Ken Morley

Last updated

Ken Morley
Born
Kenneth William Morley

(1943-01-17) 17 January 1943 (age 81)
Chorley, Lancashire, England
Occupations
  • Actor
  • comedian
Years active1966–2015
Notable work Reg Holdsworth in Coronation Street
General Leopold von Flockenstuffen in 'Allo 'Allo!
Television 'Allo 'Allo! (1988–1991)
Coronation Street (1989–1995)
Hardware (2003–2004) Celebrity Masterchef (2014)
Celebrity Big Brother (2015)
Spouse
Susan Staples
​
(m. 1989)​
Children1

Kenneth William Morley (born 17 January 1943) is an English actor and comedian, best known for portraying the role of Reg Holdsworth in the ITV soap opera Coronation Street from 1989 to 1995. He also played General Leopold von Flockenstuffen in the BBC sitcom 'Allo 'Allo! from 1988 to 1991.

Contents

Early life

Kenneth William Morley was born on 17 January 1943 at Chorley Hospital in Chorley, Lancashire, the only child born to engineer father Frank Morley and his mother Phyllis Morley ( née Owen). [1] [2] He was educated at St. Peter's Church of England School and Elementary School until the age of twelve and then he attended Ashworth College until he was fifteen. Morley left school with no qualifications. [3] Morley trained as an apprentice mechanic and in September 1963 he enrolled at Alston Hall College where he gained six O-levels and two A-levels. [4] In 1966, he moved to London to become a primary school teacher in Holloway Road, before moving back to Lancashire to become a supply teacher, mainly in History and English. [5] Later in his teaching career, Ken was a teacher at Smithills High School in Bolton, Craigmount School in Edinburgh and Archbishop Tenison's School in London. [6]

Career

Morley made his acting debut in the 1966 film Alfie in an uncredited role, and subsequently the sequel Alfie Darling in 1975. [7] He appeared in an episode of The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin as well as playing various characters in The Punch Review in 1977, later appearing in an episode of A Soft Touch in 1978, before making frequent appearances in British television series throughout the 1980's. [8] His first major television role was playing General Leopold von Flockenstuffen in the BBC war sitcom 'Allo 'Allo! starring in the show from 1988 to 1991. [9] In 1988, Morley appeared as a twitcher in the Christmas special on the TV comedy series Watching . [7] In 1989, he joined the cast of the ITV soap opera Coronation Street , playing supermarket Bettabuys manager Reg Holdsworth. The character became a household name for his eccentric personality and spectacle glasses. Morley left the show in 1995, to pursue other acting roles and projects. [10] In 1997, he appeared as a Librarian in the children's television show Woof! and guest starred as Nazi Captain Voorhese in the sitcom Red Dwarf . [11] In 1998, he appeared in an episode of the television show The Grand as Harry Frindel. [7] In 1999, Morley returned to Coronation Street in the spin-off show Coronation Street: After Hours alongside former Coronation Street actress Julie Goodyear. [12] He has also appeared in Emmerdale spin-off show Emmerdale: Don't Look Now! - The Dingles in Venice playing Reg Holdsworth. [13]

In 2003 to 2004, Morley starred in the sitcom Hardware as Rex alongside Martin Freeman. [14] In 2005, he was a contestant in the ITV television show Celebrity Fit Club , where he lost over two stone (28 lb; 13 kg). [15] Morley also appeared in adverts for Safestyle UK double glazing windows, featuring as a character similar to Reg Holdsworth. [16]

Morley appeared in several pantomimes including Jack and the Beanstalk , Aladdin , Snow White , Sleeping Beauty [17] In 2010, Morley returned to Coronation Street in the 50th Anniversary Special Coronation Street: A Knights Tale alongside former Coronation Street actor Kevin Kennedy who played Curly Watts. [18] In 2011, he appeared in an episode of the children's television show Sooty as Hurbert Fanshawe. [8] He also promoted and appeared in the adverts Coronation Street Bingo for Gala Bingo. [19] In 2014, he guest-starred in the ITV sitcom Benidorm as Herbert, and was a contestant in the BBC cookery show Celebrity Masterchef . [20] [21]

In January 2015, Morley participated in the fifteenth series of the Channel 5 show Celebrity Big Brother . He entered the house on Day 1, 7 January, as a Housemate and Contestant. On 12 January he was removed from the Big Brother house for using "racist and sexist language". Ofcom had earlier received 233 complaints about his behaviour. [22] His wife defended Morley, explaining: "I think possibly—how should I put it—he's been reading lots of Jacobean and Shakespearean drama. He will have watched Breaking Bad as well. I know my son's got it. He would have got it from there." [23] Morley apologised "unreservedly" for his remarks and for anyone he "disappointed by saying what [he] said". [24]

Personal life

Morley married secondary school teacher Susan Staples on 27 July 1989 at Woolwich Town Hall. [25] They had a son, Roger, born in 1991. [26]

In 2002, Morley was the victim of a mugging by a group of youths who stole his trademark glasses, which were later recovered. [27] In October 2007, Morley's wife was attacked during an armed raid on their house. [28]

Morley had a fascination with cars from a young age and was an avid car collector, his collection included a 1956 Ford Fairlane, a 1959 pink Cadillac Coupe de Ville and two 1976 Cadillac Fleetwood Broughams. [29] [30]

Filmography

YearTitleRoleNotes
1966 Alfie ManFilm role; uncredited
1975 Alfie Darling UnknownFilm role
1977The Punch ReviewVariousTelevision series
1977 The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin ArthurEpisode: "The Four Untrustworthy Men"
1978A Soft TouchSimon StainesEpisode: "Now Take my Wife"
1981 Funny Man TomEpisode: "The Good of the Cause"
1984Smith & JonesNigel SimmsEpisode: "Desert"
1986All Passion SpentJournalist1 episode
1987 Bulman PC ReidEpisode: "Chicken of the Baskervilles"
1987 Little Dorrit Mr. WobblerFilm role
1988 The Return of the Antelope Removal manEpisode: "Home Again"
1988The ManagementFat CharlieEpisode: "The Whelks"
1988 Chelmsford 123 ScipioEpisode: "What's Your Poison?"
1988Les GirlsMiddle-aged manTelevision series
1988Blind JusticeM.P on NewsEpisode: The One About the Irishman
1988–1991 'Allo 'Allo! General Leopold von Flockenstuffen Series regular
1988 Watching Eric WardEpisode: "Twitching"
1988 You Rang, M'Lord? Mr. ChallonEpisode: "Pilot"
1989–1995 Coronation Street Reg Holdsworth Series regular; 409 episodes
1990 KYTV FA DirectorEpisode: "Big Fight Special"
1996Zig and Zag's Dirty DeedsKen Morley2 episodes
1997 Woof! LibrarianEpisode: "When My Sheep Comes In"
1997 Red Dwarf Captain VooherseEpisode: "Stoke Me a Clipper"
1998 The Grand Harry Frindel1 episode
1999Coronation Street: After HoursReg HoldsworthCoronation Street spin-off; 4 episodes
1999Emmerdale: Don't Look Now! - The Dingle's in VeniceReg HoldsworthEmmerdale spin-off
2003–2004 Hardware RexSeries regular
2003 Margery & Gladys Bill NightingaleTelevision film
2005 Celebrity Fit Club HimselfParticipant
2010Coronation Street: A Knights TaleReg HoldsworthCoronation Street spin-off
2011 Sooty Hubert FanshaweEpisode: "Run Rabbit Run"
2014 Benidorm Herbert1 episode
2014 Celebrity MasterChef HimselfContestant
2015 Celebrity Big Brother HimselfContestant
Sources: [8] [7]

Guest appearances

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References

  1. ↑ "FreeBMD - Search". freebmd.org.uk.
  2. ↑ "Kenneth William MORLEY personal appointments - Find and update company information - GOV.UK". find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk.
  3. ↑ https://www.student-portal.net/ashworth-ken-morley.edu [ bare URL ]
  4. ↑ "Ken Morley thrown off Celebrity Big Brother after using word 'negro' | Channel 5 | The Guardian". amp.theguardian.com.
  5. ↑ "Chorley's Ken Morley out of the Celebrity MasterChef culinary challenge". Lancashire Telegraph. 23 June 2014.
  6. ↑ "Former Smithills High School teacher and Coronation Street actor Ken Morley kicked out of Celebrity Big Brother house for using 'unacceptable language' | The Bolton News". theboltonnews.co.uk.
  7. 1 2 3 4 "Ken Morley at The British Comedy Guide". British Comedy Guide . Retrieved 2 August 2023.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 "Ken Morley – TV Guide". TV Guide. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
  9. ↑ "Ken Morley in Celebrity Big Brother 2015: Meet the contestant who". The Independent. 8 January 2015.
  10. ↑ Patterson, Stephen. "Ken Morley 'fancied all the women' on Coronation Street".
  11. ↑ https://digiguide.tv/celebrity/Ken+Morley/4111/ [ bare URL ]
  12. ↑ [ dead link ]
  13. ↑ "Emmerdale: Don't Look Now! The Dingles In Venice". 12 November 1999 – via Amazon.
  14. ↑ "Hardware - Rotten Tomatoes". rottentomatoes.com.
  15. ↑ "Fit Club contestants get fitter". Manchester Evening News. 19 February 2007.
  16. ↑ "Things Go From Bad To Worse For 'CBB' Ken". HuffPost UK. 15 January 2015.
  17. ↑ "Sleeping Beauty and the Whinging Wicked Witch". Grimsby Auditorium.
  18. ↑ "Kevin Kennedy, Ken Morley (Corrie: A Knight's Tale)". Digital Spy. 11 November 2010.
  19. ↑ "GalaBingo.com Announces Exclusive Gaming Partnership with ITV's 'Coronation Street'". prnewswire.com.
  20. ↑ https://www.itv.com/news/update/2013-04-12/corrie-stars-to-reunite-in-benidorm/ [ bare URL ]
  21. ↑ "Celebrity MasterChef stars revealed". BBC News. 24 May 2014.
  22. ↑ "Corrie star Ken Morley kicked off Celebrity Big Brother". Newsbeat. 12 January 2015.
  23. ↑ "Sue Morley stands by her man after Ken booted off Big Brother for racist and sexist comments". 14 January 2015.
  24. ↑ "Ken Morley sorry for Celebrity Big Brother remarks". 13 January 2015 – via bbc.co.uk.
  25. ↑ "Ken Morley's wife pretends to throttle him as he arrives home after getting booted off CBB". mirror. 13 January 2015.
  26. ↑ "Big Brother: 233 Ofcom complaints". BBC News. 12 January 2015.
  27. ↑ "Former Street star attacked". BBC News. 2 May 2002.
  28. ↑ "Raid on former Street star's home". BBC News. 7 October 2007. Retrieved 24 November 2010.
  29. ↑ "Search for used and new cars for sale in Ireland".
  30. ↑ "My Star Car". Sunday Mirror. 28 July 1996. Archived from the original on 17 June 2011.
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