William Roache
Encyclopedia
William Patrick Harry Roache MBE (born 25 April 1932) is a British actor
, best known for his role as Ken Barlow in the soap opera
Coronation Street
. He is the longest serving cast member and was the only remaining member of the original Coronation Street cast, having appeared since the first episode on 9 December 1960, until Philip Lowrie
returned to his role as Dennis Tanner
after a 43-year absence.
grandfather was interested in such things as hypnotism, theosophy
, spiritualism
, homoeopathy and esotericism
, and the teachings of philosopher and educationalist Rudolf Steiner
. Roache for a time attended a Steiner school set up by his grandfather in the garden of the family home in Ilkeston
Derbyshire. Roache was later educated at the independent Rydal School
in Colwyn Bay
, North Wales
.
In 1953, he was commissioned into the Royal Welsh Fusiliers. He was promoted to Lieutenant
in 1954 and left the Army three years later. Because of a mortar round explosion that he witnessed while on National Service
with the British Army
during this time, Roache suffers from tinnitus
.
, where Don Hastings
, played Bob Hughes since October 1960 without a break. On 16 October 1985, just weeks before the 25th anniversary of his debut on Coronation Street, he appeared as the special guest on the TV guest show This Is Your Life
. With the departure of Pat Phoenix
(Elsie Tanner
) the previous year, he was the show's last remaining original cast member by this stage.
In 1992, The Sun
newspaper accused Roache of being as boring as his character Ken Barlow, and the allegation that his relations with other members of the cast were poor. Roache then sued for libel, employing Peter Carter-Ruck
as his lawyer. The Sun offered to settle out of court for £50,000. Roache turned this down and went ahead with legal action. Colleague Johnny Briggs
, who played Barlow's rival Mike Baldwin, appeared in court to say that he and Roache were actually the best of friends. Roache won the case and was awarded the same amount in damages as The Sun had offered, but because he had proceeded to trial he was also liable for court costs. Roache then sued Carter-Ruck for misadvising him and lost. In 1999 he declared himself bankrupt.
His autobiography is called A Soul on The Street. It focuses on many of his life experiences and contains a significant amount of philosophical content in which Roache affirms his belief in the afterlife
.
In 1999, Roache was the recipient of the British Soap Awards
Lifetime Achievement Award for his role as Ken Barlow.
In 2003, Roache appeared on Celebrity Stars in Their Eyes
as Perry Como
singing—in true Barlow style—the song "Catch a Falling Star
".
In September and October 2005, Roache appeared as a celebrity contestant in Ant & Dec's Gameshow Marathon
. He was the winner of The Golden Shot
remake, progressing through to Bullseye
where he was beaten by television presenter Vernon Kay
. He later entered All Star Family Fortunes, which is hosted by Vernon Kay, but lost by two points to his competitors.
In October 2008, he revealed on BBC Breakfast that he had a two-year feud with fellow Coronation Street actress Pat Phoenix
during which they didn't speak to each other. This was over her changing of a scene involving the two of them. However, they did reconcile and became good friends.
In 2010 he made a guest appearance on Harry Hill
's comedy album Funny Times on the song "Ken!" which is about his Coronation Street character.
(1938–2007), is the actor Linus Roache
(born 1964). The couple also had a daughter, Vanya (born 1967). They were married from 1961 until divorcing
in 1974. From his second marriage, he has a daughter named Verity (born 1981) and a younger son, the actor James Roache
, christened William (born 1986). A second daughter, Edwina (born 1982), died aged 18 months from acute bronchial pneumonia in 1984.
Roache's second wife, Sara, died suddenly on 7 February 2009 at their home in Wilmslow
, Cheshire, at the age of 58. They had been married since 1978., He is a godfather to Eileen Derbyshire
's son, the sports journalist Oliver Holt
.
Roache is a strong supporter of the Conservative Party. He championed Sir John Major
as Britain's greatest post-war prime minister for The Daily Politics
. He also supported the now disgraced ex-Conservative MP Neil Hamilton
in the 1997 election
against Martin Bell
. This is in contrast with his character Ken, who holds strong socialist views. Roache is now patron of the Ilkeston-based production company Sustained Magic Ltd. The company exists to help encourage the arts development within Ilkeston and the East Midlands to help develop new actors.
in recognition of his contribution to television.
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, best known for his role as Ken Barlow in the 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...
. He is the longest serving cast member and was the only remaining member of the original Coronation Street cast, having appeared since the first episode on 9 December 1960, until Philip Lowrie
Philip Lowrie
Colin Philip Lowrie is an English television actor. He played Dennis Tanner, the son of Elsie Tanner in Coronation Street, from 1960 until 1968. On 25 January 2011, it was announced that he would return to the role, reappearing on screen later in the year...
returned to his role as Dennis Tanner
Dennis Tanner
Dennis Tanner is a fictional character in British soap opera Coronation Street. He is played by Philip Lowrie. The character was created by writer Tony Warren and was introduced in the very first episode on 9 December 1960...
after a 43-year absence.
Early life
Roache's FreemasonFreemasonry
Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...
grandfather was interested in such things as hypnotism, theosophy
Theosophy
Theosophy, in its modern presentation, is a spiritual philosophy developed since the late 19th century. Its major themes were originally described mainly by Helena Blavatsky , co-founder of the Theosophical Society...
, spiritualism
Spiritualism
Spiritualism is a belief system or religion, postulating the belief that spirits of the dead residing in the spirit world have both the ability and the inclination to communicate with the living...
, homoeopathy and esotericism
Esotericism
Esotericism or Esoterism signifies the holding of esoteric opinions or beliefs, that is, ideas preserved or understood by a small group or those specially initiated, or of rare or unusual interest. The term derives from the Greek , a compound of : "within", thus "pertaining to the more inward",...
, and the teachings of philosopher and educationalist Rudolf Steiner
Rudolf Steiner
Rudolf Joseph Lorenz Steiner was an Austrian philosopher, social reformer, architect, and esotericist. He gained initial recognition as a literary critic and cultural philosopher...
. Roache for a time attended a Steiner school set up by his grandfather in the garden of the family home in Ilkeston
Ilkeston
Ilkeston is a town within the Borough of Erewash, in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the River Erewash, from which the local borough takes its name. Its population at the 2001 census was 37,550...
Derbyshire. Roache was later educated at the independent Rydal School
Rydal Penrhos
Rydal Penrhos is a private co-educational boarding school in Colwyn Bay, North Wales. It is located on multiple sites around the town including a site in the neighbouring village of Rhos-on-Sea where it keeps its watersports equipment for easy access to the beach.The school, as it exists today,...
in Colwyn Bay
Colwyn Bay
- Demography :Prior to local government reorganisation on 1 April 1974 Colwyn Bay was a municipal borough with a population of c.25,000, but in 1974 this designation disappeared leaving five separate parishes, known as communities in Wales, of which the one bearing the name Colwyn Bay encompassed...
, North Wales
North Wales
North Wales is the northernmost unofficial region of Wales. It is bordered to the south by the counties of Ceredigion and Powys in Mid Wales and to the east by the counties of Shropshire in the West Midlands and Cheshire in North West England...
.
In 1953, he was commissioned into the Royal Welsh Fusiliers. He was promoted to Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
in 1954 and left the Army three years later. Because of a mortar round explosion that he witnessed while on National Service
National service
National service is a common name for mandatory government service programmes . The term became common British usage during and for some years following the Second World War. Many young people spent one or more years in such programmes...
with the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
during this time, Roache suffers from tinnitus
Tinnitus
Tinnitus |ringing]]") is the perception of sound within the human ear in the absence of corresponding external sound.Tinnitus is not a disease, but a symptom that can result from a wide range of underlying causes: abnormally loud sounds in the ear canal for even the briefest period , ear...
.
Career
Roache is now the world's longest-serving television actor as of September 2010 with the cancellation of the American soap opera As the World TurnsAs the World Turns
As the World Turns is an American television soap opera that aired on CBS from April 2, 1956 to September 17, 2010. Irna Phillips created As the World Turns as a sister show to her other soap opera Guiding Light...
, where Don Hastings
Don Hastings
Donald Francis Hastings is a longtime American actor, singer, and writer best known for his 50-year role as Dr. Robert "Bob" Hughes" on the soap opera As the World Turns...
, played Bob Hughes since October 1960 without a break. On 16 October 1985, just weeks before the 25th anniversary of his debut on Coronation Street, he appeared as the special guest on the TV guest show This Is Your Life
This Is Your Life (UK TV series)
This Is Your Life is a British biographical television documentary, based on the 1952 American show of the same name. It was hosted by Eamonn Andrews from 1955 until 1964, and then from 1969 until his death in 1987 aged 64...
. With the departure of Pat Phoenix
Pat Phoenix
Patricia "Pat" Frederica Phoenix was an English actress who became one of the first sex symbols of British television through her role of Elsie Tanner in Coronation Street.-Early life and career:Born in Ireland to Anna Maria Josephine Noonan and Tom Manfield, but moved to Manchester before...
(Elsie Tanner
Elsie Tanner
Elsie Tanner is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street, played by Patricia Phoenix from 1960 to 1973 and from 1976 until 1984. Elsie Tanner was one of the original core characters on Coronation Street and appeared in the very first episode...
) the previous year, he was the show's last remaining original cast member by this stage.
In 1992, The Sun
The Sun (newspaper)
The Sun is a daily national tabloid newspaper published in the United Kingdom and owned by News Corporation. Sister editions are published in Glasgow and Dublin...
newspaper accused Roache of being as boring as his character Ken Barlow, and the allegation that his relations with other members of the cast were poor. Roache then sued for libel, employing Peter Carter-Ruck
Peter Carter-Ruck
Peter Frederick Carter-Ruck was an English lawyer, specialising in libel cases. The firm he founded, Carter-Ruck, is still practising.-Personal life:...
as his lawyer. The Sun offered to settle out of court for £50,000. Roache turned this down and went ahead with legal action. Colleague Johnny Briggs
Johnny Briggs (actor)
Johnny Briggs, MBE is an English actor. He is best known for his role as Mike Baldwin in the soap opera Coronation Street, in which he appeared from 1976 to 2006...
, who played Barlow's rival Mike Baldwin, appeared in court to say that he and Roache were actually the best of friends. Roache won the case and was awarded the same amount in damages as The Sun had offered, but because he had proceeded to trial he was also liable for court costs. Roache then sued Carter-Ruck for misadvising him and lost. In 1999 he declared himself bankrupt.
His autobiography is called A Soul on The Street. It focuses on many of his life experiences and contains a significant amount of philosophical content in which Roache affirms his belief in the afterlife
Afterlife
The afterlife is the belief that a part of, or essence of, or soul of an individual, which carries with it and confers personal identity, survives the death of the body of this world and this lifetime, by natural or supernatural means, in contrast to the belief in eternal...
.
In 1999, Roache was the recipient of the British Soap Awards
British Soap Awards
The British Soap Awards is an annual awards ceremony to honour the best of British soap operas.The first event took place in 1999 and takes place in May each year. Although it is an ITV production, the events were held at the BBC Television Centre, in London until 2010. The 2011 awards relocated to...
Lifetime Achievement Award for his role as Ken Barlow.
In 2003, Roache appeared on 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 Perry Como
Perry Como
Pierino Ronald "Perry" Como was an American singer and television personality. During a career spanning more than half a century he recorded exclusively for the RCA Victor label after signing with them in 1943. "Mr...
singing—in true Barlow style—the song "Catch a Falling Star
Catch a Falling Star
Catch a Falling Star, written by Paul Vance and Lee Pockriss, is a song made famous by Perry Como's hit version, released in 1957. It was Como's last #1 hit, reaching #1 in the Billboard "Most Played By Jockeys" chart but not in the overall top-100, where it reached #2. It was the first single to...
".
In September and October 2005, Roache appeared as a celebrity contestant in Ant & Dec's Gameshow Marathon
Gameshow Marathon (UK game show)
Gameshow Marathon is a British game show, broadcast from 17 September 2005 to 26 May 2007 on ITV .After a quick retrospective look at the history of the particular show, the show itself is recreated. This involved recreating the original set and using original opening programme titles, including...
. He was the winner of The Golden Shot
The Golden Shot
The Golden Shot is a British television game show produced by ATV for ITV between 1 July 1967 and 13 April 1975, based on the German TV show Der goldene Schuss. It is most commonly associated with host Bob Monkhouse, though, three other presenters also hosted the show during its lifetime...
remake, progressing through to Bullseye
Bullseye (UK game show)
Bullseye was a popular British television programme. It was first made for the ITV network by ATV in 1981 and Central from 1982 until 1995, and hosted by Jim Bowen. The show originally aired on Monday nights from 1981, it was then moved to Sunday nights from 1982 to 1993 where it was watched by...
where he was beaten by television presenter Vernon Kay
Vernon Kay
Vernon Charles Kay is a British television presenter, radio DJ, american footballer and former model. He began television presenting on the BBC children's programme FBi, a spin-off of Fully Booked. Since he has presented various programmes, most notably T4, Beat the Star and All Star Family...
. He later entered All Star Family Fortunes, which is hosted by Vernon Kay, but lost by two points to his competitors.
In October 2008, he revealed on BBC Breakfast that he had a two-year feud with fellow Coronation Street actress Pat Phoenix
Pat Phoenix
Patricia "Pat" Frederica Phoenix was an English actress who became one of the first sex symbols of British television through her role of Elsie Tanner in Coronation Street.-Early life and career:Born in Ireland to Anna Maria Josephine Noonan and Tom Manfield, but moved to Manchester before...
during which they didn't speak to each other. This was over her changing of a scene involving the two of them. However, they did reconcile and became good friends.
In 2010 he made a guest appearance on Harry Hill
Harry Hill
Harry Hill , is a Perrier Award–winning English comedian, author and television presenter. A former medical doctor , Hill began his career in comedy with the popular radio show Harry Hill's Fruit Corner.-Personal life:Hill was born in Woking,...
's comedy album Funny Times on the song "Ken!" which is about his Coronation Street character.
Private life
His oldest son, by his first wife Anna CropperAnna Cropper
Anna Cropper was a British stage and television actress.-Career:Cropper studied acting at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London. She made her television debut as Chrysalis in "The Insect Play" in 1960, based on the 1921 play by Czechs Josef and Karel Capek...
(1938–2007), is the actor Linus Roache
Linus Roache
Linus William Roache is an English actor.-Early life:Roache was born in Manchester, the son of Coronation Street actor William Roache and actress Anna Cropper. Roache was educated at Bishop Luffa Church of England School in Chichester, West Sussex and at the independent Rydal School in Colwyn Bay,...
(born 1964). The couple also had a daughter, Vanya (born 1967). They were married from 1961 until divorcing
Divorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
in 1974. From his second marriage, he has a daughter named Verity (born 1981) and a younger son, the actor James Roache
James Roache
James Roache is a British actor and is perhaps best known for his roles in Coronation Street as Ken Barlow's long-lost grandson James, or as his father William Roache in BBC drama The Road to Coronation Street....
, christened William (born 1986). A second daughter, Edwina (born 1982), died aged 18 months from acute bronchial pneumonia in 1984.
Roache's second wife, Sara, died suddenly on 7 February 2009 at their home in Wilmslow
Wilmslow
-Economy:Wilmslow is well known, like Alderley Edge, for having many famous residents, notably footballers, stars of Coronation Street and rich North West businessmen. The town is part of the so-called Golden Triangle in the north west together with Alderley Edge and Prestbury...
, Cheshire, at the age of 58. They had been married since 1978., He is a godfather to Eileen Derbyshire
Eileen Derbyshire
Eileen Derbyshire, MBE is an English actress, best known for her role as Emily Bishop on the soap opera Coronation Street. She has played the character since 1961, making her the longest-serving female cast member in a British soap opera...
's son, the sports journalist Oliver Holt
Oliver Holt
Oliver Charles Thomas Holt is an award-winning sports journalist who writes for the Daily Mirror newspaper in the United Kingdom...
.
Roache is a strong supporter of the Conservative Party. He championed Sir John Major
John Major
Sir John Major, is a British Conservative politician, who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1990–1997...
as Britain's greatest post-war prime minister for The Daily Politics
The Daily Politics
The Daily Politics is a British television show launched by the BBC in 2003. Presented by Andrew Neil and Jo Coburn, the programme takes an in-depth and sometimes irreverent look at the daily goings on in Westminster and other areas across Britain and the world, and includes interviews with leading...
. He also supported the now disgraced ex-Conservative MP Neil Hamilton
Neil Hamilton (politician)
Mostyn Neil Hamilton is a former British barrister, teacher and Conservative MP. Since losing his seat in 1997 and leaving politics, Hamilton and his wife Christine have become media celebrities...
in the 1997 election
United Kingdom general election, 1997
The United Kingdom general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997, more than five years after the previous election on 9 April 1992, to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party ended its 18 years in opposition under the leadership of Tony Blair, and won the general...
against Martin Bell
Martin Bell
Martin Bell, OBE, is a British UNICEF Ambassador, a former broadcast war reporter and former independent politician...
. This is in contrast with his character Ken, who holds strong socialist views. Roache is now patron of the Ilkeston-based production company Sustained Magic Ltd. The company exists to help encourage the arts development within Ilkeston and the East Midlands to help develop new actors.
Awards
Roache became a Member of the Order of the British Empire in 2001. In March 2007, he was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of ChesterUniversity of Chester
The University of Chester is a public research university located in Chester, United Kingdom. The University, based on a main campus in Chester and a smaller campus in Warrington, offers a range of foundation, undergraduate and postgraduate courses, as well as undertaking academic research.Chester...
in recognition of his contribution to television.