Christopher Fairbank
Born to middle-class parents in a suburb northeast of London, Fairbank always dreamed of acting and spent his teenage years getting in trouble. In 1971 he was sent away to a juvenile hostel in Liverpool for breaking his probation from a drug charge two years earlier, and the ambitious teen decided to use his time away to pursue acting. Although his severe acne almost prevented him from attending the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, a hastily acquired doctor's note eventually set things right. Upon graduating from the famed school, Fairbank quickly went to work, making his debut in 1978 on the long-running "Z Cars" and appearing in the Oscar-nominated "Agatha" before being cast in "Noah's Castle," which followed one family's attempt to stay alive in a starving future England. In 1983, Fairbank landed the role of stuttering plasterer Albert Moxey on "Auf Wiedersehen, Pet," which quickly became one of the biggest shows of the decade, as well as his signature role. The show's initial run ended in 1986, and Fairbank later appeared in both the 2002 and 2004 specials. He worked steadily through the rest of the decade in made-for-TV movies and nighttime serials, and in 1989 landed another iconic role, this time as the pockmarked mugger who invokes Michael Keaton's growly declaration, "I'm Batman." Since portraying a lustful prisoner in the grimy "Alien 3" and a futuristic scientist in the sci-fi adventure "The Fifth Element," Fairbank has voiced characters in over a dozen video games; been featured in "Five Daughters," based on the 2006 serial murders in Ipswich, England; and been cast as a scornful uncle in the widely-panned "Jack the Giant Slayer."