Jimmy Nail

Jimmy Nail, recognized for his singing, initially achieved recognition in England through his acting in the early 1980s, notably in the popular BBC-TV series Auf Wiedersehen Pet. He created Spender as a deeply personal project, handling both the writing and production while taking the lead role of undercover detective Freddie Spender. Multiple awards followed for that program, which also gave rise to a popular novel. Additional honors arrived with Crocodile Shoes, the series in which he portrayed a third-rate country singer. Nail entered the recording studio during the mid-1980s and secured his first American deal through the 1992 album Growing Up in Public. The 1995 release Crocodile Shoes, drawn directly from the television series, reached triple-platinum status in Great Britain and produced a best-selling sequel the following year. In 1996 he landed his most prominent part, playing tango singer Agustín Magaldi in Madonna’s cinematic adaptation of Evita.