Willy Russell Willy Russell William Russell (born 23 August 1947) is an English dramatist, lyricist and composer. His best known works are "Educating Rita", "Shirley Valentine", "Blood Brothers" and "Our Day Out". Russell was born in Whiston in Lancashire. On leaving school, aged 15, he became a ladies' hairdresser eventually running his own salon until the age of 20 when he decided to try to go back to college, eventually qualifying as a teacher. During these years Russell also worked as a semi-professional singer, writing and performing his own songs on the then flourishing and vibrant folk scene. At college, he began
Shirley Jaffe (actress) Shirley Jaffe (actress) Shirley Jaffe is a British actress who returned to acting in 2002 after teaching drama for 20 years, and performing in murder mysteries and poetry recitals. Shirley trained at the Central School of Speech & Drama in 1954, and among other jobs was in the first British Theatre in the Round Company at Scarborough with Stephen Joseph and later Alan Ayckbourn, and in the last year of long running TV serial "Emergency Ward 10" as Nurse Angela Foster. Shirley's film work began in 1970 as a maid in Peter Sasdy's "Taste the Blood of Dracula". In 1971