Michael Jayston (born 29th October 1935 in Nottingham) appeared on Coronation Street in December 2000 as the Judge who sentenced Jim McDonald to an eight year custodial sentence for the murder of Jez Quigley.
He was educated at the Roman Catholic Becket School, and later at Nottingham University. After National Service in Germany, he trained to be an accountant with the National Coal Board where he was well known as a cricketer. He caught the "acting bug" at Nottingham's Co-operative Arts Theatre, before gaining a scholarship to the Guildhall School of Music after which he carved out a career both on stage and screen.
His other credits include roles in Suspense, The Power Game, Callan, Jane Eyre, Quiller, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Flesh and Blood, Crown Court, Doctor Who, A Bit of a Do, Cluedo, The Darling Buds of May, EastEnders, The Bill, Foyle's War, Emmerdale, Holby City, Doctors and Borgia, along with the films A Midsummer Night's Dream, Cromwell, Nicholas and Alexandra, Follow Me!, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Bequest to the Nation, The Homecoming, Craze, The Internecine Project, Dominique, Zulu Dawn, From a Far Country, Highlander: The Final Dimension and Element of Doubt.
On stage he has appeared in productions of Love's Labour's Lost, Henry V, Othello, All in Good Time, A Christmas Carol, Dial "M" For Murder, Beyond The Fringe, Hamlet, Charley's Aunt, Puntila, The Investigation, The Battle of Agincourt, Ghosts, Equus, Alice's Boys, The Sound of Music and Amy's View.