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Biography
Infobox person| name = Roland Gift| image = Roland Gift.jpg| image_size =| caption = Gift pictured at a Grammy rehearsal in 1990| birth_name = Roland Lee Gift| birth_date = Birth date and age|1961|5|28|df=y| birth_place = Birmingham , England , United Kingdom | death_date =| death_place =| death_cause =| resting_place =| resting_place_coordinates =| residence =| nationality = United Kingdom|British | other_names =| known_for = Member of Fine Young Cannibals | education =| employer =| occupation = Musician , Actor | title =| networth =| height =| weight =| term =| predecessor =| successor =| party =| boards =| religion =| spouse =| partner =| children =| parents =| relatives =| signature =| footnotes = Roland Lee Gift (born 28 May 1961, Birmingham , England Allmusic|class=artist|id=p152631|pure_url=yes Allmusic.com - accessed May 2010) is a United Kingdom|British singer and actor. He was the lead singer of the band Fine Young Cannibals .
Biography
Gift was born in Birmingham to a white mother and a black father, http://www.musicianguide.com/biographies/1608001349/Roland-Gift.html but grew up in Kingston upon Hull|Hull , where his mother, Pauline, ran several second-hand clothes shops. He was educated at Kelvin Hall School in Hull. He has two sisters, Helga and Ragna.
Akrylykz and Fine Young Cannibals
His first sound recording and reproduction|recording on which he played the saxophone was with a Hull ska band Akrylykz , the second release on nearby York's Red Rhino Records .cite news |journal= The Independent |title=(obituary) Tony Kostrzewa: Founder of Red Rhino Records |date=9 May 2008 |url= http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/tony-kostrzewa-founder-of-red-rhino-records-824290.html Although this record was unsuccessful, it did bring him to the attention of Andy Cox and David Steele (musician)|David Steele of The Beat (band)|The Beat . The Akrylykz toured with The Beat, http://therebelmagazine.blogspot.com/2011/01/q-with-roland-gift.html which led to them in around 1985 asking him to be the lead singer of their new band Fine Young Cannibals after their old band, The Beat, had broken up. He also was a guest artist on the Ska City Rollers' Time Is Tight single.
In 1990, he was named by People (magazine)|People magazine as one of the "50 Most Beautiful People" in the world.
Solo career
In 2002, Gift released a self-titled solo album , featuring the single "It's Only Money". In 2007, Gift was in a recording studio working on a follow-up album.
Gift is due to play again as a solo artist, so far gigs at the O2 Bubble (part of the British Music Experience) http://www.ticketmaster.co.uk/event/3500482ABECA72F8 and the Rewind Festival http://gettothefront.co.uk/2012/01/2012-rewind-scotland-acts-announced/ in Scotland have been announced. On 13 February 2012, Gift appeared on BBC Radio Solent promoting the gigs and announced a potential new album in 2012. This will be a soundtrack to a film Gift is involved with. "The Prisoner" was played on the show and Roland said this would probably be included in the soundtrack.
Acting
In 1987, Gift had his first screen role in the film Sammy and Rosie Get Laid . In 1990 he did his first stage work, playing Romeo in the Hull Truck Theatre 's production of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet , a production which had a brief run in the United States at the Staller Center for the Arts . http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html? res=9C0CE6D9113AF937A25754C0A966958260 New York Times review of Gift in Romeo & Juliet He also appeared as a lounge singer (singing songs that were included in the Fine Young Cannibals album The Raw and the Cooked (album)|The Raw and the Cooked ) in the film Tin Men , directed by Barry Levinson .
In 1989, he appeared in Scandal (1989 film)|Scandal as Johnny Edgecombe , Christine Keeler 's boyfriend.
In 1993, he began the first of several appearances as the evil Immortal (Highlander)|Immortal Xavier St. Cloud in the television series Highlander: The Series , and appeared in an episode of the Yorkshire Television series Heartbeat (UK TV series)|Heartbeat . He has also appeared in the movie '' The Island of the Mapmaker's Wife .
Persondata | NAME = Gift, Roland | ALTERNATIVE NAMES = | SHORT DESCRIPTION = | DATE OF BIRTH = 28 May 1961 | PLACE OF BIRTH = Birmingham , England , United Kingdom | DATE OF DEATH = | PLACE OF DEATH = DEFAULTSORT:Gift, Roland Category:1961 births Category:Black British rock musicians Category:Black British actors Category:English actors Category:English pop singers Category:Fine Young Cannibals members Category:Living people Category:Musicians from Kingston upon Hull Category:Musicians from Birmingham, West Midlands
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