Richard Nauyokas

Last updated

Richard 'Nooky' Nauyokas

VR
Nickname(s)Nooky
Born (1962-12-09) 9 December 1962 (age 61)
Grantham, Lincolnshire, England
AllegianceUnited Kingdom/USA
Service / branchBritish Army/Royal Air Force
Years of service1980–2002/2009 - To date
RankWarrant Officer
CommandsSquadron Sergeant Major
Battles / wars
Spouse(s)Liz Nauyokas (Nee Scarf)
Children2
Other workTV Personality

Richard Nauyokas, AKA: Nooky (born 9 December 1962) [1] is an English/American television personality, who is best known for his fair but firm disciplinarian persona in Lads Army/Bad Lads Army which can be seen currently on YouTube. A former professional soldier (Military Training Instructor) with the British Army, he created a Motivational Training Company for disadvantaged, disengaged youth.

Contents

Nauyokas's acting career commenced 2002 while still serving in the British Army, with the hit ITV Prime time show, Lads Army/Bad Lads Army, many TV appearances, a cameo in a music video, TV advert for Snickers (With Mr T) and a Netflix, Prime, Sky Movies 'The War Below' and continues to date. He has over 30 TV credits to his name.

Early life and Education

Nooky Nauyokas was born 9 December 1962 in Grantham, the only child of (Mother) Diana Judy Nauyokas (nee Winfield) and (Father) Richard Victor Nauyokas. His father was a United States Air Force Staff Sergeant based at RAF Alconbury, Cambridgeshire, he was born in Detroit, Michigan USA, . Prior to his parents divorcing when he was about 2 years old, his Father snatched him from Grantham and took him to his Grandmothers in Detroit USA, and then flew straight back to the UK. He registered him as an American Citizen at birth before doing this (Thereby giving him American citizenship status from birth). His mother then orchestrated, with the help of the Daily Mirror, snatching him back from the USA to get him back to England, all while he was a Ward of Court in both countries. His Father eventually returned to the USA without him. He fought for custody through the courts for a long time. Nauyokas did not see his Father or American family again until 1984, after tracking him down in the USA through his American Grandmother in Detroit. A relationship stemmed from that, and Nauyokas discovered he had 2 Half sisters and several cousins and an Aunt. He visits often to America to spend time with them. [2] He received his early formal education at Spitalgate (Church of England) Primary School, and The Boys' Central School in Grantham, where his attendance and studies were poor. [3] He was well known by the Police for being trouble in the town of Grantham, but without convictions. On leaving school he found work in a paper mill factory, apprentice plasterer, cushion filling factory, scrap metal dealer, cafe worker, furniture shop assistant.

Military Career

After many attempts trying to join the military, including the American Army (Unable to join due to his age at the time) he was eventually accepted in to the British Army as a driver (HGV). He found a sense of pride and belonging in the Army and was able to prove his worth from a very early stage. He credits the Army with putting him on the right track and enabling him to make something of his life. He retired from the Army after 22 years of military service during which time he undertook duty as a driver, radio operator, Physical Training Instructor and Military Training Instructor, serving in many places throughout the world, most notably Kosovo, Bosnia and Germany, he retired from the British Army in 2002 as Warrant Officer (Squadron Sergeant Major). [4] He also credits the British Army with ascertaining his fitness level as high, (something he was not aware of at school or growing up). He was awarded the Best Physical Training in Basic Training. He went on to be respected for his athletic ability in all track and field events, then specialising in 400M races to a high standard throughout his military career. He was a proficient Rugby player and also boxed for his company at the rank of Corporal. He has kept himself exceptionally fit over the years.

Nauyokas currently serves as a Sergeant in the Royal Air Force as the Drill and Ceremonial Sergeant at RAF Cranwell The Home of the RAF. [5]

Personal Life

Nauyokas is married with 2 children, both now grown and left home. He has been married to his wife (Liz) for 34 years, they met while both serving in the Army. They have lived in Germany, Wales and England. Both Nooky and Liz have taken up 'Camper van life' and enjoy visiting new towns, countryside and various locations, favouring Scotland in October.

Television Career

After retiring from the Army he decided on a career in acting. After repeated auditions for parts with little success, he successfully auditioned for the role of Section Corporal in the 2002 hit TV show, a new ITV historical military reality television series at the time, Lads Army in charge of 1 Section opposite Corporal Joe Murray of 2 Section in the programme, after himself receiving training as a 1950s British Army Corporal. [6] , a role he continued to play during the subsequent Bad Lads Army series in 2004, 2005 and 2008 (The show aired on various channels and throughout the world until 2009). [7] . The show became a phenomenal ITV success due to the manner in which he and Joe mentored the recruits throughout all 4 Series of the shows running of 5 years. He was a regular on the Trisha Goddard Show on ITV and Ch 5 as 'Trisha's Very Own Sergeant Major' running Boot camps for disengaged youth and mentoring of parents and couples struggling with each other, as well as motivating others needing assistance. He worked with Trisha on and off for 5 years.

TV

Film career

In 2021, Nauyokas appeared in the World War I film The War Below The film is a historical drama, set in 1917, about a group of miners who are tasked with tunnelling beneath no man's land, to set explosives below the German front line in an effort to break the stalemate of the Battle of Messines. (1917). Nauyokas appears alongside Tom Goodman-Hill and Andrew Scarborough.

Music Video

Commercial

Stage

TV Awards and Nominations:

Business Career

In 2005 Nauyokas set up 'Not All Bad, Ltd.', a company that operated UK wide, providing motivational and Team building physical and mental training courses for a variety of clientele, ranging from private individuals to corporate entities, including local councils and working with H.M. Prison Service in the rehabilitation of young offenders and prison inmates. [8] [9]

He also spent 1 year working as a Sales Executive at BMW (A job he did not enjoy) A short spell washing dishes on a TV production Another short spell sorting boxes for delivery (4 hours)

He has stated that 'Should the opportunity present itself' he may return to TV and Film in the future.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">R. Lee Ermey</span> US Marine sergeant and actor (1944–2018)

Ronald Lee Ermey was an American actor and U.S. Marine drill instructor. He achieved fame for his role as Gunnery Sergeant Hartman in the 1987 film Full Metal Jacket, which earned him a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Ermey was also a United States Marine Corps staff sergeant and an honorary gunnery sergeant.

Lance corporal is a military rank, used by many English-speaking armed forces worldwide, and also by some police forces and other uniformed organisations. It is below the rank of corporal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dick Emery</span> English comedian and actor (1915–1983)

Richard Gilbert Emery was an English comedian and comic actor. His broadcasting career began on radio in the 1950s, and his self-titled television series ran from 1963 to 1981.

<i>Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.</i> American television sitcom

Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. is an American sitcom that originally aired on CBS from September 25, 1964, to May 2, 1969. The series was a spin-off of The Andy Griffith Show, and the pilot episode was aired as the season finale of the fourth season of its parent series on May 18, 1964. The show ran for a total of 150 half-hour episodes spanning over five seasons, in black-and-white for the first season, and then in color for the remaining four seasons. In 2006, CBS Home Entertainment began releasing the series on DVD. The final season was released in November 2008.

<i>Soldier Soldier</i> British television drama series (1991–1997)

Soldier Soldier is a British television drama series. Created by Lucy Gannon, produced by Central Television and broadcast on the ITV network, it ran for a total of seven series and 82 episodes from 10 June 1991 to 9 December 1997. It featured the daily lives of a group of soldiers in 'A' Company, 1st Battalion The King's Fusiliers, a fictional British Army infantry regiment loosely based on the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers. The title comes from a traditional song of the same name, "Soldier, Soldier, Won't You Marry Me?", an instrumental version of which is used as its theme music.

<i>Ultimate Force</i> UK television series

Ultimate Force is a British television action drama series that was shown on ITV, which deals with the activities of Red Troop of the SAS. The first episode was broadcast on 16 September 2002, and a total of four series were produced. The series starred Ross Kemp as central character Staff Sergeant Henry 'Henno' Garvie. The show was initially described as a star vehicle for Kemp, who had been lured away from the BBC to ITV with a multimillion-pound contract. Kemp appeared in every episode of the four series.

<i>Jarhead</i> (film) 2005 film directed by Sam Mendes

Jarhead is a 2005 American biographical war drama film based on the 2003 memoir of the same name by Anthony Swofford, chronicling his military service in the U.S. Marine Corps during the Persian Gulf War. Directed by Sam Mendes, the film stars Jake Gyllenhaal as Swofford with Jamie Foxx, Peter Sarsgaard, Lucas Black, and Chris Cooper.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Bray</span> American film and television actor (1917–1983)

Robert E. Bray was an American film and television actor known for playing the forest ranger Corey Stuart in the CBS series Lassie, He also starred in Stagecoach West and as Mike Hammer in the movie version of Mickey Spillane's novel My Gun Is Quick (1957).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Israel Defense Forces ranks</span>

The ranks in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reflect an individual's level in the military.

Specialist is a military rank in some countries' armed forces. Two branches of the United States Armed Forces use the rank. It is one of the four junior enlisted ranks in the United States Army, above private (PVT), private (PV2), and private first class and is equivalent in pay grade to corporal; in the United States Space Force, four grades of specialist comprise the four junior enlisted ranks below the rank of sergeant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry H. Black</span>

Henry H. Black was a United States Marine who served as the 7th Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps from 1975 to 1977.

Lads' Army was a reality game show that constitutes a historically derived social experiment. Shown on ITV, the series is based on the premise of subjecting today's delinquent young men to the conditions of conscripts to British Army National Service of the 1950s to see if this could rehabilitate them.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Justin LeHew</span> United States Marine (born 1970)

Justin D. LeHew is a United States Marine who served in the War on Terror. He was awarded the Navy Cross for his actions on 23 and 24 March 2003 during the initial 2003 invasion of Iraq. He was hand picked to spearhead the rescue operation and recovery of the U.S. Army's 507th Maintenance Company on 23 March and subsequently was called upon again to take part in the rescue operation of US Army Private Jessica Lynch on 1 April 2003. He is also a recipient of the Bronze Star with Combat Distinguishing Device denoting Valor for his heroic actions from 5 to 28 August 2004 during the Battle of Najaf.

<i>Sharpes Peril</i> 2008 British television film

Sharpe's Peril is a 2008 British TV film, usually shown in two parts, which is part of an ITV series based on Bernard Cornwell's historical fiction novels about the English soldier Richard Sharpe during the Napoleonic Wars. Unlike most parts of the TV series, Sharpe's Peril and the preceding Sharpe's Challenge are not based on Cornwell's novels. Both are set in 1817, two years after Sharpe has retired as a farmer in Normandy, so chronologically they come after Sharpe's Assassin (1815) and before Sharpe's Devil (1820–1821). In Sharpe's Challenge and Sharpe's Peril, Sharpe and his comrade-in-arms, Patrick Harper, are called out of retirement and asked to go to India.

<i>Dads Army</i> British TV sitcom (1968–1977)

Dad's Army is a British television sitcom about the United Kingdom's Home Guard during the Second World War. It was written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft, and originally broadcast on BBC1 from 31 July 1968 to 13 November 1977. It ran for nine series and 80 episodes in total; a feature film released in 1971, a stage show and a radio version based on the television scripts were also produced. The series regularly gained audiences of 18 million viewers and is still shown internationally.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warrant officer (United Kingdom)</span> Non-commissioned rank in the British Armed Forces

A warrant officer (WO) in the British Armed Forces is a member of the highest-ranking group of non-commissioned ranks, holding the King's Warrant, which is signed by the Secretary of State for Defence.

Central Technology & Sports College was a secondary school in the north of Grantham in Lincolnshire, England. It became part of The Priory Ruskin Academy in 2010.

<i>Get Some In!</i> 1975 British TV series or programme

Get Some In! is a British television sitcom about National Service life in the Royal Air Force, broadcast between 1975 and 1978 by Thames Television. Scripts were by John Esmonde and Bob Larbey, the team behind sitcoms such as The Good Life.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mr. Bean (character)</span> Character in British comedy TV programme

Mr. Bean is a fictional character from the British comedy television programme Mr. Bean, its animated spin-off, and two live-action feature films. He was created by Rowan Atkinson and Richard Curtis, portrayed by Atkinson, and made his first appearance on television in the pilot episode, which first aired on 1 January 1990.

Joe Murray is a former British Army soldier and television personality from Glasgow, United Kingdom. He is best known for his role on ITV programme, Bad Lads' Army.

References

  1. ↑ "Richard Carlton NAUYOKAS personal appointments - Find and update company information - GOV.UK". Archived from the original on 23 September 2024.
  2. ↑ Interview with Richard Nauyokas, 'Isle of Man TV', November 2017. Published on Youtube 7 November 2007. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUxzpABiJtQ Archived 4 April 2023 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ↑ Nauyokas, Richard - Nasty Nookie not all bad', Grantham Matters website, 29 January 2013. http://www.granthammatters.co.uk/nauyokas-richard-vvv/ Archived 15 December 2018 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ↑ "MEET THE MILITARY STAFF… - Channel Ten". Archived from the original on 23 November 2016. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
  5. ↑ 'Grimsby Town National Citizen Service 2012', published on Youtube 10 November 2012. Interview with Nauyokas at 9.31 mins. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fx1UI8lh9rQ Archived 4 April 2023 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ↑ "Episode 1.1". Lads Army . Series 1. Episode 1. 31 July 2002. ITV. ITV1.
  7. ↑ "Good show Bad Lads". Gazette and Herald. 6 July 2006. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 15 June 2013.
  8. ↑ Website of 'Not All Bad, Ltd.' (2018). https://www.notallbad.co.uk/ Archived 14 December 2018 at the Wayback Machine
  9. ↑ Nauyokas directing the 'Snickers Walnut Challenge Physical Endurance trial' video (2010), uploaded on to Youtube 23 March 2010. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSQUacNwGAU Archived 22 May 2023 at the Wayback Machine
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.