Before becoming an actor in the early 1960s, John Savident used to be a policeman in Manchester.
John played the role of co-owner of the Paris Opera Company's "Monsieur Firmin", in Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Phantom of the Opera", starring Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman.
John Savident played the part of "The King" in the unbroadcast "The Black Adder" (1982) pilot episode, "The Black Adder: Original Pilot (#1.0)" (1982), in 1982. It was later remade as "The Black Adder: Born to Be King (#1.2)" (1983) in the original broadcast series in 1983.
Prior to his extensive stint on North of England soap "Coronation Street" (1960) as a strongly Lancashire accented and very loud butcher, Savident invariably played his roles with a cultured upper class accent.
Sustained knife injuries to his neck following an attack at his Manchester flat by a 28-year-old male, whom he had befriended in a pub. He was meant to play a big part as "Fred Elliott" in the live "Coronation Street" (1960) show, as a result, he could not take part. The script had to be vastly rewritten and rehearsed in time for the live show date. [December 2000]