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- Actress
- Producer
- Writer
Joan Collins is an English actress from Paddington, London. She is most famous for playing the role of vengeful schemer Alexis Carrington Colby in the soap opera "Dynasty" (1981-1989). In 1997, She was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to drama. In 2015, She was promoted to the rank of Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) for services to charity.
She was the daughter of talent agent Joseph William Collins (1902-1988) and his wife, dance teacher Elsa Bessant, (1906-1962). Joseph was born in South Africa, and of Jewish descent. As a talent agent, his most famous clients were Shirley Bassey, the Beatles, and Tom Jones. Elsa was born in the United Kingdom to an Anglican family.
Collins was educated at Francis Holland School in London, an independent day school for girls. She made her theatrical debut c. 1942, as a child actress. She had a role in a performance of the play "A Doll's House" (1879) by Henrik Ibsen (1828-1906). In 1949, She started training as an actress at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London. In 1950, she signed a contract with a British film studio, the Rank Organisation of businessman Joseph Arthur Rank, 1st Baron Rank (1888-1972).
Collins made her film debut in the short film "Facts and Fancies" (1951), and her feature film debut in "Lady Godiva Rides Again" (1951), where she played an unnamed Beauty Queen Contestant. She had supporting roles as the Greek maid Marina in "The Woman's Angle" (1952) and gangster's moll Lil Carter in "Judgment Deferred" (1952).
Collins had her big break when cast as juvenile delinquent Norma Hart in prison drama "I Believe in You" (1952). She was hailed as Britain's new "bad girl" and started being offered high-profile roles in British films. The next stage in her career started when cast as Princess Nellifer of Egypt in the historical epic "Land of the Pharaohs" (1955), an international production . While the film was not successful at the box office, it became a cult classic and Nellifer was one of her most recognizable roles. Studio executive Darryl Francis Zanuck (1902-1979) was sufficiently impressed to offer her a 7-year-long contract with American studio 20th Century Fox. She took the offer.
Collins' first American film was the historical drama "The Virgin Queen" (1955), where she shared the top-billing with established stars Bette Davis and Richard Todd. She then played the leading role of actress Evelyn Nesbit (1884/1885-1967) in the biographical film "The Girl in the Red Velvet Swing" (1955). The role was intended for established actress Marilyn Monroe, but she replaced Monroe based on a studio decision.
Collins was placed on loan to studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer for her next role, that of gold digger Crystal in "The Opposite Sex" (1956). She received the top billing in the refugee-themed film "Sea Wife" (1956), and enjoyed box-office success with the interracial-love themed drama "Island in the Sun" (1957). In the drama film "The Wayward Bus" (1957), she received top-billing over her co-star Jayne Mansfield. Her next films included the spy thriller "Stopover Tokyo" (1957), the Western "The Bravados" (1958), the comedy "Rally Round the Flag, Boys" (1959), the caper film "Seven Thieves" (1960), and the biblical epic Esther and the King (1960).
By 1960, Collins was one of 20th Century Fox's biggest stars, but she demanded a release from her studio contract. She had campaigned for the title role in the upcoming production of "Cleopatra", but the studio chose to cast Elizabeth Taylor in the role. Collins felt slighted. As a freelance actress for most of the 1960s, she had few film roles. Among her most notable roles was playing the leading lady in "The Road to Hong Kong" (1962), the last film in the long-running "Road to ..." series. The male leads for the entire series were Bing Crosby and Bob Hope, but their usual leading lady Dorothy Lamour was considered too old for the role. Collins replaced Lamour.
Collins started appearing frequently on television guest star roles. Among her most notable television roles was the villainous Siren in "Batman", and pacifist spokeswoman Edith Keeler in "Star Trek: The Original Series". "Road to ..." played in only one episode of Star Trek, the time-travel episode "The City on the Edge of Forever" (1967). However the episode is regarded among the best episodes in the entire Star Trek franchise, with Collins considered one of the most memorable guest stars in the original series.
In 1970, Collins returned to her native United Kingdom. She started appearing frequently in British thriller and horror films of the decade. Among her films was revenge-themed drama "Revenge" (1971),science fiction film "Quest for Love" (1972), horror anthology "Tales from the Crypt" (1972), psychological horror "Fear in the Night" (1972), thriller "Dark Places", horror anthology "Tales That Witness Madness" (1973), and horror film "I Don't Want to Be Born" (1975).
Collins appeared in a few comedies in-between horror films, but none was particularly successful. She returned to the United States in order to play a role in the giant monster film "Empire of the Ants" (1977). She then returned to mostly appearing in thriller roles. She was catapulted back to stardom with the lead role of nymphomaniac Fontaine Khaled in the erotic drama "The Stud" (1978), an adaptation of a novel written by her younger sister Jackie Collins. The film was a surprise box office hit, earning 20 million dollars at the worldwide box office. "Road to ..." returned to the role of Fontaine in the sequel film ''The Bitch'' (1979), which was also a hit.
Collins found herself in high demand in both stage and film. But she gained more notoriety with the television role of Alexis Carington in "Dynasty". She started appearing in the role in the second season of the soap opera. Her performance is credited with the subsequent rise of the show's Nielsen's ratings. She became a household name, and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1983.
By 1985, "Dynasty" was the number-one show in the United States, beating out rival soap opera "Dallas". Collins was nominated six times for a Golden Globe Award for her role, winning once in 1983. She was also once nominated for an Emmy as Best Actress in a Drama Series. Collins was viewed as a sex symbol at the time, and in 1983 appeared in a 12-page photo layout for Playboy magazine. She was 50-years-old, unusually old for a Playboy model.
Collins appeared in a total of 195 episodes of "Dynasty". The series was canceled with the last episode of its 9th season, due to falling ratings. New ABC entertainment president Bob Iger (1951-) is credited with ending the series as soon as possible. The show had a cliffhanger ending, and several of its subplots were not resolved. Collins returned to the role of Alexis in the sequel mini-series "Dynasty: The Reunion" (1991). The miniseries only lasted for 2 episodes, but resolved several subplots and was a ratings hit.
Throughout the 1990s., Collins returned to guest star roles in television. She appeared in (among others) "Roseanne", "Egoli: Place of Gold", and "The Nanny", She had the recurring role of Christina Hobson in the short-lived soap opera "Pacific Palisades" (1997). She appeared in 7 of its 13 episodes. Her next notable soap opera role was that of so-called "rich bitch" Alexandra Spaulding in 2002 episodes of the long-running series "Guiding Light". Collins was the third actress to play this role. following Beverlee McKinsey and Marj Dusay.
In film, Collins played Pearl Slaghoople, Wilma Flintstone's mother, in "The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas" (2000). It was the second live-action film based on the popular animated series "The Flintstones". In 2006, she toured the United Kingdom with "An Evening with Joan Collins", an one-woman show where she narrated the highs and lows of her career and life. She later toured the word with both this show and its sequel "Joan Collins Unscripted".
Collins had a notable guest star-role as Ruth Van Rydock in the television film "Agatha Christie's Marple: They Do It with Mirrors" (2009). The film was an adaptation of the 1952 novel by Agatha Christie, where Ruth is an old school friend of Jane Marple, who assigned Jane to investigate a home for juvenile delinquents.
Collins played herself in three episodes of the sitcom "Happily Divorced" (2011-2013). She had the recurring role of Crystal Hennessy-Vass in the sitcom "Benidorm" (2007-2018). She had another recurring role as Alexandra, Grand Duchess of Oxford in the soap opera "The Royals" (2015-2018).
Collins had two different roles in the horror anthology series "American Horror Story". She played wealthy grandmother Evie Gallant, and witch Bubbles McGee. She appeared in a total of four episodes in 2018.
By 2024, Collins was 90-years-old. She has never retired from acting, and she continues to appear in new roles.Alexis Morrell/Carrington/Colby/Dexter/Rowan in Dynasty.
(1981-1989, 1991.)- Actress
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Violet Carson was born on 1 September 1898 in German Street, Ancoats, Manchester, England, UK. She was an actress, known for Coronation Street (1960), An Age of Kings (1960) and Hilda Lessways (1959). She was married to George Frederick Peploe. She died on 26 December 1983 in Cleveleys, Blackpool, Lancashire, England, UK.Ena Sharples (nee Schofield) in Coronation Street.
(1960–1974, 1975-1977, 1978-1980)- Actor
- Producer
- Director
The son of a legendary actress (Mary Martin) and a district attorney, Larry Martin Hagman was born on September 21, 1931 in Fort Worth, Texas. After his parents' divorce, he moved to Los Angeles, California to live with his grandmother. When he was 12, his grandmother died and he moved back to his mother's place, who had remarried and was launching a Broadway career. After attending Bard College in New York State, he decided to follow his mother's acting road. His first stage tryout was with the Margo Jones Theatre-in-the-Round in Dallas, Texas. He then appeared in the New York City Center production of "Taming the Shrew", followed by a year in regional theater. In his early-to-mid twenties, Larry moved to England as a member of the cast of his mother's stage show, "South Pacific", and was a member of the cast for five years. After that, he enlisted in the United States Air Force, where he produced and directed several series for members of the service.
After completing his service in the Air Force, Larry returned to New York City for a series of Broadway and off-Broadway plays, esp. "Once Around the Block", "Career", "Comes a Day", "A Priest in the House", "The Beauty Part", "The Warm Peninsula", "The Nervous Set" among many others. He began his television career in 1961 with a number of guest appearances on shows as "The ALCOA Hour". He was later chosen to be in the popular daytime soap opera The Edge of Night (1956), in which he starred for two years. But that was his start, he later went on to become the friendliest television star in the NBC sitcom I Dream of Jeannie (1965), in which he played the amiable astronaut Anthony Nelson. In the series, his life was endangered by this gorgeous blonde bombshell genie played by Barbara Eden. The series ran for five years and after that, he continued his success in The Good Life (1971) and Here We Go Again (1973), as well as a number of guest-starring roles on many series. He was also with Lauren Bacall in the television version of the hit Broadway musical Applause (1973).
In 1977, the soap opera Dallas (1978) came aboard and Larry's career was secured. He credits "Superchick" for convincing him to do the show. This program of an excessively rich Texas family, was one of the best, beloved, most-watched shows of all time as he portrayed the role of the evil yet perverted millionaire J.R. Ewing, the man who loved to be hated. The series ran for an amazing 14 1/2 seasons and the "Who shot J.R.?" episode remains the second highly-rated television show in the history of the satellite. Since his name was familiar with Texas, it was suiting that he hosted "Lone Star" (1985), an eight-part documentary series related to the history of Texas, for the Public Television Stations. That aired while celebrating the 150th anniversary of Texas as an independent republic. In the spring of 1987, Kari-Lorimar released "Larry Hagman--Stop Smoking for Life". Proceeds from this home video were donated to the American Cancer Society.
In July 1995, he needed a liver transplant in order for him to regain his life back after years of strong drinking that led to cirrhosis. He went over to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center for this where he spent seven weeks in the hospital, and an operation took 16 hours but saved his life. In July 1996, one year after he had a new liver, he served as the National Spokesperson for the 1996 U.S. Transplant Games presented by the National Kidney Foundation and, on November 2, he later received the Award for his efforts in escalating public awareness of the concept of organ donation. He continued to serve as an advocate of organ donation and transplantation until his death. In November 1996, he starred in Dallas: J.R. Returns (1996), a 2-hour movie in which the ratings were a huge success for CBS, as well as in the network's drama series Orleans (1997) when his role of Judge Luther Charbonnet gave him some of the best reviews of his 36-year-career.
When he was feeling better than he had for so many years, he completed his two movie projects: The Third Twin (1997), a four-hour miniseries based on the author's best-selling novel, that aired on CBS, and Mike Nichols's Primary Colors (1998), a film based on the best-selling book by a journalist, Joe Klein. Starring in that film were John Travolta, Emma Thompson, Billy Bob Thornton, Kathy Bates and Adrian Lester. Larry played Governor Picker, an antipolitics politician who stands a grave danger crisis to the governor's bid for office. Primary Colors was his second presidential film having also appeared in Oliver Stone's Nixon (1995). Following these movies, his second Dallas reunion movie, Dallas: War of the Ewings (1998), aired on CBS. He also served as executive producer.
Away from films, Larry was actively involved in a series of civic and philanthropic events. An adamant non-smoker, he served as the chairperson of the American Cancer Society's "Great American Smokeout", from 1981 to 1992. Larry Hagman died at age 81 on November 23, 2012 at Medical City Dallas Hospital in Dallas, Texas from complications of throat cancer.J. R. Ewing in Dallas.
(1978–1991, 1996, 1998, 2012–2013)- Actor
- Producer
- Script and Continuity Department
Ian Smith is an Australian actor, director and producer and theatre performer. Smith worked on the set of Prisoner (1979) as a producer and writer for the series, before being given the role of the Head of Department character Ted Douglas after an actor failed to show up to set one day, Smith on the last day of filming Prisoner was offered a once in a lifetime role on Neighbours (1985), Smith took the role of Harold Bishop and spent more than 15 years as the lovable Harold, before leaving the series in 2015, in 2018 Smith admitted playing Harold for so long left him open to typecasting.
Smith's other credits include Underbelly (2008), Bellbird (1967), Matlock Police (1971) and many more.
Smith would also to nominated twice in 2009 for a sliver and gold Logie for his work on Neighbours.Harold Bishop in Neighbours.
(1987–1991, 1996–2009, 2011, 2015, 2022, 2023 )- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Leslie Grantham was born on 30 April 1947 in Camberwell, London, England, UK. He was an actor and producer, known for EastEnders (1985), The Uninvited (1997) and Doctor Who (1963). He was married to Jane Laurie. He died on 15 June 2018 in Kensington, London, England, UK.Den Watts in EastEnders. (1985–1989,2003–2005)- Actress
- Soundtrack
Charlie Hardwick was born on 3 November 1960 in Wallsend, Tyne and Wear, England, UK. She is an actress, known for Emmerdale Farm (1972), Billy Elliot (2000) and Kappatoo (1990).Val Pollard (nee Lambert) in Emmerdale. (2004–2015, 2017)- Actress
- Writer
- Producer
Jane Wyman was born Sarah Jane Mayfield on January 5, 1917, in St. Joseph, Missouri (she was also known later as Sarah Jane Fulks). When she was only eight years old, and after her parents filed for divorce, she lost her father prematurely. After graduating high school she attempted, with the help of her mother, to break into films, but to no avail. In 1935, after attending the University of Missouri, she began a career as a radio singer, which led to her first name change to Jane Durrell. In 1936 she signed a contract with Warner Bros. Pictures and that led to another name change, the more familiar one of Jane Wyman. Under that name she appeared in "A" and "B" pictures at Warners, including two with her future husband, Ronald Reagan: Brother Rat (1938) and its sequel, Brother Rat and a Baby (1940). In the early 1940s she moved into comedies and melodramas and gained attention for her role as Ray Milland's long-suffering girlfriend in The Lost Weekend (1945). The following year she was nominated for a Best Actress Oscar for her role as Ma Baxter in The Yearling (1946), and won the coveted prize in 1949 as deaf-mute rape victim Belinda MacDonald in Johnny Belinda (1948). She followed that with a number of appearances in more prestigious films, such as Alfred Hitchcock's Stage Fright (1950), Frank Capra's Here Comes the Groom (1951), Michael Curtiz's The Story of Will Rogers (1952) and the first movie version of The Glass Menagerie (1950). She starred opposite Bing Crosby in the musical Just for You (1952). She was Oscar-nominated for her performances in The Blue Veil (1951) and Magnificent Obsession (1954). She also starred in the immensely popular So Big (1953), Lucy Gallant (1955), All That Heaven Allows (1955) and Miracle in the Rain (1956). In addition to her extensive film career, she hosted TV's Jane Wyman Presents the Fireside Theatre (1955) and starred in most of the episodes of the show, which ran for three seasons. She came back to the big screen in Holiday for Lovers (1959), Pollyanna (1960) and her final film, How to Commit Marriage (1969). Although off the big screen, she became a presence on the small screen and starred in two made-for-TV movies, including The Incredible Journey of Doctor Meg Laurel (1979). In early 1981, in the 49th year of her career, she won the role of conniving matriarch Angela Channing Erikson Stavros Agretti in the movie "The Vintage Years", which was the unaired pilot for the prime-time soap opera Falcon Crest (1981), later in the year. For nine seasons she played that character in a way that virtually no other actress could have done, and became the moral center of the show. The show was a ratings winner from its debut in 1981, and made stars out of her fellow cast members Robert Foxworth, Lorenzo Lamas, Abby Dalton and Susan Sullivan. At the end of the first season the story line had her being informed that her evil son, played by David Selby, had inherited 50% of a California newspaper company, and the conflicts inherent in that situation led to even bigger ratings over the next five years. Wyman was nominated six times for a Soap Opera Digest Award, and in 1984 she won the Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a TV Series Drama. By the show's eighth season, however, she was emotionally drained and the strain of constantly working to keep up the quality of a hit show took its toll on her. In addition, there was friction on the set among cast members. All of these events culminated in her departure from the show after the first two episodes of the ninth season (her character was hospitalized and slipped into a coma) for health reasons. After a period of recuperation, she believed that she had recovered enough to guest-star in the last three episodes of the season (her doctor disagreed, but she did it anyway). She then guest-starred as Jane Seymour's mother on Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman (1993) and three years later appeared in Wild Bill: Hollywood Maverick (1995). In the late 1990s she purchased a home in Rancho Mirage, California, where she lived in retirement. Her daughter, Maureen Reagan (who died in August 2001), was a writer who also involved herself in political issues and organized a powerful foundation. Also, she placed her 3200-sq.-ft. Rancho Mirage condominium on the market. Jane Wyman died at the age of 90, at her Palm Springs, California home, on September 10, 2007, having long suffered from arthritis and diabetes. It was reported that Wyman died in her sleep of natural causes at the Rancho Mirage Country Club.Angela Channing in Falcon Crest. (1981 - 1990)- Ray Meagher is an actor of film and TV. Ray has appeared in Australian film and television since the mid-1970s, and is notable as the longest continuing performer in an Australian television role, as Alf Stewart on Home and Away, having played the role since the first episode in 1988. He is the only original actor still with the series.
Ray has also appeared in others shows like Prisoner, Matlock Police and many more.Alf Stewart in Home and Away. (1988 - ) - Jesse Birdsall was born on 13 February 1963 in Highbury, London, England, UK. He is an actor, known for Bugs (1995), Hollyoaks (1995) and Eldorado (1992). He has been married to Gwyneth Strong since 15 July 2000. They have two children.Marcus Tandy in Eldarado. (1992 - 1993)
- Will Mellor was born on 3 April 1976 in Stockport, Cheshire, England, UK. He is an actor, known for Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps (2001), Miss Conception (2008) and Unforgiven (2009). He has been married to Michelle McSween since August 2007. They have two children.Jambo Bolton in Hollyoaks. (1995–1998, 2004)
- Actress
- Writer
- Producer
Pamela Sue Martin attended public schools in Westport, Connecticut and graduated from Staples High School in February 1971. Before she graduated, Pamela was working in a hamburger stand for $1.45 per hour when a friend told her that she was earning $60 per hour modeling in New York. Liking the wages and being of an ambitious nature, Pamela Sue decided to emulate her friend and soon was earning a good living as a teenage model for print ads and television commercials. Although she was completely innocent of dramatic training, experience or even ambitions, when Pamela Sue heard that Columbia Pictures was auditioning girls for a film called To Find a Man (1972), she decided to try. It took the producers three months to make up their minds, but in the end Pamela Sue had the female starring role. Pamela returned to Staples High School in Westport, Connecticut to finish high school. On the basis of her performance in To Find a Man (1972), producer Irwin Allen cast her to co-star with five Academy Award winners in The Poseidon Adventure (1972). Then came a starring role in the ABC Movie of the Week The Girls of Huntington House (1973) and a co-starring role with Jan-Michael Vincent in Buster and Billie (1974). She is particularly proud of her portrayal in the production, The Hemingway Play (1976). She has played the character Celia Grey in the television movie, Strong Medicine (1986) and has hosted "Saturday Night Live." Pamela enjoys athletic pursuits, especially scuba diving, tennis and skiing.Fallon Carrington Colby. (1981 - 1984)- Actress
- Soundtrack
Doris Speed was one of Britain's best-loved soap actresses, fondly remembered for her portrayal of Annie Walker, the snooty landlady of the Rovers Return pub in ITV's Coronation Street (1960). She played the role for 23 years and was dubbed by the press as 'The Queen Mother of Soap.'
Born in Manchester, her father George was a singer and her mother Ada a repertory actress. She toured with both her parents as a child. She later left the stage to work as a clerk in the giant Guinness brewery in Manchester and remained with the company for several years.
'Coronation Street' creator Tony Warren became a close friend of Speed and wrote the part of Annie Walker specifically for her. She joined the series when it was first aired in 1960 and appeared in 1,746 episodes. Hugely popular with viewers she received more fan mail than any other member of the cast.
Offstage she was a shy and retiring person but a keen theatre-goer. She once said "I would love to have done more theatre work because that is how I started. There are so many roles I would love to have played. But I owe my life to 'Coronation Street' and I don't regret a minute of it."
She was awarded the MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) for her services to television in 1977 and received The Pye Television Award two years later. She was also an honorary member of the Licensed Victuallers' Association. Doris made her final television appearance in 1993, when she gave an interview on Classic Coronation Street (1993), alongside her former screen son, Kenneth Farrington.Annie Walker (née Beaumont) in Coronation Street. (1960 - 1983)- Actress
- Director
- Producer
Linda Gray was born on 12 September 1940 in Santa Monica, California, USA. She is an actress and director, known for Dallas (1978), Oscar (1991) and Star of Jaipur (1998). She was previously married to Ed Thrasher.Sue Ellen Ewing in Dallas.
(1978–89, 1991, 1996, 1998, 2012–14)- She was born Jean Vivra Gray in Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire, England, the eldest of four children of Allan, a fish merchant, and his wife, Doris, and attended Thrunscoe girls' school. The family moved to Kingston upon Thames, in south-west London, in the 30s but was evacuated back to Cleethorpes in 1941 and finally resettled in New Malden, Surrey, after the second world war in 1945. As a young woman, Gray worked as a sales assistant, reporter, photographer and nurse, and during the war had served in the Women's Land Army, but always dreamed of becoming an actor.
In 1952, finding opportunities in Britain limited, she decided to emigrate to Australia to pursue her acting ambitions. She adopted the professional name Vivean Gray and appeared in Australian theatre and radio, as well as establishing herself on TV with small roles in cop shows such as Homicide (1964-77), Division Four (1969-75), Matlock Police (1971-76), Solo One (1976) and Bluey (1976), as well as the legal drama Carson's Law (1982-84) and the miniseries Anzacs (1985) and All the Rivers Run (1983).
She also appeared in two films directed by Peter Weir. In Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975), she played the maths teacher Miss McCraw, who, along with several of her students from a girls' boarding school, disappears during a Valentine's Day picnic, never to be seen again. In Weir's 1977 film The Last Wave she played Dr Whitburn, an expert on aboriginal history, which starred Richard Chamberlain.
In 1976, she starred as Ida Jessup in The Sullivans, a long-running drama about a Melbourne family and the effect that the war had on their lives. Playing Mrs Jessup, the Sullivans' gossipy English-born neighbour, during the show's 16-season run from 1976 to 1983 proved not only good preparation for her later role as Nell Mangel on Neighbours, but also led to her receiving two Logie awards honouring achievements on Australian TV.
In 1984, she was cast to play a genteel poisoner, Edna Pearson, in the long-running drama Prisoner Cell Block H (known simply as Prisoner in Australia). But after a woman who had been accused of poisoning her husband threatened to sue the show's producers Grundy Television, on the grounds that the character was based on her, material involving Gray's character was cut from subsequent episodes, and from DVD releases of already broadcast shows. In 2010, a DVD telling the dramatic story of Edna Pearson was released, but only in Britain.
Towards the end of her two-year stint on the Australian soap Neighbours as the local busybody Mrs Mangel, the British actor Vivean Gray, who has died aged 92, was presented with the script for an incredible new storyline. In it, she was to be knocked from a ladder by a Labrador called Bouncer and as a result would lose her memory of the past two years.
Her granddaughter Jane, trying to be kind, decides not to tell Mrs Mangel the truth that in the interim her husband Len (John Lee) has run off with another woman, but instead that he has died and his ashes have been scattered under the rosebushes in the front garden. In one later episode, Mrs Mangel is seen saying goodbye to the rosebushes, prompting her Ramsay Street neighbours to think she has lost her mind.
In any other TV soap, such a storyline might have produced a wave of sympathy for the character, but it did not for Nell Mangel. Between 1986 and 1988, millions around the world, particularly in Australia and Britain, would tune in every weekday afternoon to watch the cantankerous, interfering busybody at No 32 drive her neighbours to distraction. In one typical storyline, Mrs Mangel tries to destroy the relationship between her lodger Harold Bishop (Ian Smith) and her neighbour and nemesis Madge Ramsay (Anne Charleston). When she fails in that, she attempts to ruin their wedding by playing the church organ badly. In another storyline, many of her neighbours suspect her of murdering Len - until he turns up unexpectedly in a later episode announcing he plans to file for divorce.
In some respects, Mrs Mangel was a prototype for EastEnders' Dot Cotton: piously Christian, difficult and burdened with a disappointing son (Joe, played by Mark Little), who leaves the Mangel home after being accused of robbing a service station. But unlike Dot Cotton, Mrs Mangel proved unlikeable though captivating, becoming, as Neighbours' executive producer Jason Herbison "the ultimate busybody ... a true soap legend".
These were the glory days of Neighbours in terms of ratings. A 1988 episode featuring the wedding between Scott Robinson (Jason Donovan) and Charlene Mitchell (Kylie Minogue) was watched by 20 million in the UK alone. As a result, Gray's character became globally known, if not beloved.
Indeed, if Mrs Mangel made Gray famous, she was scarcely able to enjoy the celebrity. In 1988, she quit the show after nearly 300 episodes. The following year she explained why: "I loved Neighbours and the rest of the cast were marvellous. But because it was so successful, I could barely set foot outside my own door without someone screaming abuse at horrid old Mrs Mangel. People didn't seem to appreciate it was acting. So I decided to take a break."
For years afterwards, Vivean Gray topped opinion polls as the nastiest television "baddie" of all time, with some of the more dedicated viewers of Neighbours failing to distinguish between the actress and the fictional character.
The break from acting lasted for the rest of Gray's life - she never took another role. She left Australia in the mid-1990s and settled in Shoreham-by-Sea in West Sussex, England, refusing requests for interviews or autographs from fans.
In 2005 Neighbours' producers tried to persuade her to return for its 20th anniversary episode, but she declined.
After Gray quit Neighbours in 1988, she may have effectively retired, but her fame lived on. In 1995 she was honoured with her image on an Australian postage stamp. As for Mrs Mangel, after finding out the truth about Len and divorcing him, the producers had her fall for a retired dentist John Worthington (Brian James) and move back to the old country, to St Albans, Hertfordshire. She continued to be occasionally mentioned in the show until her death in England in 2018 - granddaughter Jane Harris being touched to learn the Rebecchi's had named their daughter Nell after seeing Mrs Mangel in one of Harold Bishop's photo albums. Jane was presented with Helen Daniels' infamous 'giraffe' portrait of her grandmother by Paul Robinson.Nell Mangel/Worthington in Neighbours.
(1986–1988) - Anna Wing first appeared on television in the late 1930s, and became a highly experienced film and stage actress. She appeared in numerous television series throughout her career, including The Wednesday Play (1964), Anna Karenina (1977) and Z Cars (1962). However, she became a household name when she starred in over 230 episodes of EastEnders (1985) as the matriarch Lou Beale.
She had two sons, including the actor Mark Wing-Davey. She died in her sleep in July 2013, aged 98.Lou Beale in EastEnders.
(1985–1988) - Actor
- Producer
Jeff Hordley was born in 1970 in Oldham, Lancashire, England, UK. He is an actor and producer, known for Emmerdale Farm (1972), Emmerdale: The Dingles - For Richer for Poorer (2010) and Bring Back My Bonnie (2022). He has been married to Zoë Henry since 3 August 2003. They have two children.Cain Dingle in Emmerdale.
(2000–2006, 2009– )- Norman Coburn was born on 6 March 1937 in Sydney, Australia. He is an actor, known for Home and Away (1988), Tomorrow at Ten (1963) and Home and Away: Secrets and the City (2002).Donald Fisher in Home and Away.
(1988–2005, 2007.) - Gemma Bissix was born on 6 June 1983 in Surrey, England, UK. She is an actress, known for Hollyoaks (1995), EastEnders (1985) and Britannia High (2008). She has been married to Kristian Rouse since 15 July 2018. They have two children.Clare Black/Devine/Cunningham in Hollyoaks.
(2006-2007, 2009, 2013) - Actress
- Soundtrack
Sue Johnston was born on 7 December 1943 in Warrington, Cheshire, England, UK. She is an actress, known for The Royle Family (1998), Imagine Me & You (2005) and Waking the Dead (2000). She was previously married to David Pammenter and Neil Johnston.Sheila Grant/Corkhill in Brookside. (1982–1990, 1997–1998)- Actress
- Producer
Rowena Wallace was born on 23 August 1947 in Coventry, Warwickshire, England, UK. She is an actress and producer, known for The Rovers (1969), You Can't See 'round Corners (1969) and Home and Away (1988). She was previously married to George Assang.Patricia Hamilton / Morrell / Palmer in Sons and Daughters. (1982 - 1985)- Actress
- Soundtrack
Stephanie Beacham is without a doubt one of Britain's most talented, beautiful and well-known actresses. Despite becoming world famous and an icon of the 1980s due to her role as Sable Colby in the American soap operas Dynasty (1981) and The Colbys (1985) and going on to have starring roles in shows such as Sister Kate (1989), SeaQuest 2032 (1993), Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990) and Bad Girls (1999), Stephanie Beacham had already carved a solid acting career back in her home country. Born in Hertfordshire in southern England, one of the four children of an insurance executive and a housewife, Beacham began an interest in acting at a young age and studied mime at the respected and renowned school of Étienne Decroux in Paris before completing her studies at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London. Guest roles on British television followed in the late 1960s such as The Saint (1962) and UFO (1970), however Beacham's breakthrough was her starring role opposite Marlon Brando in the cult horror film The Nightcomers (1971) that brought her critical acclaim and widespread attention. She became a regular staple in British horror films for the remainder of the 1970s and early 1980s such as Dracula A.D. 1972 (1972), The Confessional (1976), Schizo (1976) and Inseminoid (1981), however she was still a commonly seen face on television, such as being given her own soap opera in Marked Personal (1973) as well as regular modelling work. It was in the 1980s however that Beacham's career became supercharged. She had starring roles in the acclaimed television series Tenko (1981) and Connie (1985), the latter gaining particular interest in the US. Beacham moved to Hollywood in the mid-1980s and was given the role of Sable Colby in the ABC soap opera The Colbys (1985), and then joined it's parent show Dynasty (1981) where she remained until the show's cancellation. Both shows made Beacham a household name on both sides of the Atlantic as the glamour-puss wife of Charlton Heston's character Jason and cousin of Joan Collins' Alexis, with the two regularly involved in a 'battle of the bitches' scenario. Following the cancellation of Dynasty, Beacham headlined the sitcom Sister Kate (1989) for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award, before going on to have main roles in Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990) as Iris McKay, Steven Spielberg's SeaQuest 2032 (1993) as Dr. Kristen Westphalen and Countess Bartholomew in Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987) as well as film roles opposite Christopher Plummer in Secrets (1992) and Anthony Hopkins in To Be the Best (1991). Beacham maintained a regular presence on television and in theatre both in the US and the UK for the remainder of the 1990s until she played Phyllida Oswyn in the prison series Bad Girls (1999), a role she would play until the show's end in 2006. She would later have parts in films such as Love and Other Disasters (2006), Moving Target (2011) and Wild Oats (2016) and played Martha Fraser in Coronation Street (1960).Sable Colby in Dynasty (1985, 1988–1989) and The Colbys (1985 - 1987)- Malcolm Hebden is an English television and stage actor known for his role as Norris Cole in the long-running ITV soap opera Coronation Street.
Hebden was born in Chester before his family moved to Burnley, Lancashire, three weeks later. He was educated at West Gate High School and began his career as a window dresser in Burnley. He was involved in amateur dramatics groups, one of which included Richard Moore, called The Highcliffe Players. When aged 28, he attended the Rose Bruford Drama School in London before beginning a career in theatre.
Hebden first appeared in Coronation Street in 1974, as Mavis Riley's Spanish boyfriend Carlos.
He first appeared as Norris Cole in Coronation Street (1960) in 1994 and left in 1997, before returning to the role in December 1999 for his current stint in the show.
Hebden appeared as a shopkeeper in the film Lost for Words (1999) starring Thora Hird and Pete Postlethwaite.
Along with his on-screen business partner Barbara Knox (Rita Sullivan), Hebden won the 'Best Onscreen Partnership' award at the British Soap Awards in May 2006. Additionally he won the 'Funniest Character' title for two consecutive years at the 2001 and 2002 Inside Soap Awards. He also made an appearance in Last of the Summer Wine.
In April 2008, Malcolm Hebden suggested to Coronation Street producers that Andrew Sachs should have a guest role in the soap playing Norris's brother, an idea they accepted.Norris Cole in Coronation Street.
(1994–1997, 1999–2017, 2019-2020) - Music Artist
- Actress
- Composer
Kylie Ann Minogue was born on 28 May, 1968. The eldest of three children, Kylie's acting career began early, but it was her role as "Charlene" in the Australian soap, Neighbours (1985), which established Kylie as an international star. Her singing career began, purely by accident, when a record company executive heard Kylie's rendition of Little Eva's 1962 hit, "The Loco-Motion". She signed with PWL Records and hit-makers Stock/Aitken/Waterman in 1987. Five albums and a greatest hits compilation followed, and she made history by having more than 20 consecutive top ten hits in the UK. Her motion picture debut came with the starring role of "Lola" in The Delinquents (1989). She left PWL Records in 1992 to head in a decidedly more mature musical direction, and her self-titled debut on deconstruction records was released in 1994, spawning chart hits like "Confide In Me" and "Put Yourself In My Place". Kylie's doings were always a favorite subject of the press, but she really made waves with her controversial 1995 duet with Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, "Where the Wild Roses Grow". 1997 saw the release of Kylie's first single in more than 3 years, "Some Kind of Bliss", co-written and produced by James Dean Bradfield and Sean Moore of The Manic Street Preachers.Charlene Mitchell/Robinson in Neighbours.
(1986–1988, 2022.)- She was born in the district of Bow in London to her parents Anne, a seamstress and father, a cutter in a dress factory and had a younger sister. She left school at 16 with 4 O levels and had a string of jobs including insurance clerk, and model for C and A (a clothes chain.) When young she'd taught singing and tap dancing and joined an amateur drama group. When 20 she won a grant for a drama school which lasted 3 years and then spent the next 13 years touring around the country in repertory companies, one of which was The Citizens Theatre in Glasgow., pantomimes, the odd West End show and television including a maid in Nanny, Lois, Jim Davidson's girlfriend in Up the Elephant and Round the Castle and other odd shows before getting a major role in BBC's long running serial Eastenders.Angie Watts in EastEnders.
(1985–1988) - Shirley Stelfox was born on 11 April 1941 in Dukinfield, Cheshire, England, UK. She was an actress, known for 1984 (1984), Emmerdale Farm (1972) and Making Out (1989). She was married to Don Henderson and Keith Edmundson. She died on 7 December 2015 in Nottinghamshire, England, UK.Edna Birch in Emmerdale.
(2000–2015) - Actress
- Soundtrack
Emily Symons was born on 10 August 1969 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. She is an actress, known for Emmerdale Farm (1972), Home and Away (1988) and Richmond Hill (1988). She was previously married to Lorenzo Smith and Nick Lipscombe.Marilyn Chambers/Bryant/Fisher in Home and Away.
(1989–1992, 1995–1999, 2001, 2010– )- Actress
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Jamie Michelle Luner was born on Wednesday, May 12, 1971 to Stuart and Susan Luner in Palo Alto, California. She grew up with her older brother, David Luner, and her mom Susan in California. Before landing her roles on Just the Ten of Us (1987) as dizzy "Cindy Lubbock", Jamie began her career in front of the cameras at the tender age of three doing TV commercials. At 15 she won the L.A. Shakespeare Festival in the category of monologues. She was still working on Just the Ten of Us (1987), while attending Beverly Hills High School, from which she graduated in 1989. She took a break from acting, attended culinary school, and was a chef at French restaurant Drai's after Just the Ten of Us (1987) was canceled in 1991.
She returned to TV in Moment of Truth: Why My Daughter? (1993) in 1993 with a few small parts in shows such as Married... with Children (1987), Diagnosis Murder (1993). Then, she got her first break as Southern seductress "Peyton Richards" in Savannah (1996). After the prime-time soap was canceled, Jamie and her then-boyfriend Johnny Braz traveled around the US in an Airstream motor home before she landed the role of "Lexi" in Melrose Place (1992). After the Fox soap ended in 1999, so did her four-year-romance. Then after Ally Walker left, Jamie joined the cast of Profiler (1996) as "Rachel Burke".
Later she was in ABC's short-lived 10-8: Officers on Duty (2003). Then, in 2005, she had lead roles in Lifetime's, Blind Injustice (2005), Stranger in My Bed (2005) and, in 2006, The Suspect (2006), The Perfect Marriage (2006) and a guest spot on The War at Home (2005).
Jamie has also done theater work in Santa Monica in "Black & Bluestein", Other Space, Santa Monica and The Young Playwrites Festival in Los Angeles.Peyton Richards in Savannah.
(1996-1997)- Eddie Cibrian was born on 16 June 1973 in Burbank, California, USA. He is an actor, known for The Cave (2005), The Best Man Holiday (2013) and Sunset Beach (1997). He has been married to LeAnn Rimes since 22 April 2011. He was previously married to Brandi Glanville.Cole Deschanel in Sunset Beach.
(1997-99) - Actor
- Soundtrack
Paul Henry Smith was born in the Shard End district of Birmingham to Harry and Freda, and married Sheila on the 4th December 1969. They had a daughter, Justine, in 1970 a and son, Anthony, born in 1973. He has a sister, Tracy, and a brother, Tony. While at school, Paul ran in the All English Championships. His first job was as an apprentice at British Leyland which lasted a year until he joined Birmingham Drama School at 18 for three years appearing in their production of West Side Story. He then became part of Birmingham Repertory Company and joined ATV's serial of Crossroads in 1974 playing the part of Benny Hawkins.Benny Hawkins in Crossroads.
(1975 - 1987)- Now enjoying his 50th anniversary as an actor, Gordon Thomson has steadily worked in theater, on television and in film, while he is co-starring in the new daytime drama web-series Winterthorne (2015), premiering in August 2015. His work has taken him to various locations around the globe including Toronto, Rome and London, calling Los Angeles his home since the early 1980's, during production of the original "Dynasty."
Gordon Thomson may be best-known worldwide for his role as the evil, yet dashing Adam Carrington from 1982 to 1989 on the ABC Television prime-time drama Dynasty (1981), one of the most popular prime-time shows in television history. This role earned him a Golden Globe nomination in 1988, along with Soap Opera Digest award nominations for Dynasty in 1986, 1988, 1989.
In his latest role, Thomson plays family patriarch Maxmillian Winterthorne in the new online drama Winterthorne. Maxmillian is wise, charmingly charismatic and willing to commit any act necessary when it comes to protecting his family. He is the glue that holds the family together.
This new series is Thomson's second collaboration with Winterthorne co-star and series creator Michael Caruso. He previously co-starred in Caruso's Emmy nominated daytime drama web-series DeVanity (2011) in 2013 and 2014 as jewelry magnate Preston Regis, getting two Indie Series Awards nominations for his work. The first was for "Best Guest Star in a Drama" in 2014 and the second for "Best Supporting Actor - Drama" in 2015.
All of Thomson's success and accolades on the small screen came after years of serious training and work in theater, from the Shakespearean stage of the Stratford Festival in Canada to Orton, Turgenev, Coward and Ibsen. His career actually started on the stage in his native Toronto, honing his acting skills in productions of The Hollywood Blues at Old Angelo's Theatre, The Fantastiks at The Colonnade Theatre, playing the lead role of Jesus in Godspell with Martin Short, Gilda Radner, Andrea Martin, and Eugene Levy at The Bayview Theatre and in Oh, Coward at Theatre in the Dell, among others. Gordon also did a series of productions at the very prestigious Stratford Festival including King John, Love's Labours Lost, The Imaginary Invalid and A Month in the Country. Theater work outside of the Toronto, Ontario area included his lead role as Dennis in Joe Orton's Loot at the Studio Arena Theatre in Buffalo and as the lead in Eastern Standard at the Coast Playhouse in Los Angeles.
Various network television roles soon followed, which led to the dream role of Adam Carrington on Aaron Spelling's mega-hit show Dynasty (1981), propelling Thomson into the mainstream.
He has had the good fortune to perform in the highly pressured arenas of prime-time television and weekly repertory theatre, as well as mastering the rigors of daytime drama, including Santa Barbara (1984) on NBC in the role of Mason Capwell, earning another Soap Opera Digest award nomination. He later appeared on the NBC Television daytime drama Sunset Beach (1997), while having also appeared on The Young and the Restless (1973), Passions (1984), and Days of Our Lives (1965).
In more recent years, Gordon Thomson has had film roles in the Oscar-winning Little Miss Sunshine (2006), and Wolfgang Petersen's Poseidon (2006).Adam Carrington in Dynasty.
(1982–1989) - Actress
- Writer
- Stunts
Bold, brassy and larger than life, Pat Phoenix was television's favourite scarlet woman. For nearly 25 years, she dominated the soap opera Coronation Street (1960) in the role of Elsie Tanner and sent shivers down the spines of Britain's menfolk twice a week. With her cleavage displayed in low-cut tops, she was known as "the working man's Raquel Welch" and was once dubbed, by the then UK Prime Minister James Callaghan, "the sexiest woman on TV".
Phoenix's life very much mirrored that of the character she played. Tough and determined, she came from a working-class family in Manchester, but fought her way to the top. Married three times, she was blunt, outspoken and a notorious chain-smoker; but like Elsie Tanner, she had a heart of gold and inspired affection in everybody. She desperately wanted to be an actress but her first job was as a filing clerk. She broke into repertory theatre and worked throughout the north of England with a variety of companies. "I played everything" she said. "When I was 22, I played 90-year-old women. I was brought up in the theatre and I made my own way. I was in the theatre for many years before I was in television. The stage is most exhilarating. You know when an audience loves you".
After working with the Joan Littlewood Theatre Workshop in London in the early 1950s, she found herself out of work and nearly gave up acting. Success came in 1960 when, at the age of 36, she was cast as Elsie Tanner in Granada TV's new soap Coronation Street (1960). With the rise of interest in northern-based 1960s films such as Saturday Night and Sunday Morning (1960), the earthy characters and gritty settings of Coronation Street (1960) were a hit.
Created and written by Tony Warren, the role of the headstrong Elsie was a classic and transported Phoenix to international fame. Viewers followed "the Street" in such huge numbers that when she married US Army Sergeant Steve Tanner in 1967, over 20 million viewers tuned in to the programme. "I was one of the first anti-heroines" said Phoenix, "not particularly good looking and no better than I should be. The character of Elsie had overtones of me in it, and overtones of my mother".
Phoenix played Elsie for over 23 years, but shocked producers and audiences when she decided in 1983 to quit Coronation Street (1960) for good. She still remained on television in series such as Constant Hot Water (1986) and as an agony aunt for an early morning magazine programme. Her final television role was as a bedridden actress in Unnatural Causes (1986). She numbered Laurence Olivier among her many admirers and fans. Characteristically, she summed up her own talent saying by "I don't know what the word "star" means. I only know I am a working actress".Elsie Grimshaw/Tanner/Howard/Gregory in Coronation Street.
(1960–1973, 1976–1984)- Anne Charleston was born on 30 December 1942 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. She is an actress, known for Three Thousand Years of Longing (2022), Neighbours (1985) and Emmerdale Farm (1972).Madge Ramsey/Mitchell/Bishop in Neighbours.
(1986–1992, 1996–2001, 2015) - Gillian Wright was born on 7 December 1959 in the UK. She is an actress, known for EastEnders (1985), Calendar Girls (2003) and Tamwar Tales: The Life of an Assistant Market Inspector (2013).Jean Slater/Walters in EastEnders.
(2004− ) - Actor
- Director
- Writer
Danny Miller was born on 2 January 1991 in Stockport, Cheshire, England, UK. He is an actor and director, known for Emmerdale Farm (1972), Pace (2020) and Pace. He has been married to Steph Jones since 22 July 2022. They have one child.Aaron Livesy/Dingle in Emmerdale.
(2008–2012,2014– )- Actress
- Writer
Judy Nunn was born on 13 April 1945 in Perth, Western Australia, Australia. She is an actress and writer, known for The Box (1974), Sons and Daughters (1982) and The Box (1975). She has been married to Bruce Venables since 1988.Ailsa O'Rourke/Hogan/Stewart in Home and Away.
(1988–2000, 2002–2003)- Actor
- Director
Ken Kercheval was born on 15 July 1935 in Wolcottville, Indiana, USA. He was an actor and director, known for Dallas (1978), Network (1976) and The Secret Storm (1954). He was married to Cheryl Paris, Ava Ruth Fox and Judith Peters Launt. He died on 21 April 2019 in Clinton, Indiana USA.Cliff Barnes in Dallas.
(1978–91, 1996, 2012–14)- Gillian Arnold was born to theatrical parents Dickie and Mitzi, midgets who had a successful career performing a cabaret/vaudeville act. Theatre was in Gillian's blood, and she became a Windmill girl, performing at the famous Windmill Theatre in Soho, when still in her teens. She first appeared nude aged 15.
She changed her name to Danee Arnold, and had mixed fortunes as an actress, singer and TV presenter in the 1960s. She changed her name to Polly Perkins as the 60s moved on, and as her career progressed.
Polly moved to Spain, where she still lives. Her best known performance was as Trish Valentine, washed-up nightclub singer, in the BBC's cruelly under-rated and shortlived Spanish soap Eldorado (1992), in the mid-90s.Trish Valentine in Eldarado.
(1992-93) - Michael French was born on 17 September 1962 in Bow, London, England, UK. He is an actor, known for Born and Bred (2002), Crime Traveller (1997) and EastEnders (1985).David Wicks in EastEnders.
(1993–1996, 2012–2014) - Nicolle Dickson was born on 29 January 1969 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. She is an actress, known for Home and Away (1988), Murder Call (1997) and Wishbone (2006). She has been married to James Bell since June 1990. They have two children.Roberta "Bobby" Simpson/Morgan/Marshall in Home and Away.
(1988–1993, 1995.) - Deena Payne was born on 29 August 1954 in Orpington, Kent, England, UK. She is an actress, known for Emmerdale Farm (1972), Tales of Sherwood Forest (1989) and Rock Follies of '77 (1977).Vivienne "Viv" Dawson/Windsor/Hope in Emmerdale. (1993–2011)
- Actor
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Stefan Dennis was born on 30 October 1958 in Tawonga, Victoria, Australia. He is an actor and producer, known for Neighbours (1985), The Flying Doctors (1985) and Dream Team (1997). He has been married to Gail Easdale since 2000. They have three children. He was previously married to Roz Roy.Paul Robinson in Neighbours.
(1985–1993, 2004– )- Julie's father walked out on the family soon after Julie's birth, Julie took stepfather Bill Goodyear's name. Most famous as Bet Lynch, barmaid landlady of Coronation Street (1960), her stepfather was a publican, and she served behind his bar, The Bay House in Haywood, to raise money for her modelling career dream. After her first failed marriage modelling career took off and led to various bit parts and six-week appearance in Coronation Street as Bet Lynch. During this time she was advised by Patricia Phoenix to get some formal acting training, and so she joined The Oldham Repertory Company. This also lead to a lifelong friendship with Phoenix, which ended only with the latter's death. Following a variety of straight and comic parts on stage and TV she rejoined Coronation Street in a regular role. In 1973 she married company secretary Tony Rudman but the marriage didn't last much longer than the wedding reception and was soon annulled. In 1979 during a routine check up Julie discovered she had cervical cancer and had two operations. In 1985 Julie married airline executive Richard Skrob but because they lived so far apart the marriage ended within two years. Julie formed a charity to finance a smear testing centre in Manchester. She was found not guilty of charge of fraud concerning the charity, and continued to raise money. The Julie Goodyear Laboratory now operates at The Christie Hospital, Manchester. In 1987, Julie left the series for a while to nurse her mother who was dying of terminal cancer. She quit Coronation Street (1960) in October 1995, returning only for a couple of guest appearances.Bet Lynch/Gilroy in Coronation Street.
(1966, 1970–1995, 2002–2003) - Michael Nader was born on 19 February 1945 in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. He was an actor, known for Dynasty (1981), Pajama Party (1964) and Beach Blanket Bingo (1965). He was married to Jody Lister, Beth Windsor and Robin Weiss. He died on 23 August 2021 in Lake Tahoe, California, USA.Farnsworth "Dex" Dexter in Dynasty.
(1983–1989) - Actress
- Soundtrack
Anna Friel is an English actress, born in Rochdale. She has been acting since the age of 13, appearing in a number of British television programmes. She made her West End stage debut in London in 2001, and has subsequently appeared on stage in several productions, including an adaptation of Breakfast at Tiffany's and as Yelena in a 2012 production of Chekhov's Uncle Vanya. She is the recipient of a number of awards including National Television Award (1995), Drama Desk Award (1999), and the Royal Television Society Award (2009). She has also appeared in music videos and television and print media advertising campaigns and is the recipient of an honorary degree from the University of Bolton.Beth Jordache in Brookside.
(1993–1995)- Actor
- Additional Crew
Alan Dale was born on 6 May 1947 in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand. He is an actor, known for Priest (2011), Star Trek: Nemesis (2002) and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008). He has been married to Tracey Dale since 8 April 1990. They have two children. He was previously married to Claire.Joseph Anders in Dynasty. (2017 - )- Maggie Jones was born on 21 June 1934 in London, England, UK. She was an actress, known for Coronation Street (1960), The Forsyte Saga (1967) and Sense and Sensibility (1971). She was married to John Oliver Stansfield. She died on 2 December 2009 in Salford, Greater Manchester, England, UK.Blanche Hunt in Coronation Street.
(1974–1978, 1981, 1996–2009) - Pam St. Clement was born on 11 May 1942 in Harrow-on-the-Hill, Middlesex, England, UK. She is an actress, known for EastEnders (1985), Hedda (1975) and Doctor Who: Dimensions in Time (1993). She was previously married to Andrew Gordon.Pat Harris/Beale/Wicks/Butcher/Evans in EastEnders. (1986–2012, 2016)
- Actor
- Soundtrack
John Savident was born on 21 January 1938 in St Peter Port, Guernsey, Channel Islands, UK. He was an actor, known for Coronation Street (1960), A Clockwork Orange (1971) and Hudson Hawk (1991). He was married to Rona Hopkinson. He died on 21 February 2024.Fred Elliott in Coronation Street.
(1994-2006)- Actress
- Soundtrack
Noele Gordon was born on 25 December 1919 in East Ham, London, England, UK. She was an actress, known for Crossroads (1964), The Most Likely Girl (1957) and The Lisbon Story (1946). She died on 14 April 1985 in Edgbaston, Birmingham, West Midlands, England, UK.Meg Richardson/Mortimer in Crossroads.
(1964-1981, 1983.)- Actress
- Soundtrack
Michelle Collins was born on 28 May 1962 in Hackney, London, England, UK. She is an actress, known for Two Thousand Acres of Sky (2001), Doctor Who (2005) and Coronation Street (1960). She has been married to Mike Davidson since 10 August 2022.Cindy Williams/Beale [Rose Sawyer/Knight] in Eastenders.
(1988-1990, 1992-1998, 2023- )- Actor
- Soundtrack
William Patrick "Bill" Roache MBE is an English actor. He has played Ken Barlow in the soap opera Coronation Street since its first episode on 9 December 1960. He is listed in the Guinness World Records as the longest-serving living television actor in a continuous role. First acting job with Unicorn Players at Princes Theatre Clacton in 1959 with John Kendall and Helen Blackwood among others. Summer season repertory.
Roache was born in Basford, Nottinghamshire, the son of Hester Vera (née Waddicor) and Joseph William Vincent Roache. He grew up in nearby Ilkeston, Derbyshire, where he attended a Steiner school set up by his grandfather in the garden of the family home. His Freemason grandfather was interested in such things as hypnotism, theosophy, spiritualism, homoeopathy and esotericism, and the teachings of philosopher and educationalist Rudolf Steiner. Roache was later educated at Rydal School which was also attended by his son Linus.
Roache joined the British Army, and was commissioned into the Royal Welch Fusiliers in 1953. A year later, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant. He left the British Army in 1956 with the rank of captain. Due to an exploding mortar round during his military service, Roache suffers from tinnitus.
After leaving the army, Roache turned to acting. He appeared in various stage productions, then had uncredited roles in several films, and later small parts in television serials including Knight Errant Limited and Skyport. He played the minor role of a space centre operator in the Norman Wisdom film The Bulldog Breed.
Shortly before joining Coronation Street at the beginning of the programme in 1960, Roache played the leading role in a Granada Television play called Marking Time, transmitted on ITV in 1961.
Roache is now the world's longest-serving television actor in a continuous role (as of July 2017) after the cancellation of the American soap opera As the World Turns in 2010, where Don Hastings had 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 show This Is Your Life. With the departure of Pat Phoenix the previous year, he was the show's last remaining original cast member by this stage.
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 the song "Catch a Falling Star". In September and October 2005, he 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, hosted by Kay, but lost by two points to his competitors.
Roache's 2008 autobiography is entitled 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 October 2008, Roache revealed on BBC Breakfast that he had a two-year feud with fellow Coronation Street actress Pat Phoenix, during which they did not speak to one another. This was over her changing of a scene involving the two of them. However, they did reconcile and became good friends. On 13 April 2012, Piers Morgan interviewed Roache for his ITV series Piers Morgan's Life Stories. On 26 September 2012, Roache was featured on the BBC series Who Do You Think You Are?, researching his family history.
Roache lives in Wilmslow, Cheshire. His eldest son, by his first wife Anna Cropper (1938-2007), is actor Linus Roache (born 1964). The couple also had a daughter, Vanya (born 1967). The couple were married from 1961 until their divorce in 1974. Roache married his second wife, Sarah Mottram, in 1978. She died suddenly on 7 February 2009 at their home at the age of 58. With Sarah, he had a daughter named Verity (born 1981) and a younger son, the actor James Roache, christened William (born 1985). A second daughter, Edwina, died aged 18 months after her birth on 26 April 1983 from acute bronchial pneumonia on 16 November 1984.
In 1991, Roache won a libel action against The Sun, which had described him as boring and unpopular with his fellow Coronation Street stars. He was awarded £50,000 damages by the jury, the same amount that he had turned down in an out of court settlement offered by the newspaper before the case. As a result, he was liable for the £120,000 costs incurred. Roache sued his law firm for negligence in 1998, and was declared bankrupt in April 1999.
Roache is a supporter of the Conservative Party. In 2007, as a guest for Daily Politics, he championed Sir John Major as Britain's greatest post-war prime minister. He backed disgraced ex-Conservative MP Neil Hamilton in the 1997 election against Martin Bell. Roache became patron of the Ilkeston-based production company Sustained Magic Ltd in 2006.
Roache is a vegetarian because he "doesn't want animals being killed for him". He wrote about his interest in astrology in his biography, which he learned by taking a correspondence course from the Faculty of Astrological Studies. He said he had impressed members of the Coronation Street cast by the accuracy with which he read their astrological charts for them. Roache is a spiritualist and was photographed practising druid rituals in the 1970s. He predicted that the world would go through a fundamental change on 12 December 2012 and "move to a higher vibration".
During an investigation and trial, Roache's character Ken Barlow was written out of Coronation Street. However following Roache's acquittal he resumed filming on Coronation Street in June 2014, and returned to the screen on 4 August of that year.
Roache was awarded an MBE in the 2001 New Years Honours. In March 2007, he was awarded the Honorary degree of Doctor of Letters by the University of Chester in recognition of his contribution to television.Ken Barlow in Coronation Street.
(1960- )- Balvinder Sopal was born on 4 December 1978 in Chatham, Kent, England, UK. She is an actress, known for Emmerdale Farm (1972), Naachle London (2012) and Coronation Street (1960).Suki Panesar in EastEnders.
(2020- ) - Annie Jones is an Australian actress who was born in Adelaide, South Australia. Jones before changing her name for acting and modeling was known as Annika Jancso. Jones is best known for her roles on The Henderson Kids (1985), Sons and Daughters (1982), Jackaroo (1990), Snowy (1993), Newlyweds (1993). Jones would become a household name with her character of "Plain Jane" in long running Australian TV soap Neighbours (1985) where she would reprise the role of Jane in the 2018 season of Neighbours after leaving the series in 1989. Jones would later make appearances in Secret Bridesmaids' Business (2019), The InBESTigators (2019) and also appeared in season 1 and 2 of Australian award winning drama Wentworth (2013).
Jones would receive two Logie wins one for Most Popular Actress in Neighbours in 1989 and in 1991 for Most Popular Actress in a mini-series.
Jones is married to Paul Moloney.Jane Harris in Neighbours.
(1986–1989, 2005, 2018– ) - Actor
- Writer
Aaron Thiara was born on 4 May 1993 in Wolverhampton, Staffordshire, England, UK. He is an actor and writer, known for EastEnders (1985), The Boy with the Topknot (2017) and RSC: As You Like It (2019).Ravi Gulati in EastEnders.
(2022- )- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Alan Fletcher began his career on the stage at Perth's Hole in the Wall Theatre, before moving to the Perth Theatre Company at the National Theatre, Western Australia, where he worked opposite such great talents as Warren Mitchell, Honor Blackman, Tom Stoppard, Bill Kerr and Tim Brooke-Taylor.
After three years of solid work, he headed to Sydney, where he played his first television role in The Young Doctors (1976), before landing the role that would fully launch him into Australia's lounge rooms - that of "Constable Frank Rossi" on Cop Shop (1977). Various roles in film and television followed, including playing "Martin Blake" on The Love Boat (1977) opposite Morgan Fairchild, "Henry Landers" in _Gross Misconduct (1993/I)_ opposite Jimmy Smits and "Frank Harkin" in Mercy Mission: The Rescue of Flight 771 (1993) opposite Scott Bakula.
Alan returned to the theater in 1998 with the Melbourne Theatre Company (MTC), with whom he worked with in various lead roles for the next three years. His return to Australian television was honored when he was nominated for an Australian Film Institute (AFI) Award for Best Actor in a Series for his role as Australian Consul, "Michael Clayton" in the Australian series Embassy (1990).
In 1994, Alan took the role of "Dr Karl Kennedy" on Neighbours (1985), a role he plays to the present day. During this time he has also taken to the stage again in "Mame," as well as hosting various television documentaries and lifestyle programs.Karl Kennedy in Neighbours.
(1994- )- Actress
- Additional Crew
Vanessa Downing is an Australian actress who's career has encompassed voice over roles, theatre, singing and a career in law whilst balancing that and her acting career. Downing is best known for her roles on Home and Away (1988) as the first Pippa Ross, working on the series for two years before departing in 1990, whilst the role of Pippa went to another actress the show continued to use both actresses likeness throughout the series which included the use of photos and episode recaps. Downing would appear in other series such as Motormouth (1988), G.P. (1989), Water Rats (1996), she would also appear in the spin-off series Bullpitt! (1997) which lasted for two seasons working alongside Ross Higgins and Peter Whitford, she portrayed the character of Muriel, she would also appear in All Saints (1998) and many more shows.
Vanessa would later balance her career whilst studying law and appearing in the Sydney Theatre Company regularly at the same time.
Vanessa is married to Rodney FisherPippa Fletcher in Home and Away.
(1988-1990)- Nick Pickard was born on 16 April 1975 in London, England, UK. He is an actor, known for Hollyoaks (1995), Mio in the Land of Faraway (1987) and Hollyoaks Later (2008).Tony Hutchinson in Hollyoaks.
(1995- )