Luton is best known for London Luton Airport, Luton Town Football Club, the University of Bedfordshire and the Luton Carnival which takes place every May. But there are also a number of famous and accomplished people who have a strong connection to Luton, especially in the fields of entertainment, sports and literature. Here is a sample of some of them.
1. Arthur Hailey
Novelist Arthur Hailey was born in Luton on April 5, 1920 and died on November 24, 2004. From 1939 to 1947 he served in the Royal Air Force, later moving to Canada and then to California. His novels, which are set in various industrial and commercial settings, are known for their dramatic human conflict and carefully researched information.
Hailey was such a good novelist that many of her books became instant bestsellers. Many of them reached the number one spot on the New York Times bestseller list. Overall, his books have sold more than 170 million copies worldwide and have been translated into 40 languages. Some of his books were made into movies, including “Airport,” which became a box-office hit. His novel “Hotel” was also made into a long-running television series.
When writing a book, Hailey would spend a year researching, six months studying her notes, and about 18 months writing. For these reasons, her books had a strong sense of realism that appealed to many readers.
2. John Badham
Film director John Badham was born in Luton on August 25, 1939. He grew up in Alabama, United States, and became an American citizen in 1946. A Yale University graduate, his breakout film was the box-office smash ” Saturday Night Fever”, which introduced the world to John Travolta in 1977.
Badham has numerous credits in both film and television. His most famous films include Saturday Night Fever (1977), Dracula (1979), Whose Life Is It Anyway? (1981), Blue Thunder (1983), War Games (1983), American Flyers (1985), Short Circuit (1986). Stakeout (1987), The Hard Way (1991), Point of No Return (1993), Drop Zone (1994). Nick of Time (1995), Incognito (1997), and The Jack Bull (1999).
3. Phil Lee
He was born Phillip William Read in Luton on January 1, 1939. He rose to fame as Phil Read, a former Grand Prix motorcycle racing driver who bore the impressive nickname “The Prince of Speed.” He distinguished himself as the first man to win world championships in the 125cc, 250cc and 500cc classes.
Read first rose to fame in 1964 when he won the world title in the 250cc class, a feat that gave Yamaha its first world title. Overall, he had 50 Grand Prix Tour wins from 1963 to 1976. He was ranked number one in the world seven times in either the 125cc or 250cc class, including 1964, 1965, 1968 (both 125cc and 250cc), 1971, 1973 and 1974 He wore the colors of Yamaha in his first five number one rankings and MV Augusta in 1973 and 1974.
Read’s last race was in 1982 at the age of 43 when he rode the Isle of Man TT. He was named a Grand Prix “Legend” by the FIM in 2002.
4. Colin Salmon
Born in Luton in 1952, the 6’4″ Colin Salmon is best known for his role in three James Bond films where he played the fictional character Charles Robinson opposite Pierce Brosnan as Bond.
When Brosnan left the Bond franchise, Salmon emerged as a strong contender as his replacement as James Bond, even earning Brosnan’s endorsement as his preferred successor. However, he did not get the role. Salmon would have been the first black actor to play Bond, who was described by author Ian Fleming as half-Scottish, half-Swiss Caucasian.
In his last role, Salmon played the role of David Tyrel in the Sky One UK television series Hex. He was also Dr. Rowan Dunlop in Series 8 of the ITV UK Television series Bad Girls. He also appeared in the sixth episode of the BBC Three sitcom Little Miss Jocelyn, where he played himself.
Salmon’s most popular films include Match Point (2005) as Ian; Alien vs. Predator (2004) as Maxwell Stafford; Trial & Retribution VIII (2004) as Colin Thorpe; Keen Eddie (2003-2004) as Superintendent. Nathaniel Johnson; Die Another Day (2002) as Charles Robinson; Resident Evil (2002) as Uno; The World is Never Enough (1999) as Charles Robinson; Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) as Charles Robinson and Prime Suspect 2 (1992) as Detective Sergeant Robert Oswalde.
Some of Luton’s other popular personalities include Kevin Blackwell, Danny Cannon, Stu Riddle, Kenneth Williams, Paul Young, Billy Schwer, Ian Dury and many others.