Johnny Vegas
Johnny Vegas was born Michael Pennington on 11th September 1971 in St Helens.
His family were devout Catholics, and Johnny Vegas trained for the priesthood - eventually dropping out.
Johnny Vegas is a successful comic, but his straight acting too has attracted praise.
On the comedy front he won the critics' award at the Edinburgh Festival in 1997 and was nominated for the Perrier prize. This led to a contract with Channel 4.
Vegas must have relished the commission as back in 1995 he had entered unsuccessfully the Channel 4 "So You Think You're Funny" Contest.
In 2002, Vegas won the Royal Television Society's best newcomer award.
Straight roles have included Krook, an illiterate drunk in Bleak House and Bottom in A Midsummer Night's Dream - both for the BBC.
Vegas has also appeared in The Canterbury Tales as well as working with Johnny Depp in The Libertine. Vegas liked Depp and Gillian Anderson (in Bleak House) because they smoked roll-ups.
Johnny won an award for his performance as Charlie in Happiness. He also acts as Moz, the main character in Ideal.
Before the worlds of comedy and acting, Vegas was a useful potter - he studied Ceramics at Middlesex Polytechnic; and a keen Rugby League enthusiast - he is a huge fan of St Helens and is President of the Blackpool Panthers.
Vegas had a main role in Sex Lives of The Potato Men - which got slated, but proved to be fun. He also had the late Friday night show 18 Stone of Idiot on Channel 4.
In 2007 Johnny Vegas played The Oracle in ITV's comedy series, Benidorm.