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Jimmy Nail is an English actor and singer (born March 16, 1954, Gleneagles Close, Benton, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, ) famous for his rugged looks, hit singles and a strong Newcastle accent. The son of James Bradford and Laura Johnson, his birth name was James Michael Aloysius Bradford. He was brother to two sisters Valerie & Shelagh, Valerie stared with him in the second series of Auf Wiedersehen Pet playing Norma Patterson, Shelagh died in June 1967. He is now happily married to wife Miriam and father to two sons Freddie and Tom.

He rose to fame playing Leonard Jeffrey 'Oz' Osborne in Auf Wiedersehen, Pet in 1983, despite having no acting experience. He was on his way to collect his social security benefit when he passed the audition centre and was spotted by writers Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais who immediately approached him and asked if he could act. Nail was helped through the process of basic acting and acquiring Equity status, and landed the part of Oz, for which he gained great acclaim.

Jimmy Nail has also starred in a number of films and had a long musical career, having been a singer before he was picked out at an audition to play Oz.

After the first two series of Auf Wiedersehen, Pet, Nail found himself typecast and had no more major breaks until the detective series, Spender, which he co-wrote. This was followed by Crocodile Shoes, which also featured Nail as a musician. On the strength of his musical performances in the series he released a number of albums. Mark Knopfler plays guitar on some tracks, a compliment that was repaid with an important plot reference to Oz's being a fan of Dire Straits in the third (revived) series of Auf Wiedersehen, Pet (2002).

Television Shows in which he has appeared include:

• Auf Wiedersehen Pet - Series 1 (1982)... as Leonard Jeffrey (Oz) Ozbourne
• Auf Wiedersehen Pet - Series 2 (1986)... as Leonard Jeffrey (Oz) Ozbourne
• Master Of The Game (1985)... as Schmidt
• Wallenberg (1986)... as Vilmos Langfelder
• Shoot For The Sun (1986)... as Geordie
• Spender (1989-93)... as Freddie Spender
• Crocodile Shoes (1994-6)... as Jed Shepperd
• Auf Wiedersehen Pet - Brand New Series (Series 3) (2002)... as Leonard (Oz) Ozbourne
• Auf Wiedersehen Pet - Series 4 (2004)... as Leonard Jeffrey (Oz) Ozbourne
• Auf Wiedersehen Pet - The Secial (2004)... as Leonard Jeffrey (Oz) Ozbourne

Films in which he has appeared include:

• Morons from Outer Space (1985)... as Desmond
• Crusoe (1986)... as Tarik
• Dream Demon (1987)... as Paul
• Just Ask Diamond (1988)... as Boyle
• Danny, The Champion Of The World (1990)... as Rabbets
• Evita (1996)... as Agustín Magaldi
• Still Crazy (1998)... as Les Wickes

His autobiography Northern Soul is now in publication (Penguin 2004). His sister is Val McLane.

Discography (albums)

• 1986... Take It Or Leave It

That's The Way Love Is/Airwaves/Walk Away/Your Decision Today/Ladies And Gentlemen Of South Africa/Rain Burns/Further On/One More Day/Same Again/Love Don't Live Here Anymore

• 1992... Growing Up In Public

Ain't No Doubt/Reach Out/Laura/Waiting For The Sunshine/Real Love/Only Love (Can Bring Us Home)/Wicked World/Beautiful/I Believed/Absent Friends

• 1994... Crocodile Shoes

Crocodile Shoes/Calling Out Your Name/Cowboy Dreams/Once Upon A Time/Only One Heart/Bitter And Twisted/Love Will Find Someone For You/Angel/Between A Woman And A Man/Don't Wanna Go Home/Dragons

• 1995... Big River

Big River/I Think Of You/Can't Hold On/Right To Know/Love/What Kind Of Man Am I?/Something That We Had/What's The Use?/Hands Of Time/I Wonder (Will I Ever Love Again?)

• 1996... Crocodile Shoes II

Country Boy/Blue Roses/Running Man/Fear No Evil/I'm A Troubled Man/My Buddy/Gentle's Lament/Still I Dream Of It/Just Can't Win/Until The Day I Die/I Refuse To Lie Down

• 1997... The Nail File: The Best Of Jimmy Nail

Love Don't Live Here Anymore/Ain't No Doubt/Crocodile Shoes/Cowboy Dreams/Big River/Country Boy/Blue Roses/On This Night Of A Thousand Stars/Running Man (Remix)/Love/Once Upon A Time/Dragons/Absent Friends/Calling Out Your Name/Show Me Heaven/Black And White

• 1999... Tadpoles In A Jar

Tadpoles In A Jar/Call And Respond/For Good/My Friend The Sun/The Man Who Used To Be Me/Blue Beyond The Grey/W.L.T.M. (duet with Eddi Reader)/There Goes A Man/Where'd You Come From?/Down By The Seaside/Lost

• 2001... 10 Great Songs And An OK Voice

Day After Day/Clear White Light/Something/Walking On The Moon/Loves Me Like A Rock/The Last Time/Overjoyed/Lady D'Arbanville/House Of The Rising Sun/Once In A Lifetime

Audio sample

See also

• List of bands/musicians from North east England

External links

• Jimmy Nail Lyrics
• AufPetOnline.com - Discuss Jimmy Nail from Auf Wiedersehen Pet with other fans of the show.
• Jimmy Nail In New Zealand Jimmy Nail credits a trip to New Zealand as saving him from alcoholism
• Jimmy Nail

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