Davy Jones

Davy Jones, an actor and singer, was born David Thomas Jones on December 30, 1945 in Manchester, England. His father had hopes for him as a jockey, but Jones was more interested in being in show business, and as a teenager he appeared on B

Davy Jones, an actor and singer, was born David Thomas Jones on December 30, 1945 in Manchester, England. His father had hopes for him as a jockey, but Jones was more interested in being in show business, and as a teenager he appeared on British soap operas, including Coronation Street. He appeared to great acclaim in the musical Oliver! as the Artful Dodger, playing the role both in London and on Broadway, where he was nominated for a Tony Award. (When the film of the musical was made in 1968, Jones was at the height of his TV success and too heavily committed to take the part.) He then toured in another musical adaptation of a Charles Dickens classic, Pickwick, and did some American television as well as recording three singles.

Jones' next step was eerily prefigured. As part of the "Oliver" cast, Jones had appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show on the same night the Beatles made their American TV debut on the Sullivan stage. Coincidentally, his great fame was to come from a band that would mirror the Beatles: the Monkees.