Doncaster born ex-football hooligan Cass Pennant lifts lid on new career as movie producer

Cass, now 65, ran one of the country’s most feared firms – West Ham's notorious Inter City Firm – before a spell in prison prompted him to turn his life around.

Born Carol Pennant in Doncaster in March 1958, he endured a tough childhood after being abandoned by his parents at just six weeks old.

Despite being fostered by a couple in London, he has said that he was "bullied from day one" as he was the only black kid in his area, forcing him to grow up tough.

The 6ft 4in man mountain, whose nickname was inspired by Muhammad Ali's real name Cassius Clay, co-founded the Inter City Firm, the hooligan group associated with West Ham United throughout the 1970s, '80s and '90s.

The gang were involved in countless battles with other major firms up and down the country.

As dramatised in the 2007 film Rise of the Footsoldier, the ICF were known to leave calling cards on their victims' battered bodies reading: "Congratulations, you have just met the ICF".

Cass went through two stints in jail, both for hooliganism-related offences, and was even shot three times amid a feud with a rival gang.

It was during his time inside that he decided to get his life back on the rails, and he retired from terrace violence in 2002 and penned an autobiography.

At the very start of the book he wrote: "I've been involved in more violence than most people will experience in a hundred lifetimes.

"My favourite weapons were my fists, the axe and Uncle Stan - my trusty Stanley knife."

This prompted a series of books documenting life as a hardcore hooligan, as well as an appearance on Danny Dyer's Bravo doc Real Football Factories.

The 2008 film 'Cass' told the story of his life, and even saw future Oscar winner Daniel Kaluuya play a teenage Cass, while the man himself made a cameo as a bouncer.

Cass has since gone on to work in the film industry as a producer and actor, as well as visiting schools and prisons to help prevent young people getting involved in violent crime.

In 2015, he said: "Everyone has more than one path in their life. I am proof that you can turn your life around.

"I never preach or tell people not to do certain things - it doesn’t work. I just tell them my story and how I tried to make sense of my life through writing books in prison and how that then led to where I am now. I want to open doors for them and open their eyes."

Cass has previously cited lifelong Hammers fan and British film star Ray Winstone as a major influence on him.

He said: "One of the most famous actors I can think of that’s a true Hammer is Ray Winstone. Like most of us, I’m a big fan of all his work and always thought he would have been a great fit for the Cass film."