Tomlinson lived in Liverpool all his life, apart from when he was evacuated to Blackpool.
He started acting late in life and his first TV acting role was when Roland Joffe cast him, aged 40, in United Kingdom, which was shown in the BBC's Play for Today slot.
Ricky Tomlinson's credits then included the acclaimed BBC series Boys From The Blackstuff.
This would lead to major roles in Brookside and The Royle Family.
On the eve of the 2006 World Cup, Ricky Tomlinson presented the documentary Shirts of '66, in which he tries to track down the most famous shirts in English sporting history - those of the World Cup winners.
