Roland Lee Gift was born in Birmingham, England. He and his two
sisters, Helga and Ragna, grew up in Hull where his mother, Pauline,
ran several second-hand clothes shops.
He received his education at Kelvin Hall School (Bricknell Avenue), but
did not receive favorable yearly reports.
Andy Cox and David Steele chose Gift as the lead singer of their new
band in 1985 after their former band, The Beat, broke up.
He worked in various theater, television, and movie roles beginning
early in his career after joining Fine Young Cannibals. His first role
was in the 1987 film Sammy and Rosie Get Laid. He didn't appear on
stage until 1990 when he landed a part as Romeo in 1990 for a
production of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet in Hull Truck Theatre,
which had a brief run in the USA at the Staller Center for the Arts.
Later, in 1993, he had a reoccurring role in the popular series
Highlander: The Series as the Immortal Xavier St. Cloud.
Gift released his first solo album since the official breakup of the
band Fine Young Cannibals in 1992, self-titled, in 2002. It featured
the single "It's Only Money". He waited until 2007 to go back to the
recording studio for a follow-up album.
He is reported to have several children, but has made his preference to
keep certain aspects of his personal life out of the public eye.
