Advanced search

Bonar Colleano was born in New York City. His name was Bonar Sullivan, but he took on his family's stage name when he joined the Colleano family acrobatic circus act at 5, then at 12 moved to England. Bonar's mother, part of the Colleano family act in her role as a comely contortionist met his father in Australia, her home country. One of Bonar's ancestors, a boxer, had emigrated to Australia from Ireland. His descendents developed their famous family circus act. Bonar was named after his Uncle Bonar, who is well-known among circus historians for his expertise walking the wire. Bonar Colleano appeared in many British films, recognized widely as the wisecracking Yank. He had sexy, dark-haired good looks, which British females of the 1950s found irresistible, yet he spoke his lines with a puckish, Bob Hope kind of delivery. In the post-war era, he was a symbol of the many Yank GIs who had courted and married British women during World War II, fathering thousands. He married British Rank starlet, Susan Shaw, and had a son with her, actor Mark Colleano, who appeared opposite Rock Hudson in "Hornet's Nest" as a 14-year-old Italian boy. Bonar died in a road accident, coming back to London from a theatre engagement out of town. The 1958 tragedy made front page news in the English papers. Upon Bonar's death, his wife was never the same again, battling a drink problem till the end of her days in 1978. Bonar's own mother became the legal guardian of Mark and groomed him for an acting career.

Ian Curtis was born in Old Trafford, Manchester, at the Memorial Hospital. He grew up listening to The Who and The Rolling Stones, and other heroes of his teenage years included David Bowie, Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin, Iggy Pop, Lou Reed, and James Dean. He especially liked musicians whose lyrics spoke of death, or those who had died at their peak. He attended the King's School in Macclesfield, where he took his first overdose with a friend. During their customary "social services" hours on Wednesdays, they would visit the homes of elderly pensioners, and would usually take drugs out of their medicine cabinets. With friend Oliver Cleaver, Ian took an accidental overdose of chlorpromazine hydrochloride, brand name Largactil, which was used to treat schizophrenia. Both had their stomachs pumped, and were kept from being expelled when Oliver said he had been trying to kill himself.

Ian met his future wife Deborah in 1972. After he quit school and his family moved to New Moston, Manchester, Ian stopped experimenting with drugs. He and Deborah were married on August 23, 1975. During several moves from different houses, Ian and Deborah spent short periods of time living in his grandparents' basement. On 20 July 1976, Ian saw the Sex Pistols play at the Manchester Lesser Free Trade Hall. He had missed their first show, but was inspired just as much by the second. Always having been a music fan, Ian felt driven to join a band. After moving back to Macclesfield, Ian found his place in the band Joy Division, then called Warsaw. The band consisted of Bernard Sumner on guitar, Peter Hook on bass, and Stephen Morris on drums. During the years of 1977-1980, the band took off and became a part of Tony Wilson's label, Factory records. They released one EP, "An Ideal for Living," in January 1977, and two official albums: "Unknown Pleasures" in June 1979, and "Closer," released posthumously in July 1980. Ian first discovered that he suffered from epilepsy in December 1978, while his wife was pregnant with their daughter Natalie. The pills he took to help his epilepsy are believed by many to be the cause of Ian's intense depression from that point up until his death. Another major contributing factor was Ian's ongoing affair with a woman named Annik Honore, who he first met in late 1979. With a wife and daughter at home, Ian usually saw Annik at Joy Division gigs and on their tours, where wives were not allowed. On April 7, 1980, Ian took an overdose of Phenobarbitone, which he announced to his wife. She rushed him to the hospital. He had his stomach pumped, and was pronounced not suicidal. The day following his suicide attempt, he performed with Joy Division at Derby Hall, Bury. Ian had only sung two songs when a riot broke out. Tony Wilson found Ian crying upstairs, and to comfort him, reminded him about the Lou Reed gig at the Free Trade Hall where there had also been a bottle-throwing riot. The last Joy Division performance was May 2, at Birmingham University. Ian spent the last few months of his life moving back and forth between other people's houses, rarely staying at home. When he did return home, it was to watch the film Stroszek (1977), by one of his heroes, Werner Herzog. He had been living with his parents at the time, and wouldn't want to upset them by watching such a dark film. He wrote a letter to his wife Deborah, which spoke of the troubles in his life, and the love he felt for her and Natalie. He did write that he wished he was dead, but did not speak of any intentions to kill himself. After this, he is believed to have taken photographs of his daughter and wife down to look at, and to have listened to Iggy Pop's "The Idiot." He was discovered in the morning by his wife, Deborah, having committed suicide by hanging. The date of his death was May 18, 1980.

The Vivienne was born on 12 April 1992 in Colwyn Bay, Wales, UK. The was an actor, known for Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie (2016), Morning T&T (2019) and This Is Going to Hurt (2022). The was married to David Ludford. The died on 5 January 2025 in Chorlton-by-Backford, Cheshire, England, UK.

Elizabeth Mary "Betty" Driver, MBE was a British actress and singer, best known for her role as Betty Williams (previously Betty Turpin) on the British soap opera, Coronation Street (1960) from 1969 to 2011, appearing in more than 2,800 episodes.

She had previously appeared as Mrs Edgley in Coronation Street spin-off Pardon the Expression (1965-1966) opposite Arthur Lowe. Her early career focussed on her as a singer, appearing in musical films such as Boots! Boots! in 1934, opposite George Formby and Penny Paradise in 1938, directed by Carol Reed. She was made an MBE in the 2000 New Year Honours.

At the age of 8, Driver began performing professionally, forced by her mother to appear with Terence Byron Repertory Theatre Company. She was singing for the BBC by the age of 10 and began touring across the UK in her first revue at the age of 12. While performing in London at the age of 14, Driver was spotted by the agent Bert Aza, who was in partnership with his brother Archie Pitt, Gracie Fields' husband. Despite her young age, he booked her for the lead in a revival of Mr Tower Of London, which had brought Gracie Fields to prominence 19 years earlier. She was also approached by George Formby after he and his wife Beryl Formby saw her perform in Manchester. The Formbys wanted Driver to appear in their new film Boots! Boots!, but according to Driver, when Beryl Formby saw her rehearsing, she decided that she did not want to be outperformed by Driver and sent her away; however, the producers felt so bad about the way Betty Driver was treated that they refused to take her name off the film credits, even though she did not appear in the theatrical release. In fact, it is now known that Driver did indeed perform in the film and her scene was included in the original release. In 1938, an edited version of the film was released which did not include Driver's scene. A restored version of the film (including Driver's scene) has recently been released on DVD which finally confirms the involvement of Driver in the film.

At 16 she was in a West End show called Home and Beauty. Film director Basil Dean, after seeing her in Jimmy Hunter's Brighton Follies, cast her in the 1938 film Penny Paradise, filmed at ATP studios in Ealing. After a few months of variety and radio work, she returned to the studio to make her second film, Let's Be Famous. They had just completed the film when the Second World War was announced and the studios were closed down. Nineteen at the time, Driver resumed touring the country in variety shows. It was at this time that her act and image altered. Against her mother's wishes, Driver and her sister modernised her performance and Driver became a ballad singer. Shortly after, during a six-month run in a revue called Twice In A Blue Moon, Driver and her sister parted company with their mother following a cardiac asthma attack which restricted her mobility.

Driver continued in variety, opening in the Coventry Hippodrome and sharing the bill with the Andrews family - father Ted, mother Barbara and Julie. She made regular trips to Bristol to sing on a radio show called Ack Ack Beer Beer and made her final film in 1941 Facing the Music.

In the 1940s, she became a noted big band singer. During the Second World War, Driver travelled through Europe with ENSA (Entertainments National Service Association), entertaining the troops. She also appeared for seven years on the radio show Henry Hall's Guest Night and on her own show, A Date with Betty, which was broadcast live from the People's Palace in London's East End on 14 July 1949. The show's format was based around Driver singing, doing sketches and introducing guests. All her words were scripted by a young Bob Monkhouse. She recorded many popular tunes in the 1940s and became an established singer during this time. When she was 14, she made her first record "Jubilee Baby", and had another major success with "The Sailor with the Navy Blue Eyes" and made several more hit records. Betty travelled to Australia where she performed her own show and her career took her to Cyprus, Malta and the Middle East. On her return to England she appeared in various Ealing Comedies, on stage in The Lovebirds, Pillar to Post and What A Racket, and on television with James Bolam in Love on the Dole.

In 1964, she auditioned for the role of Hilda Ogden on the television series Coronation Street (the role went to actress Jean Alexander as the casting directors wanted someone who did not weigh as much). She was cast later in the series Pardon the Expression, a spin-off of Coronation Street alongside Arthur Lowe. She has described Lowe as "such a difficult man to work with", so after a much-publicised injury (she damaged her back after the script called for throwing Arthur Lowe), she retired and started running a pub, the Cock Hotel in Whaley Bridge, Derbyshire, with her sister Freda.

In 1969, she was persuaded to come out of retirement to play police officer's wife Betty Turpin on Coronation Street, a role she would play for over 40 years. She was the longest serving barmaid in the history of the Rover's Return and Betty's Hot Pot (served at lunchtime in the Rovers) is an iconic dish, which has also been offered as a ready meal in UK supermarkets.

She was the subject of This Is Your Life in 1976 when she was surprised by Eamonn Andrews.

Driver wrote a memoir on her years in radio and television, called Betty, which was published in 2000. In an interview on the Parkinson show on 11 November 2006, Sir Ian McKellen revealed that Driver still drove herself into work at 07:30am each morning, despite her age. She was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) by Queen Elizabeth II in the Millennium New Year's Honours List on 31 December 1999.

In August 2008, it was announced that Driver was one of several Coronation Street stars facing large salary cuts. In April 2010 Driver was reportedly admitted to hospital with a chest infection. In May 2010 Driver was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at the British Soap Awards. There were also rumours that Driver was to retire, however these were confirmed as false. Driver vowed in September 2010 never to retire stating that: "If I retire, I'll be dead in six months with boredom" and stated she still "loved" being part of Coronation Street.

On 23 January 2011, Driver was the guest on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs.

On 11 May 2011, Driver was rushed to hospital, suffering from pneumonia. She died on 15 October, aged 91, after around six weeks in hospital.

Lesley Ann Downey was born in 1954 in England, UK. She died on 26 December 1964 in Hyde, Cheshire, England, UK.

John Axon was born on 10 September 1960 in Stockport, Cheshire, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Life on Mars (2006), Monsignor Renard (2000) and Johnny and the Bomb (2006). He died on 22 October 2008 in Stockport, Cheshire, England, UK.

Born in Sunderland he worked his way up from copy boy to journalist on the local paper then after doing his national service returned to Newcastle before moving to London to work for a news agency and spent 3 years in Cairo .Returning to London his wife, knowing his real love was the theatre told him to try it and despite having no experience got a job at his first audition and straight away joined Equiity, With two babies and no regular wage things were tough but as a precaution he kept up his union subscriptions and did some holiday relief work at the news agency then came a regular part in The Newcomers which he had for some time but left because for him the part had lost its challenge, He then got a part in Coronation Street thanks to Patricia Phoenix (Elsie Tanner} who suggested him for a strong love interest story line

Alan Turing was born on 23 June 1912 in Maida Vale, London, England, UK. He was a writer, known for Turochamp (1948). He died on 7 June 1954 in Wilmslow, Cheshire, England, UK.

Graham Haberfield was born on 17 November 1941 in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Coronation Street (1960), Germinal (1970) and ITV Playhouse (1967). He was married to Valerie Blake. He died on 18 October 1975 in Knutsford, Cheshire, England, UK.

Sara Roache was born in 1949 in Lancashire, England, UK. She was an actress, known for Coronation Street (1960), Emmerdale Farm (1972) and Dear Ladies (1983). She was married to William Roache and Charles Butterworth. She died on 7 February 2009 in Wilmslow, Cheshire, England, UK.

Doreen Sloane was born on 24 February 1934 in Birkenhead, Cheshire, England, UK. She was an actress, known for Chariots of Fire (1981), Coronation Street (1960) and Brookside (1982). She died on 8 April 1990 in Birkenhead, Cheshire, England, UK.

Jon Croft was born on 30 July 1935 in Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Gandhi (1982), A Bridge Too Far (1977) and Doctor Who (1963). He was married to Jennifer Thorne. He died on 27 September 2016 in Malpas, Cheshire, England, UK.

Ray Kingsley was born on 23 February 1959 in Liverpool, England, UK. He was an actor, known for The Zero Option (1988), The Love Child (1987) and Z Cars (1962). He died on 12 March 1990 in Birkenhead, Cheshire, England, UK.

Tony Williamson was born on 18 December 1932 in Manchester, Lancashire, England, UK. He was a writer, known for The Avengers (1961), Department S (1969) and Adam Adamant Lives! (1966). He died on 19 June 1991 in Cheshire, England, UK.

Christopher Hughes was born on 14 August 1947 in Enfield, Middlesex, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Mongrels (2010), Eggheads (2003) and The Adventure Game (1980). He died in 2025 in Crewe, Cheshire, England, UK.

David Lloyd Meredith was born on 30 October 1933 in London, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Henry V (1989), The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby (1982) and Softly Softly: Task Force (1969). He was married to Daphne. He died on 22 October 2008 in Chester, Cheshire, England, UK.

Wendy Binks was born on 27 February 1970. She was an actress, known for Ghost Adventures (2008). She died on 10 November 2022 in Chester, Cheshire, England, UK.

Michael Farmer was born on 9 May 1902 in Cork, Ireland. He was an actor, known for Perfect Understanding (1933). He was married to Gloria Swanson. He died in June 1975 in Chester, Cheshire, England, UK.

Sir Robert Charlton is an English former footballer who played either as a midfielder or a forward. Considered one of the greatest players of all time, he was a member of the England team that won the 1966 FIFA World Cup, the year he also won the Ballon d'Or. He played almost all of his club football at Manchester United, where he became renowned for his attacking instincts, his passing abilities from midfield and his ferocious long-range shot, as well as his fitness and stamina. He was cautioned only twice in his career; once against Argentina in the 1966 World Cup, and once in a league match against Chelsea. His elder brother Jack, who was also in the World Cup-winning team, was a former defender for Leeds United and international manager.

Tony Broughton was born on 6 November 1931 in Northwich, Cheshire, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Coronation Street (1960), Make Mine a Double (1959) and The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes (1991). He was married to June Broughton. He died on 13 July 2011 in Hale, Altrincham, Cheshire, England, UK.

Les Chatfield was born on 9 January 1932 in Horsham, Sussex, England, UK. He was a director and producer, known for The Sound of Laughter (1977), Thirty Minutes Worth (1972) and Kinvig (1981). He died on 2 November 2002 in Audlem, Cheshire, England, UK.

Edward Evans died on 16 October 1965 in Hyde, Cheshire, England, UK.

Margot Bryant was born on 8 March 1897 in Hull, Yorkshire, England, UK. She was an actress, known for Coronation Street (1960), Nothing Barred (1961) and Duty Bound (1958). She died on 1 January 1988 in Heald Green, Cheshire, England, UK.

George Jackson was born on 26 October 1921 in Fleetwood, England, UK. He is known for Watership Down (1978), Danger Mouse (1981) and The Plague Dogs (1982). He died on 16 March 1986 in Culcheth, Cheshire, England, UK.

Paul M. Young was born on 17 June 1947 in Benchill, Wythenshawe, Manchester, England, UK. He was an actor and composer, known for Kamikaze Hearts (1986), Mike + the Mechanics: The Living Years (1989) and Mike & the Mechanics: Silent Running (On Dangerous Ground) (1985). He was married to Patricia. He died on 15 July 2000 in Hale, Cheshire, England, UK.