Luton is best known for London Luton Airport, the Luton Town Football Club, the University of Bedfordshire, and the Luton Carnival held 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, then moved to Canada and then to California. His novels, set in various industrial and commercial settings, are known for their dramatic human conflict and painstakingly researched information.
Hailey was such a good novelist that many of his books immediately became best-sellers. Many of them peaked at number one on the New York Times bestseller list. In total, 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” also became a full-length television series.
When writing a book, Hailey spent a year researching, six months studying her notes, and about 18 months writing. For these reasons, his 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 graduate of Yale University, his groundbreaking film was the box office hit “Saturday Night Fever, “which introduced John Travolta to the world 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), WarGames (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 Read
He was born Phillip William Read in Luton on January 1, 1939. He rose to fame as Phil Read, a former Grand Prix motorcycle racer 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 earned Yamaha its first world title. In total, he achieved 50 Grand Prix Tour victories from 1963 to 1976. He was ranked number one in the world seven times in the 125cc or 250cc class, including 1964, 1965, 1968 (125cc and 250cc), 1971, 1973 and 1974. He wore the Yamaha colors in his first five number one rankings and MV Augusta in 1973 and 1974.
Read’s last race was in 1982 at age 43 when he participated in the Isle of Man TT. He was named by the FIM as a Grand Prix “Legend” in 2002.
4. Colin Salmon
Born in Luton in 1952, 6’4 “Colin Salmon is best known for his role in three James Bond films, where he played the fictional character Charles Robinson alongside Pierce Brosnan as Bond.
When Brosnan left the Bond franchise, Salmon emerged as a strong contender as his replacement as James Bond, even gaining the endorsement of Brosnan as his preferred successor. However, he did not get the role. Salmon would have been the first black actor to portray Bond, who was described by author Ian Fleming as a half Scottish, half Caucasian Swiss man.
In his last role, Salmon played the role of David Tyrel on the television series Sky One UK 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 comedy 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. Nathanial Johnson; Die Another Day (2002) as Charles Robinson; Resident Evil (2002) as one; The World Is Not 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.