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Jimmy Nail is an English actor and singer (born March 16, 1954, Gleneagles Close, Benton, Newcastle upon Tyne). He is famous for his rugged looks, hit singles and a strong Geordie accent.
The son of James Bradford and Laura Johnson, his birth name was James Michael Aloysius Bradford. He was brother to two sisters: Shelagh (who died in June 1967) and Val McLane, who starred with him in the second series of Auf Wiedersehen Pet playing Norma Patterson. Jimmy currently lives in Florida with his wife Miriam and two sons.
He rose to fame playing Leonard Jeffrey 'Oz' Osborne in Auf Wiedersehen, Pet in 1983, despite having minimal acting experience (he had appeared as an extra in the movie Get Carter). 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).
Nail's unusual name stems from the time when he was walking along the street, thinking how he could shorten his name to be more 'media friendly'. As he was thinking about this, he stood on a nail, hence his name.
Since 1985, the British musician has released a total of seven studio albums, multiple singles and other works. This article also covers his works alongside musicians such as Mark Knopfler.
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