen following the execution of Henry's second wife, Anne Boleyn, who was ...
,
Gloria Hunniford
Mary Winifred Gloria Hunniford, OBE (born 10 April 1940) is a television and radio presenter, broadcaster and singer from Northern Ireland. She is known for presenting programmes on the BBC and ITV, such as '' Rip Off Britain'', and her regula ...
and
Philippa Forrester.
The hoax documentary was launched on 1 April, and despite the suspicions caused by this date as
April Fool's Day
April Fools' Day or April Fool's Day (rarely called All Fools' Day) is an annual custom on the 1st of April consisting of practical jokes, hoaxes, and pranks. Jokesters often expose their actions by shouting "April Fool " at the recipient. Mas ...
, it still managed to convince some people that it was true.
Business

Morrissey's love of Welsh poet
Dylan Thomas
Dylan Marlais Thomas (27 October 1914 – 9 November 1953) was a Welsh poet and writer, whose works include the poems " Do not go gentle into that good night" and " And death shall have no dominion", as well as the "play for voices" ''Un ...
led him to buy up numerous properties in the village of
Laugharne
Laugharne () is a town on the south coast of Carmarthenshire, Wales, lying on the estuary of the River Tâf.
The Ancient borough#Charters, ancient borough of Laugharne Township () with its #Laugharne Corporation, Corporation and Charter is a ...
, including the Hurst Hotel, the New Three Mariners pub and
Brown's Hotel in April 2004 for £670,000. In October 2006, it was announced that the business had put Brown's Hotel on the market to finance the redevelopment of the Hurst Hotel, and the expansion of the private members' club, Hurst House in
Covent Garden
Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist sit ...
, London.
In July 2008, with delays encountered on the construction of Hurst House-at-the-Mill, a luxury hotel in
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and one of the home counties. It borders Bedfordshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Essex to the east, Greater London to the ...
due to open in 2009, the Laugharne-based assets of the Hurst House group went into a packaged
administration
Administration may refer to:
Management of organizations
* Management, the act of directing people towards accomplishing a goal: the process of dealing with or controlling things or people.
** Administrative assistant, traditionally known as a se ...
. The assets were subsequently bought by new investors, resulting in the end of Morrissey's association with Laugharne.
Morrissey part-owned the lease on the ''Ye Olde Punch Bowl Inn'' in
Marton, North Yorkshire. From this base came the
Morrissey Fox range of
real ale
Real ale is the name coined by the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) for ale that is "brewed from traditional ingredients, matured by secondary fermentation in the container from which it is dispensed, and served without the use of extraneous ca ...
, developed by Morrissey and chef
Richard Fox which is still in production. In June 2009, it was reported that his Welsh pub had failed and the lease to ''Ye Olde Punch Bowl Inn'' was handed back to the owner after just 18 months on 22 October 2009.
Morrissey avoided
bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the deb ...
over his failed business ventures but entered an
IVA. Morrissey went on to own a chain of pubs in Staffordshire, including ''The Plume of Feathers'' in
Barlaston,
and later ''The Old Bramshall Inn'' in
Bramshall. The latter opened its doors as a Neil Morrissey pub on 28 June 2018, an event which Morrissey attended. In December 2021 the leasehold was sold and the pub was renamed 'The Butchers Arms'.
Personal life
Morrissey married
Amanda Noar in 1987 after meeting her when she was a guest in an episode of ''
Boon''; the couple have a son born in 1989. They divorced in 1991. He then became engaged to actress
Elizabeth Carling, whom he had first met in 1989, when she too was working on ''Boon''. They parted on good terms, and she later guest-starred alongside him in ''
Men Behaving Badly
''Men Behaving Badly'' is a British sitcom that was created and written by Simon Nye. It follows the lives of Gary Strang ( Martin Clunes) and his flatmates Dermot Povey ( Harry Enfield; series 1 only) and Tony Smart ( Neil Morrissey; series ...
''. His subsequent affairs have been well documented by the British tabloids, including dating
Rachel Weisz
Rachel Hannah Weisz (; born 7 March 1970) is an English actress. Known for her roles in independent films and blockbusters, she has received List of awards and nominations received by Rachel Weisz, several awards, including an Academy Award, ...
after starring together in ''My Summer with Des'' in 1998. They lived together at his flat in
Crouch End, north London.
[Interview: Neil Morrissey](_blank)
The Observer Morrissey had an affair with
Amanda Holden
Amanda Louise Holden (born 16 February 1971) is an English media personality, actress and singer. Since 2007, she has been a judge on the television talent competition show '' Britain's Got Talent'' on ITV. She also co-hosts the national ''H ...
in 2000, whom he met filming ''Happy Birthday, Shakespeare'',
leading to her divorce in 2003 from comedian
Les Dennis
Leslie Dennis Heseltine (born 12 October 1953) is an English television presenter, actor and comedian. He presented '' Family Fortunes'' from 1987 to 2002.
Early life
Dennis was born as Leslie Dennis Heseltine on 12 October 1953 in the Liv ...
.
Morrissey's older brother Stephen died in 1997 following a drug overdose.
Morrissey has numerous
tattoo
A tattoo is a form of body modification made by inserting tattoo ink, dyes, or pigments, either indelible or temporary, into the dermis layer of the skin to form a design. Tattoo artists create these designs using several tattooing processes ...
s. According to one version of their origin, he applied them himself with needles and
Indian ink
India ink (British English: Indian ink; also Chinese ink) is a simple black or coloured ink once widely used for writing and printing and now more commonly used for drawing and outlining, especially when inking comic books and comic strips. In ...
. On his left arm are his first name and a blob, which was going to be his initials before it became infected, causing him to require a
tetanus jab. On his right is a squiggle, which is a reversed version of ''
The Saint'' logo.
Morrissey himself says the tattoos were done by other boys at the children's home. The boys there apparently saw that he did not have a tattoo and so gave him the option of a tattoo or a beating. He decided on the tattoo and now regrets not taking the other option.
In 2006, Morrissey was awarded an honorary degree from
Staffordshire University. He is a supporter of
Crystal Palace. A fan of real ale, in 2011 he produced a real ale with the club called Palace Ale.
Filmography
Film
Television
Discography
Studio albums
Singles
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Morrissey, Neil
1962 births
Living people
20th-century English male actors
21st-century English male actors
Actors from Stafford
Alumni of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama
British novelty song performers
English brewers
English businesspeople
English male film actors
English male television actors
English male voice actors
English people of Irish descent
Male actors from Staffordshire
People from Penkhull