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.

Lead Singer of the Pop Group, Fine Young CannibalsChosen by People magazine as one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the world [1990]He was listed among the "50 Most Beautiful People" in People magazine in 1990.