Adam Faith (real name, Terence Nelhams-Wright) was born in West London. He was unaware that his real surname was Nelhams-Wright until he applied for a passport and obtained his birth certificate. He was known as Terry Nelhams throughout his early life.

The third in a family of five children, Faith grew up in a council house in a working class area of London, where he attended John Perryn secondary modern school. He started work at the age of 12, delivering and selling newspapers while still at school. His first full-time job was an odd-job boy for a silk screen printer close to his home.

Adam Faith became one of Britain's most significant early pop stars. At the time, he was arguably the most distinctive British pop vocalist of his era. His unique voice and his hiccupping glottal stops and exaggerated pronunciation rendered him instantly recognisable. Like most contemporary pop singers, he did not write his own material, and much of his early success was attributable to his partnership with John Barry and songwriter Les Vandyke, whose arrangements were inspired by Don Costa's pizzicato arrangements for Buddy Holly's "It Doesn't Matter Anymore".

Faith's success on the television programme, Drumbeat enabled him to get another recording contract with Parlophone. His next record in 1959, "What Do You Want?", written by Les Vandyke and produced by Barry and John Burgess, received good reviews in both The New Musical Express and other music papers, as well as being voted a hit on Juke Box Jury.

This became his first number one hit in the UK Singles Chart, and his pronunciation of the word 'baby' as 'bay-beh' became a national catch phrase.

"What Do You Want?" was the first ever number one hit for Parlophone, Faith being the only pop act recording on the label at that time.

With subsequent songs like "Poor Me" (another chart topper),"Someone Else's Baby" and "Don't That Beat All", he established himself as a serious rival to Cliff Richard in British popular music. With his chiselled features, blond hair and smart appearance, his style and looks were in complete contrast to Cliff's, offering a real alternative for the teenage market.

After a string of successful records, tours and TV appearances, Faith's brand of sometimes rather twee pop became less popular in the mid 1960s in the face of competition from groups like The Beatles. After a final single in 1968 he parted company with EMI and went on to develop his alternative career as an actor.

While still a musician he had appeared in several films such as Beat Girl (1961), Never Let Go, and television dramas such as Rediffusion's, No Hiding Place, but now he concentrated on acting in repertory theatre. After a number of small parts, he was given a more substantial role in Night Must Fall, playing opposite Dame Sybil Thorndike. In the autumn of 1969 he took the lead in a touring production of Billy Liar.

In the 1970s, he also went into music management, notably managing Leo Sayer amongst others.

He starred as the eponymous "hero" in the popular 1970s television series Budgie, about an ex-convict, but after a car accident as a result of which he almost lost a leg, his acting career suffered something of a decline. It restarted when he landed a major role as the manipulative manager of rock star David Essex, in the film Stardust. For this, he was nominated for a BAFTA award. In 1980 he co-starred with Roger Daltrey in McVicar and also appeared with Jodie Foster in Foxes.

From 1992-1994, Faith appeared in another hit TV series, Love Hurts co-starring with Zoe Wanamaker, and in 2002 he also appeared in the BBC series, The House That Jack Built.