Holly Johnson

Acting

Holly Johnson

Born 1960-02-09 · Liverpool, England, UK

William Holly Johnson (born 9 February 1960) is an English artist, musician, and writer, best known as the lead vocalist of Frankie Goes to Hollywood, who achieved huge commercial success in the mid-1980s. Prior to that, in the late 1970s he was a bassist for the band Big in Japan. In 1989, Johnson's debut solo album, Blast, reached number one in the UK albums chart. Two singles from the album – "Love Train" and "Americanos" – reached the top 5 of the UK Singles Chart. In the 1990s, he also embarked on writing, painting, and printmaking careers.

Acting credits

Body Double poster
6.7

After losing an acting role and his girlfriend, Jake Scully finally catches a break: he gets offered a gig house-sitting in the Hollywood Hills. While peering through the beautiful home's telescope one night, he spies a gorgeous woman dancing in her window. But when he witnesses the girl's murder, it leads Scully through the netherworld of the adult entertainment industry on a search for answers—with porn actress Holly Body as his guide.

Body Double

1984

The Making of Do They Know It's Christmas? poster
8.0

Forty years on from the release of the hit single by charity supergroup Band Aid, this documentary unearths 75 minutes of rare and previously unseen film footage from the day of recording

The Making of Do They Know It's Christmas?

2024

Holly Johnson - Baloise Session 2022 poster
8.0

Frankie Goes To Hollywood: Their music videos told bizarre stories - from the overtly sexual sado club to the biblical nativity play. At the centre: Holly Johnson. Always with a slightly ironic charm and in a tailor-made suit. Always style-conscious, even in the crises of his life. At Baloise 2022 he revives the emotions of yesteryear with his British humour and his immortal solo hit "Americanos".

Holly Johnson - Baloise Session 2022

2022

Queer as Art poster
3.3

Documentary celebrating the LGBTQ contribution to the arts in Britain in the 50 years since decriminalisation. It features interviews with leading figures from right across the arts in Britain, including Stephen Fry, David Hockney, Sir Antony Sher, Alan Cumming, Sandi Toksvig, Jeanette Winterson, Will Young and Alan Hollinghurst, and it explores the distinctive perspectives and voices that LGBT artists have brought to British cultural life.

Queer as Art

2017

Freedom: 50 Years of Pride poster
8.0

This documentary reveals the surprising and overlooked history of Pride: its origins, its struggles and its triumphs. Made in creative and editorial collaboration with acclaimed filmmaker Stephen Daldry and playwright Joe Robertson, it tells the story of Pride primarily through first-person testimony and archive footage.

Freedom: 50 Years of Pride

2022

Frankie Goes to Hollywood: Welcome to the Pleasuredome poster
9.0

Frankie Goes To Hollywood's 1984 double album Welcome To The Pleasuredome Blu-ray features the three UK No 1 singles Relax, Two Tribes and The Power Of Love along with the 12 minute album version of the title track which reached No 2 in 1985, in single form. Other highlights include War, The World Is My Oyster, Born to Run and Black Night White Light. The chart-topping album has been mixed in Dolby Atmos, 5.1 and Stereo by Steven Wilson, all of which feature on the Blu-ray. Unique to this edition are instrumentals of the full album in Atmos, 5.1 and Stereo (also mixed by Steven Wilson). The Blu-ray also features the original 1984 stereo mix of Welcome To The Pleasuredome and offers six bonus tracks (mostly B-sides) in Dolby Atmos, 5.1 and Stereo. Finally, Steven Wilson has created a unique 12-inch mix of the song Welcome To The Pleasuredome, called the 'Supernova' mix. This runs for exactly 30 minutes and like the instrumentals is only available on the Blu-ray.

Frankie Goes to Hollywood: Welcome to the Pleasuredome

2025

Sounds of Liverpool at the BBC poster
9.0

It’s the city that gave birth to The Beatles, inspired Gerry to ride that ferry, and spawned Bunnymen and Atomic Kittens. Now with all eyes – and ears – on Liverpool for the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest, a look into the BBC’s archives for a selection of performances from some of Merseyside’s biggest and best-loved musical stars.

Sounds of Liverpool at the BBC

2023

Legendary Children [All of Them Queer] poster
NR

Titled after Holly Johnson's iconic anthem, Legendary Children [All Of Them Queer] follows many of the original pioneers of the 1972 and first European Pride March during events over the summer of Pride 50 when the UK marked its 50th anniversary in spectacular style. The headline cast encompasses some of the most genuinely influential figures in UK LGBTQIA+ rights activism and its history. Like their US counterparts in the two years following the Stonewall Riots, these remarkable individuals were there at the very start when Pride was taking its first steps in Europe too. We won't quite see their like again. Not a history lesson, the film is a lively, informal celebration and personal recollection of many stages along the way of 50 years of activism, both then and now, by those who were there.

Legendary Children [All of Them Queer]

2023

No artwork available
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Holly Johnson mit der SWR1 Band beim Finale der SWR1 Hitparade 2019

2019

Frankie Goes To Hollywood: Hard On poster
8.3

A collection of every music video by British new wave band Frankie Goes To Hollywood.

Frankie Goes To Hollywood: Hard On

2000

The Sound of Protest poster
8.0

In a world that continues to suppress freedom of expression, music can be a weapon. But while protest songs shine a light, can they truly propel change? This documentary offers a brand-new take on the subject of protest songs. Bristling with iconic, high-impact and powerful songs - it asks: Do Protest Songs actually make a difference? The answer, from an impressive cast list of singers and songwriters is revelatory. Featuring Smokey Robinson, Hozier, Skin (Skunk Anansie), Two-Tone's Jerry Dammers, Angélique Kidjo, Holly Johnson, David McAlmont, Rhiannon Giddens and more.

The Sound of Protest

Frankie Goes to Hollywood: Frankie Say Greatest poster
NR

Collection of greatest videos by Frankie Goes to Hollywood.

Frankie Goes to Hollywood: Frankie Say Greatest

2009