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John Leyton (born John Dudley Leyton, 17 February 1939, Frinton-on-Sea, Essex) is an English actor and singer. As a singer he is best known for his hit song, "Johnny Remember Me" (written by Geoff Goddard and produced by Joe Meek), which reached Number 1 in the UK Singles Chart in August 1961. Leyton went to Highgate School and after completing his national service, he studied drama, paying his way through drama school with bit-part roles in films and on television. His first major acting role was his portrayal of Ginger in a 1960 Granada TV adaptation of Biggles, which earned him a large... MORE

John Leyton (born John Dudley Leyton, 17 February 1939, Frinton-on-Sea, Essex) is an English actor and singer. As a singer he is best known for his hit song, "Johnny Remember Me" (written by Geoff Goddard and produced by Joe Meek), which reached Number 1 in the UK Singles Chart in August 1961. Leyton went to Highgate School and after completing his national service, he studied drama, paying his way through drama school with bit-part roles in films and on television. His first major acting role was his portrayal of Ginger in a 1960 Granada TV adaptation of Biggles, which earned him a large following of young female fans and led to the formation of a John Leyton fan club. Following the success of Biggles, Leyton was persuaded by his manager, Robert Stigwood, to audition as a singer for record producer Joe Meek, and subsequently recorded a cover version of "Tell Laura I Love Her", which was released on the Top Rank label. In 1961 though, the Top Rank label was taken over by EMI who then issued Leyton's records on their HMV label. EMI had already released Ricky Valance's version of the same song. Leyton's recording was withdrawn from sale, whilst Valance's version reached Number 1 in LESS