Johnny Lockwood facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Johnny Lockwood
Lockwood first from left of tailboard
Born	John Sidney Lockwood (1920-12-07)7 December 1920 London, England
Died	25 April 2013(2013-04-25) (aged 92) Coffs Harbour, New South Wales, Australia
Occupation	Actor variety entertainer comedian
Years active	1934–2002
Children	Joanna Lockwood

Johnny Lockwood (born John Sidney Lockwood; 7 December 1920 – 25 April 2013) was a talented British entertainer, comedian, and actor. He became very famous in Australia after moving there.

Lockwood worked in many areas of entertainment, including radio, theatre, television, and film. He was best known for his role as Aldo Godolfus in the Australian TV show Number 96. He played this character from 1972 to 1975. Aldo was a funny deli owner from Hungary. His character was often seen with Roma, played by Philippa Baker, who became his wife in the show.

Aldo and Roma were a popular comedy duo. Much of their humor came from them being immigrants who sometimes struggled to understand the local language. Even though Aldo was a comedy character, Johnny Lockwood was mostly a stand-up comedian before this role. He had not done much drama acting.

About Johnny Lockwood

Starting His Career

Johnny Lockwood always dreamed of performing on stage. He became an orphan when he was 11 years old. At 14, he applied for a job as a dancer in a touring show.

He kept working on his skills. By the time he was 18, a famous show producer named Jack Hylton hired him as a comedian. Johnny was also a member of the Grand Order of Water Rats, a group of entertainers who do charity work.

His entertainment career paused briefly during World War II. Lockwood joined the Royal Air Force in 1942 and left in 1944. After the war, he went back to performing in vaudeville (a type of variety show), pantomime (a musical play), radio, and television.

In 1949, he performed for the Royal Family at the London Coliseum. During his act, he tripped and got a bloody nose. He quickly joked to the audience, "Well, they told me you wanted blood tonight!" This funny line was reported widely in the news.

On Stage

Johnny Lockwood was a well-known theatre actor. He first came to Australia in 1957 for a ten-week show with the Tivoli Theatre circuit. He enjoyed it so much that he stayed in Australia for five years after that job finished.

He later returned to the UK to play Fagin in Lionel Bart's musical Oliver!. However, he soon came back to Australia permanently.

On Television

Lockwood spent a year on the TV series Sunnyside Up. He also performed in Las Vegas in the United States. He then returned to Australia for a two-year run on the classic comedy show The Mavis Bramston Show. After that, he played the main role in Canterbury Tales.

His famous role in Number 96 started in 1972. Johnny Lockwood was one of the first actors in the show. The writer, David Sale, created the character Aldo Godolfus just for him. Aldo was a funny delicatessen owner. He was first planned to be Greek, but the character was changed to a Hungarian Jew to fit Lockwood's accent.

Aldo soon married his deli worker, Roma Lubinsky (played by Philippa Baker). They became a very popular comedy pair on the show. Sadly, Aldo and Roma were written out of the series in September 1975 during a big storyline where a bomb exploded.

In the 1980s and 1990s, Lockwood made guest appearances in other Australian TV shows. In 1985, he was in the soap opera Neighbours as Harry Henderson, who was Daphne Lawrence's grandfather. He also appeared in E Street in 1991. During this time, he also acted in movies.

In the early 1980s, he performed in a theatre show in Queensland, playing Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof.

In Films

In the early 2000s, Johnny Lockwood continued to appear in TV shows and movies. These included roles in the film Moulin Rouge! and the miniseries The Potato Factory. He also kept working on stage with the Sydney Theatre Company.

Personal Life

Johnny Lockwood's wife, Anne Lockwood, passed away in Sydney in 1976. They had been married since 1947.

Lockwood married again in 1980. His daughter, Joanna Lockwood, is also an actress. She was born in Australia and is well known for her long role in the TV show Cop Shop. She also had a short appearance in Number 96.

Johnny Lockwood passed away on 25 April 2013, at a nursing home in Coffs Harbour. He was 92 years old.

Filmography

See also

In Spanish: Johnny Lockwood para niños