Most people knew Davy Jones as the ‘Daydream Believer’-singing member of the 60′s pop act The Monkees, but the star who passed away yesterday aged 66 began his career with a small part in Coronation Street.
Jones was born in Manchester and played Ena Sharples grandson Colin Lomax for a short period.
After a stint training as a jockey in Newmarket, he landed his big acting break thanks to his boyish features and diminutive stature, playing the Artful Dodger in the West End stage musical Oliver!
He went on to land a Tony nomination when he transferred to Broadway in New York with the production.
His feted performance upped his profile and led to a US management deal resulting in TV roles and a short-lived solo music career.
The contract also helped to fast-track him through the auditions for The Monkees, as TV executives put together the group in 1966 partly as a response to the popularity of the Fab Four’s movie A Hard Day’s Night.
He died yesterday in a hospital in Florida after suffering a massive heart attack.
You can see his life in pictures below.
