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He's acted alongside some of Hollywood's best known stars but Adam Fogerty is never happier than when checking into his fish and chip shop in the Colne Valley.

It's the most improbable of story lines but the former boxer and professional rugby player who bought the chip shop back in 2007 much prefers the simple pleasures Huddersfield and Linthwaite have to offer than the fawning attentions of gofers in Los Angeles.

Adam, a married father-of-two, who lives in the Castle Hill area celebrates his 50th birthday on March 6, and says he still has to rub his eyes occasionally when he marvels at his incredible series of careers.

The 6ft 4ins, man-mountain became a Halifax, St Helens Rugby League and very briefly Warrington professional player over a seven year period.

He was a talented heavyweight boxer too and only lost one bout in 19 contests.

But, it's been acting that has been his career for an amazing 26 years now and which began in 1992 when he was approached to fill the role of a boxer after talent-spotters failed to choose anyone from an audition at the Royal Albert Hall.

(Image: Trinity Mirror)

Adam, who at one time was ranked as high as number three in England and five in Europe, found it a relatively easy transition and has never looked back.

He got his acting break while he was still boxing, playing a South African heavyweight in the 1992 film The Power of One, which starred Morgan Freeman and a youthful Daniel Craig later to find fame as James Bond.

Since then he’s gone on to appear in films alongside Robert De Niro, Helen Mirren and Brad Pitt, with his most iconic role being that of bare-knuckle fighter Gorgeous George in Guy Ritche’s popular film Snatch.

(Image: Reach PLC)

He's also played one of Robert De Niro’s pirates in Stardust, was in Vinnie Jones’ prison football team in Mean Machine and got to kiss Helen Mirren in the 2000 movie Greenfingers.

And not many people can say they bonded over fish and chips with Bruce Springsteen.

He's rarely been short of work as the job offers flooded in and he went on to star in many films along with TV shows Heartbeat, Emmerdale, Coronation Street, The Bill and a memorable appearance on The Steve Coogan Show.

(Image: Reach PLC)

Incredibly, Adam, who at one time weighed 24 stones, also got to perform in a West End musical.

He co-owns one of Huddersfield area's top fish and chip shops, Harry Heywoods, on Manchester Road in Linthwaite, not far from The Sair, with award-winning fryer Ian Kioch but is content to let his wife Deborah run it.

Adam, a modest, unassuming, gentle giant, said: "The thing about acting is that you are never in control of your destiny but I have been very fortunate over the years and it's been a fascinating time meeting some very interesting people.

"It's like being addicted to something but it's up to someone else when they decide to give you a fix.

"I have been very lucky, there is no doubt about that. I never went to acting school so never had any formal training as such.

"When I got to act with Daniel Craig all those years ago it was the first film he had ever done and he was fresh out of acting school. He was fine.

"The thing is with acting is that everyone on set wants you to succeed because it's a job and so they want you to be good so it's a wrap and everyone can go home.

"And compared to boxing I think acting is the easier one because they paint the bruises on!

"And acting is a piece of cake compared to being in a boxing ring.

"Looking back I've enjoyed all my different careers and meeting Michael Caine was brilliant. He was great with me.

"I had a small part as a bouncer or doorman in Little Voice in 1998 which he was in.

"I first met him in Scarborough and the director came up and introduced me to him.

"There had been a football match the night before and he was right down to earth and said did I watch the match and then he told me a couple of stories.

"And I got on really well with Brad Pitt too, he was of a similar age to me."

But, unsurprisingly, he didn't care for Los Angeles saying he found it "false" and is glad to have a home in the Huddersfield area with his wife Deborah and their two children, 13-year-old Harry and eight-year-old Summer.

A good pal is another man-mountain, ex-Giants star Eorl Crabtree, and they don't come more rugged and traditional than that.

And the fish and chip obsession goes back a long way to when he was brought up in Halifax and the love of a good meal has stayed with him ever since.

Adam, who is teetotal, added: "A little old Italian guy showed me how to do it. He had retired the year before I bought the place in Halifax. I said: 'can you show me how to do it?'

"I was lucky like that. He showed me and then I showed my wife how to do it."

She runs the business and he says he has no intention of passing on gold dust information about how to make the perfect dish saying: "everyone is very secretive" and with that parting shot he is gone.