Julie Goodyear
Encyclopedia
Julie Goodyear, MBE is an English
television
actress and media personality, best known for playing the long-running role of pub
landlady
Bet Lynch
(later Bet Gilroy) on British
soap opera
Coronation Street
.
Her private life - multiple marriages, scandals, claims of lesbianism - have made her off-screen life as colourful as her on-screen life. Famously, a cartoon appeared in the British newspaper the Daily Mail
, which had the director of Coronation Street
ripping up the script and saying "Forget the script - just keep talking about your private life."
She was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire in the 1996 New Year Honours
, "For services to Television Drama".
Her autobiography entitled Just Julie was released on 3 November 2006. In it she talks about her relationships with men and women.
In 1979 Julie left Coronation Street for the second of three times after being diagnosed with cervical cancer, something she kept secret from the public for 25 years. Following her private battle she founded a charity which resulted in formation of the Julie Goodyear Cancer Screening Centre.
on the British soap opera
Coronation Street
. She started playing the role for a brief time in 1966, but left when senior cast member Patricia Phoenix advised her to get some more training. It was at that time she joined Oldham Repertory Theatre.
Goodyear returned in 1970 and played, arguably, the Rovers' most memorable barmaid, until retiring in 1995. Her character made such an iconic impact on the culture that Goodyear has often been referred to as the Queen of British Soap Opera, in parallel to her American contemporary Susan Lucci
(Erica Kane
on All My Children
). In the 1970s, Bet was known for shocking Landlady Annie Walker
by wearing provocative clothing, but by the 1980s, her character became synonymous with outrageous leopard prints and a bleached-blonde beehive hairdo.
She quit Coronation Street in 1995, shortly after winning the "Lifetime Achievement Award" for her role as Bet Lynch in the first ever National Television Awards
. She returned to the role of Bet in 1999 for the spin-off The Rover Returns.
She made a brief but unsuccessful comeback to the show in the 2002. Her comeback was intended to boost ratings, and the writers had planned to keep her character back in the show permanently, but the pressure of increased recording schedules led to her departure amid reports of ill-health, and she was written out after just a few episodes. She did, however, return to the show again in 2003, though this time she didn't set foot on the cobbles of Coronation Street
itself and her appearances were part of a storyline that involved Liz McDonald
(Beverly Callard) and her husband Jim
(Charles Lawson
), who had recently escaped from prison.
. Other work included filming a pilot of The Julie Goodyear Show for Granada, presenting Live Time on the Granada Breeze
network, and being a DJ on Manchester Talk Radio. In 2001 she appeared in the BBC
television comedy sketch series Revolver. In 2004 she won the first series of the Living TV reality TV show, I'm Famous and Frightened!
.
In 2005, she was one of the celebrities taking part in the popular ITV1
reality TV series, Celebrity Fit Club, alongside friend Ken Morley
. She was originally made team captain but quit the role after six weeks, the role was taken over by Aldo Zilli
. She lost 1 stone 10 pounds, and her team won the show. She shocked everyone at the final weigh-in by announcing that in 1979/80 she was given a year to live, having being diagnosed with cervical cancer
, from which she was to make a full recovery.
In 1995 she was the subject of a This is Your Life
.
She has also appeared in the reality shows Road Raja, Age Swap, Celebrity Penthouse and Celebrity Stars in Their Eyes
as Marlene Dietrich
. She had a small role in the British film Tug of War (2006) and in October 2006 played a brief role in Channel 4's Hollyoaks
as Mrs. Temple, owner of a B&B. She recently participated in a Coronation Street special Come Dine With Me
In October 2009 it was confirmed that she will be starring in Calendar Girls
onstage. She appeared in the show for about three weeks before dropping out due to an unspecified virus.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
actress and media personality, best known for playing the long-running role of pub
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
landlady
Landlord
A landlord is the owner of a house, apartment, condominium, or real estate which is rented or leased to an individual or business, who is called a tenant . When a juristic person is in this position, the term landlord is used. Other terms include lessor and owner...
Bet Lynch
Bet Lynch
Elizabeth Theresa "Bet" Lynch is a fictional character from the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. The character is no longer part of current storylines. Portrayed by actress Julie Goodyear the character first appears onscreen during the episode airing on 23 May 1966. The character...
(later Bet Gilroy) on British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
Coronation Street
Coronation Street
Coronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960...
.
Biography
Born as Julie Kemp; her parents divorced when she was a toddler, and her mother then married William Goodyear, changing Julie's surname to Goodyear upon her marriage.Her private life - multiple marriages, scandals, claims of lesbianism - have made her off-screen life as colourful as her on-screen life. Famously, a cartoon appeared in the British newspaper the Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
, which had the director of Coronation Street
Coronation Street
Coronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960...
ripping up the script and saying "Forget the script - just keep talking about your private life."
She was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire in the 1996 New Year Honours
New Year Honours
The New Year Honours is a part of the British honours system, being a civic occasion on the New Year annually in which new members of most Commonwealth Realms honours are named. The awards are presented by the reigning monarch or head of state, currently Queen Elizabeth II...
, "For services to Television Drama".
Her autobiography entitled Just Julie was released on 3 November 2006. In it she talks about her relationships with men and women.
In 1979 Julie left Coronation Street for the second of three times after being diagnosed with cervical cancer, something she kept secret from the public for 25 years. Following her private battle she founded a charity which resulted in formation of the Julie Goodyear Cancer Screening Centre.
Coronation Street
She is most famous for playing barmaid-turned-proprietor Bet LynchBet Lynch
Elizabeth Theresa "Bet" Lynch is a fictional character from the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. The character is no longer part of current storylines. Portrayed by actress Julie Goodyear the character first appears onscreen during the episode airing on 23 May 1966. The character...
on the British soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
Coronation Street
Coronation Street
Coronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960...
. She started playing the role for a brief time in 1966, but left when senior cast member Patricia Phoenix advised her to get some more training. It was at that time she joined Oldham Repertory Theatre.
Goodyear returned in 1970 and played, arguably, the Rovers' most memorable barmaid, until retiring in 1995. Her character made such an iconic impact on the culture that Goodyear has often been referred to as the Queen of British Soap Opera, in parallel to her American contemporary Susan Lucci
Susan Lucci
Susan Victoria Lucci is an American actress and entrepreneur, best known for portraying Erica Kane on the daytime drama All My Children. The character is considered an icon, and Lucci has been called "Daytime's Leading Lady" by TV Guide, with New York Times and Los Angeles Times citing her as the...
(Erica Kane
Erica Kane
Erica Kane is a fictional character from the American daytime drama All My Children.The character has been portrayed by actress Susan Lucci since the show first aired in January 1970, until the last broadcast television episode aired in September 2011. Erica is considered to be the most popular...
on All My Children
All My Children
All My Children is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 5, 1970 to September 23, 2011. Created by Agnes Nixon, All My Children is set in Pine Valley, Pennsylvania, a fictitious suburb of Philadelphia. The show features Susan Lucci as Erica Kane, one of daytime's most...
). In the 1970s, Bet was known for shocking Landlady Annie Walker
Annie Walker
Anne "Annie" Walker is a long-standing fictional character in the ITV soap opera Coronation Street. She was played by actress Doris Speed from the series' first episode in 1960 until Speed retired from the role 23 years and 1,746 episodes later in 1983.The character of Annie has been noted as...
by wearing provocative clothing, but by the 1980s, her character became synonymous with outrageous leopard prints and a bleached-blonde beehive hairdo.
She quit Coronation Street in 1995, shortly after winning the "Lifetime Achievement Award" for her role as Bet Lynch in the first ever National Television Awards
National Television Awards
The National Television Awards is a British television awards ceremony, broadcast by the ITV network and initiated in 1995. The National Television Awards are the most prominent ceremony for which the results are voted on by the general public. Because of the way the awards are decided, winners are...
. She returned to the role of Bet in 1999 for the spin-off The Rover Returns.
She made a brief but unsuccessful comeback to the show in the 2002. Her comeback was intended to boost ratings, and the writers had planned to keep her character back in the show permanently, but the pressure of increased recording schedules led to her departure amid reports of ill-health, and she was written out after just a few episodes. She did, however, return to the show again in 2003, though this time she didn't set foot on the cobbles of Coronation Street
Coronation Street
Coronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960...
itself and her appearances were part of a storyline that involved Liz McDonald
Liz McDonald
Elizabeth "Liz" Jayne McDonald is a fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. Portrayed by actress Beverley Callard, the character first appeared onscreen during the episode airing on 27 October 1989 and remained on the series until Callard opted to leave in 1998...
(Beverly Callard) and her husband Jim
Jim McDonald (Coronation Street)
James "Jim" McDonald is a fictional character in the British television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. Portrayed by actor Charles Lawson, the character first appeared onscreen during the episode airing on 27 October 1989...
(Charles Lawson
Charles Lawson
Charles Lawson is a Northern Irish film and television actor.-Early life and education:He was born Quintin Charles Devenish Lawson in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland,...
), who had recently escaped from prison.
Career after the Street
In 1996 she signed a deal for commercials for Shredded WheatShredded Wheat
Shredded wheat is a breakfast cereal made from whole wheat. As of January 2010, it was available in three sizes: bite sized , miniature , and full size, which may be broken into small pieces before milk is added .Both sizes are available in a...
. Other work included filming a pilot of The Julie Goodyear Show for Granada, presenting Live Time on the Granada Breeze
Granada Breeze
Granada Breeze was a lifestyle channel operated by Granada Sky Broadcasting, a joint venture between Granada Television and British Sky Broadcasting. The channel was launched as Granada Good Life on 1 October 1996....
network, and being a DJ on Manchester Talk Radio. In 2001 she appeared in the BBC
BBC Television
BBC Television is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation. The corporation, which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927, has produced television programmes from its own studios since 1932, although the start of its regular service of television...
television comedy sketch series Revolver. In 2004 she won the first series of the Living TV reality TV show, I'm Famous and Frightened!
I'm Famous and Frightened!
I'm Famous and Frightened was a Living TV reality TV show in which 8 celebrities stayed for three nights in a "haunted" castle. They had to then do terrifying challenges in order to raise money for charity; each one was evicted until only the winner was left.The first series aired on Friday 12...
.
In 2005, she was one of the celebrities taking part in the popular ITV1
ITV1
ITV1 is a generic brand that is used by twelve franchises of the British ITV Network in the English regions, Wales, southern Scotland , the Isle of Man and the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey. The ITV1 brand was introduced by Carlton and Granada in 2001, alongside the regional identities of their...
reality TV series, Celebrity Fit Club, alongside friend Ken Morley
Ken Morley
Ken Morley is an English comedian and actor who is best known for his role as Reg Holdsworth in Coronation Street. He played the role from 1989 until quitting the show in 1995...
. She was originally made team captain but quit the role after six weeks, the role was taken over by Aldo Zilli
Aldo Zilli
Aldo Zilli is an Italian-born celebrity chef who specialises in Italian cuisine. One of nine children, he was born in the small seaside town of Alba Adriatica in the central Italian region of Abruzzo...
. She lost 1 stone 10 pounds, and her team won the show. She shocked everyone at the final weigh-in by announcing that in 1979/80 she was given a year to live, having being diagnosed with cervical cancer
Cervical cancer
Cervical cancer is malignant neoplasm of the cervix uteri or cervical area. One of the most common symptoms is abnormal vaginal bleeding, but in some cases there may be no obvious symptoms until the cancer is in its advanced stages...
, from which she was to make a full recovery.
In 1995 she was the subject of a This is Your Life
This Is Your Life
This Is Your Life is an American television documentary series broadcast on NBC, originally hosted by its producer, Ralph Edwards from 1952 to 1961. In the show, the host surprises a guest, and proceeds to take them through their life in front of an audience including friends and family.Edwards...
.
She has also appeared in the reality shows Road Raja, Age Swap, Celebrity Penthouse and Celebrity Stars in Their Eyes
Stars In Their Eyes
Stars in Their Eyes is a British television talent show that ran on Saturdays nights from 21 July 1990 until 23 December 2006 in which contestants impersonate showbiz stars...
as Marlene Dietrich
Marlene Dietrich
Marlene Dietrich was a German-American actress and singer.Dietrich remained popular throughout her long career by continually re-inventing herself, professionally and characteristically. In the Berlin of the 1920s, she acted on the stage and in silent films...
. She had a small role in the British film Tug of War (2006) and in October 2006 played a brief role in Channel 4's Hollyoaks
Hollyoaks
Hollyoaks is a long-running British television soap opera, first broadcast on Channel 4 on 23 October 1995. It was originally devised by Phil Redmond, who has also devised shows including Brookside and Grange Hill...
as Mrs. Temple, owner of a B&B. She recently participated in a Coronation Street special Come Dine With Me
Come Dine With Me
Come Dine With Me is a popular Channel 4 television programme shown in the United Kingdom, produced by Granada Television and first broadcast in January 2005. The show has either four or five amateur chefs competing against each other hosting a dinner party for the other contestants...
In October 2009 it was confirmed that she will be starring in Calendar Girls
Calendar Girls
Calendar Girls is a 2003 comedy film directed by Nigel Cole. Produced by Buena Vista International and Touchstone Pictures, it features a screenplay by Tim Firth and Juliette Towhidi based on a true story of a group of Yorkshire women who produced a nude calendar to raise money for Leukaemia...
onstage. She appeared in the show for about three weeks before dropping out due to an unspecified virus.