Biography

Born in South London on Sept 5, 1935, to Ernest and Rose Briggs, Johnny had a younger sister, Barbara, who died in 1955 at age 15. As a boy, he sang soprano in a church choir and during World War II he was evacuated to the safety of the English countryside. Back in London he won a scholarship, at age 12, to the Italia Conti Stage Academy. Among his classmates were Nanette Newman and Anthony Newley. A scattering of parts followed in movies, stage plays and TV shows. In 1953 Johnny began two years of service in Germany with the Royal Tank Regiment. He then resumed his acting career.

In 1961 he married Caroline Sinclair and they had two children, Mark and Karen, before divorcing in 1975. In 1975 Johnny married schoolteacher Christine Allsop and they've had four children: Jennifer, Michael, Stephanie, and Anthony. British audiences know him best as 'Mike Baldwin', the part he played on the Coronation Street (1960) TV series for almost 30 years beginning in 1976. American audiences are more likely to remember him as the young sailor who was stripped to the waist and flogged in 1962's Damn the Defiant! (1962)! Though working less frequently these days, Johnny remains an avid golfer.
- IMDb mini biography by: dinky-4 of Minneapolis

He was born in Battersea Hospital. Two years later, he was back in with double pneumonia and later had Rickets, due to a poor diet. At eighteen, he did his National Service in the army as a tank driving instructor. His problem was that he took size five in shoes and the smallest sized boot available was size six, so he was excused from wearing boots. Prior to that, at a youth club when 16/17, he had a sheath knife thrown at him which hit his arm. He always wanted to go on the stage and was educated at the Italia Conti Stage School, where a fellow pupil was Jill Gascoigne. He was a member of Colyers Wood Youth Club, where he met Gareth Hunt. He made a London West End appearance at the Cambridge Theatre in 1947, then spent time with repertory companies in Nottingham and Northampton. Later, he was cast in the television series No Hiding Place. In one scene, a stuntman was supposed to grab an Alsatian as it leapt for Johnny's throat, but the stuntman missed and the dog sank its teeth into John's arm, leaving a scar. Later,in 1975, he was in the long running Coronation Street. He was married twice and had six children and homes in Shrewsbury and Florida. His mother died aged 67 and his father at 72. He wrote his biography, entitled Jonnny Briggs My Story.
- IMDb mini biography by: Tonyman 5

Long before he became an actor Johnny spent from 1953 to 1955 in the army stationed at Catterick in the Royal Tank Regiment and at one point he was stationed in Germany. . He spent a good 9 years playing Mike Badwin, the owner of Underworld in Coronation Street during which time the BBC tried to poach him to join their serial of Eastenders. He says that had he not made it as an actor he would probably have been a racing driver as when he was in the army in the early '50's he was a driving instructor teaching men to drive backwards at 60 mph in vehicles with 4 reverse gears. He was based at Catterick Garrison in the Royal Tank Regiment but saw some service in Germany. He had 2 children from a first marriage then married a former teacher by whom he had 3 children
- IMDb mini biography by: Tonyman 5

Johnny before he became an actor used to be in the army as a driving instructor with the Royal Tank Regiment based at Catterick teaching men to drive backwards at 60 mph in vehicles with 4 reverse gears and also saw service in Germany. He has said that had he not been an actor he would probably have been a racing driver. He made his name playing Mike Baldwin , the factory boss in Coronation Street from where the BBC tried to poach him to join Eastenders. He's married to a former teacher by whom he has three children plus two grown up children from a previous marriage.
- IMDb mini biography by: Tonyman 5