Acclaimed TV and stage actor Robert Lindsay, 54, grew up in Ilkeston, Derbyshire and went to a tough secondary modern called Gladstone Boys.
He was terrified when he failed his 11-plus because he had heard so many frightening stories about the school but his life was transformed by his identification with a famous former pupil. Lindsay said: 'DH Lawrence taught English in Room 1 of my old school... I identified with Lawrence early on because he, too, had aspirations to do something else, to get out and travel.'
Guiding influence
Perhaps the biggest influence of Lindsay was his art teacher, John Lally, who spotted his potential as a performer and steered him towards acting.
'John deliberately thought he would create some arts in the school and he made me Grand Thespian,' said Lindsay. 'At the time, it put me on a very dodgy footing with the rest of the boys but John got all the departments doing things for the plays, so the whole school got involved.'
Acting up
After leaving school, he enrolled in the drama department of a technical college in Nottingham and later went to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA). His first film was That'll Be The Day (1973) with David Essex and Ringo Starr and he became a household name in the TV comedy Citizen Smith.
Lindsay won a best actor BAFTA for GBH and is a familiar face in the hit BBC comedy My Family.
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