Hollywood superstar Gary Oldman has become the second actor from Ashford to win an Oscar – even if his links to the town are now a tad tenuous.

The 59-year-old lived in Stanhope during his teenage years and went to the Duncan Bowen Secondary School, now The John Wallis Academy.

He has now joined Ashford-born Sir Mark Rylance in winning an Academy Award after scooping the Best Actor Oscar for his performance as Winston Churchill in the Darkest Hour.

School friend Alan McKay – who was in the same Scot 2A class as Oldman at Duncan Bowen – says he was a popular pupil.

“Gary was a cheeky chappy and a good footballer,” said Mr McKay, a retired BT engineer.

“He was keen on acting and went to drama classes.

“I remember one time he brought in some photos to show me of his dad as both our dads were boxers.

“We then went to the South Ashford Youth Club for a sparring session; we had a five-minute round and I think it was about even.”

It is thought Oldman – originally from New Cross in London – lived in a flat in Otterden Close, Stanhope, between 1970 and 1973.

Mr McKay, 60, says he lost contact with Oldman when he moved out of the town.

“He suddenly popped up when I was in my second year but then disappeared overnight,” he said.

“He just didn’t turn up for school again and people said he had moved away from Ashford.

“When I see him in the films now, I can still see the resemblance from his school days.”

Mr McKay, a father-of-two, said he first saw Oldman in a movie when watching The Fifth Element sci-fi film, which also starred Bruce Willis.

The Hawks Way resident added: “I’d heard he’d got into acting but I didn’t think anything of it until I saw him in The Fifth Element.

"Everyone says I am talking a load of rubbish, but it is true..." - Alan McKay

“Over the years I have said to various people that I went to school with Gary Oldman, but no one has believed me.

“Everyone says I am talking a load of rubbish because it doesn’t say anything on the internet, but it is true.”

Oldman – who now lives in Los Angeles – used his speech at the prestigious film awards to tell his 98-year-old mother to “put the kettle on” as he would be round soon with his gong.

As well as his starring role in the Darkest Hour, Oldman is well known for his work in the Harry Potter as Sirius Black and Commissioner Jim Gordon in the Batman films.

In 2016, Ashford-born Rylance beat Oldman to Oscar success by winning the best supporting actor gong for his role in Bridge of Spies.

The 58-year-old, who was knighted last year, starred alongside Tom Hanks in the movie, playing a Soviet agent in Steven Spielberg’s Cold War thriller.

Rylance moved from Ashford to America as a child, when his parents emigrated to work in Milwaukee.

Do you have any photos of Gary Oldman during his time in Ashford? Email kentishexpress@thekmgroup.co.uk