Mike Hayden was born on September 9, 1930 in County Wicklow, Ireland. His family moved to Liverpool when he was fourteen and he worked as an electrician at a ship repair yard, attended evening classes in draughtsmanship before selling engineering products. During this time, he was also performing as a stand-up comic and storyteller in nightclubs. He became an actor appearing in several productions for Ken Loach, The Boys From the Blackstuff and Coronation Street. He died on February 25, 2004.

Filmography