William Roache plays Ken Barlow
William Patrick Roache MBE (born 25 April 1932) plays Ken
Barlow on Coronation Street.
William is the only remaining member of the original cast, having
appeared in the first episode on 9 December 1960, and is currently
the longest-serving actor in Coronation Street and in British soap
overall.
In 1953, William was commissioned into the Royal Welsh Fusiliers.
He was promoted to Lieutenant in 1954 and left the Army three years
later.
William suffers from tinnitus because of a mortar bomb explosion
that he witnessed while on National Service with the British Army
during this time.
William has a son, Linus, and a daughter, Vanya, by his first wife
Anna, to whom he was married from 1961 until divorcing in
1974.
From his second marriage, to Sara, William has a daughter named
Verity and a younger son called William. A second daughter, Edwina,
died aged 18 months from acute bronchial pneumonia in 1984.
Sara died unexpectedly in February 2009 at their home in Wilmslow, Cheshire, at the age of 58. They had been married since 1978.
In 1999, William was the recipient of the British Soap Awards Lifetime Achievement Award for his role as Ken Barlow.
William 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 Chester in recognition of his contribution to
television.
First appearance on Coronation Street in the UK:
9 December 1960: Student Ken was first seen arguing with
his father, Frank, about a date with his girlfriend.
