John Savident

John Savident (born 21 January 1938) is an English actor, known for his numerous television roles, including his portrayal of Fred Elliott in the soap opera Coronation Street from 1994 to 2006. He is also known for his performance as Monsieur Firmin in the West End cast of The Phantom of the Opera Early life Savident was born in Guernsey and still lived there at the time of the German occupation of the island in 1940. He and his family escaped to Britain in a fishing boat. During his early years, he was a police officer before turning to acting as his profession. Career Savident created the role of Monsieur Firmin in the original production of Phantom of the Opera, which opened on 9 October 1986 at Her Majesty's Theatre in Haymarket, London. He appeared as the renegade scientist Egrorian in a 1981 episode of the cult science fiction TV series Blake's 7. He also had other television appearances in Danger Man, The Saint, Callan and Doctor Who. He played Doctor Meredith in The Remains of the Day. Coronation Street Despite his many film and TV roles, including civil servant Sir Frederick Stewart in Yes, Minister and a part in A Clockwork Orange (1971), it was only when Savident joined the cast of Coronation Street as the bellicose but romantic butcher Fred Elliott during the 1990s that he became a household name. He made his first appearance on the show in 1994 and his character quickly became popular with viewers.