Philip Middlemiss
Encyclopedia
Philip Middlemiss is a British
television and radio actor
, who played bookmaker Des Barnes
in ITV
's Coronation Street
(from 1990 until 1998). He has since moved on to star in ITV's Where the Heart Is
.
, County Durham
, to pub landlady Yvonne Lloyd who gave him up for adoption when he was ten days old. He was adopted by builder Alex Middlemiss and his wife June who later had a younger daughter of their own, Nicola. He attended St Francis RC Grammar School
.
and studied drama at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art
. He appeared on stage after graduation in plays such as Strippers, Trackers, A Tale of Two Cities
and A Christmas Carol
. On television he made his debut in 1986 in Ladies In Charge and then had various roles in series such as Inspector Morse
, The Bill
and Waterfront Beat in which he had a regular role as PC Barry Smith.
Middlemiss made his debut in Coronation Street in February 1990 as newly-wed Des Barnes together with Amelia Bullmore
who played his screen wife Steph. Bullmore left the series in 1991, but Middlemiss remained as a series regular until November 1998 when his character was killed off. This was not an option welcomed by Middlemiss who, although he wanted to leave the programme, also wanted the door left open for a possible return.
After leaving Coronation Street, he has appeared regularly on television, most notably in the role of David Buckley in the ITV drama Where the Heart Is
, from 2000 to 2006.
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...
television and radio actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, who played bookmaker Des Barnes
Des Barnes
Desmond Francis "Des" Barnes is a fictional character from the British soap opera Coronation Street, played by Philip Middlemiss.-Creation and development:...
in ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
's 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...
(from 1990 until 1998). He has since moved on to star in ITV's Where the Heart Is
Where the Heart Is (1997 TV series)
Where the Heart Is is a British television drama series set in the fictional town Skelthwaite.First shown in 1997, it was created by Ashley Pharoah and Vicky Featherstone...
.
Early life
Middlemiss was born on 19 June 1963 in HartlepoolHartlepool
Hartlepool is a town and port in North East England.It was founded in the 7th century AD, around the Northumbrian monastery of Hartlepool Abbey. The village grew during the Middle Ages and developed a harbour which served as the official port of the County Palatine of Durham. A railway link from...
, County Durham
County Durham
County Durham is a ceremonial county and unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county is the town of Darlington...
, to pub landlady Yvonne Lloyd who gave him up for adoption when he was ten days old. He was adopted by builder Alex Middlemiss and his wife June who later had a younger daughter of their own, Nicola. He attended St Francis RC Grammar School
St Francis RC Grammar School
For the school of the same name in Quetta, Pakistan, see St Francis Grammar School.St Francis RC Grammar School was a Catholic grammar school for boys, in Hartlepool, County Durham, England. It opened in 1956 and was subsumed into The English Martyrs School and Sixth Form College in...
.
Career
After leaving school, Middlemiss joined the National Youth TheatreNational Youth Theatre
The National Youth Theatre is a registered charity in London, Great Britain, committed to creative, personal and social development of young people through the medium of creative arts....
and studied drama at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art
London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art
The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art is a leading British drama school in west London. LAMDA's president is Timothy West and its new principal is Joanna Read, who recently succeeded Peter James...
. He appeared on stage after graduation in plays such as Strippers, Trackers, A Tale of Two Cities
A Tale of Two Cities
A Tale of Two Cities is a novel by Charles Dickens, set in London and Paris before and during the French Revolution. With well over 200 million copies sold, it ranks among the most famous works in the history of fictional literature....
and A Christmas Carol
A Christmas Carol
A Christmas Carol is a novella by English author Charles Dickens first published by Chapman & Hall on 17 December 1843. The story tells of sour and stingy Ebenezer Scrooge's ideological, ethical, and emotional transformation after the supernatural visits of Jacob Marley and the Ghosts of...
. On television he made his debut in 1986 in Ladies In Charge and then had various roles in series such as Inspector Morse
Inspector Morse
Inspector Morse is a fictional character in the eponymous series of detective novels by British author Colin Dexter, as well as the 33-episode 1987–2000 television adaptation of the same name, in which the character was portrayed by John Thaw. Morse is a senior CID officer with the Thames Valley...
, The Bill
The Bill
The Bill is a police procedural television series that ran from October 1984 to August 2010. It focused on the lives and work of one shift of police officers, rather than on any particular aspect of police work...
and Waterfront Beat in which he had a regular role as PC Barry Smith.
Middlemiss made his debut in Coronation Street in February 1990 as newly-wed Des Barnes together with Amelia Bullmore
Amelia Bullmore
Amelia Bullmore is an English actress and writer. She was born in London and studied drama at the University of Manchester. Bullmore started working as an actor but turned to writing in 1995...
who played his screen wife Steph. Bullmore left the series in 1991, but Middlemiss remained as a series regular until November 1998 when his character was killed off. This was not an option welcomed by Middlemiss who, although he wanted to leave the programme, also wanted the door left open for a possible return.
After leaving Coronation Street, he has appeared regularly on television, most notably in the role of David Buckley in the ITV drama Where the Heart Is
Where the Heart Is (1997 TV series)
Where the Heart Is is a British television drama series set in the fictional town Skelthwaite.First shown in 1997, it was created by Ashley Pharoah and Vicky Featherstone...
, from 2000 to 2006.