Kenneth Morley (born 17 January 1943) is an English actor and comedian best known for playing the role of
Reg Holdsworth
The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street'' in 1989, by order of first appearance.
Alison Oakley
Alison Oakley, played by Helen Swift in 1989 and Shelley Willetts in 1998 is a woman ...
in the
ITV soap opera ''
Coronation Street
''Coronation Street'' is an English soap opera created by Granada Television and shown on ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres around a cobbled, terraced street in Weatherfield, a fictional town based on inner-city Salford.
Orig ...
'' from 1989 to 1995 and
General Leopold von Flockenstuffen in the
BBC sitcom ''
'Allo 'Allo!'' from 1988 to 1991.
Early life
Morley was born in Chorley Hospital in
Chorley,
Lancashire
Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly.
The non-metropolitan county of Lancas ...
. He was the only child born to engineer father Frank Morley and his mother Phyllis Morley. 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. Ken 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. In 1966, he moved to London to become a primary school teacher in Holloway Road. He then moved back to
Lancashire
Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly.
The non-metropolitan county of Lancas ...
and became a supply teacher, mainly in History and English. Later in his teaching career, Ken was a teacher at Smithills High School in
Bolton, Craigmount School in
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...
and
Archbishop Tenison's School in London.
Career
Morley has been a regular on British television since the 1970s, his earliest role being in an episode of ''
The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin''. 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.In 1988 Ken appeared as a twitcher in the Christmas special on the TV comedy series ''
Watching''. From 1989 to 1995, he played eccentric shop manager
Reg Holdsworth
The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street'' in 1989, by order of first appearance.
Alison Oakley
Alison Oakley, played by Helen Swift in 1989 and Shelley Willetts in 1998 is a woman ...
in the
ITV soap opera . He became a household name for the role of Reg Holdsworth and the character's spectacle glasses. He left the show in 1995, to pursue other acting roles and projects. 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''. In 1998, he appeared in an episode of the television show ''
The Grand The Grand may refer to:
Buildings Official names
* The Grand (Calgary), a theatre in Alberta, Canada
*The Grand (Ellsworth, Maine), an arts center in Maine, U.S.
* The Grand Doubletree, condominium and hotel skyscraper in Miami, U.S.
* The Grand C ...
'' as Harry Frindel. In 1999, Morley returned to ''
Coronation Street
''Coronation Street'' is an English soap opera created by Granada Television and shown on ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres around a cobbled, terraced street in Weatherfield, a fictional town based on inner-city Salford.
Orig ...
'' in the spin-off show ''Coronation Street: After Hours'' alongside former ''
Coronation Street
''Coronation Street'' is an English soap opera created by Granada Television and shown on ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres around a cobbled, terraced street in Weatherfield, a fictional town based on inner-city Salford.
Orig ...
'' actress
Julie Goodyear. He has also appeared in ''
Emmerdale'' spin-off show ''Emmerdale: Don't Look Now! - The Dingles in Venice'' playing Reg Holdsworth.
In 2003 to 2004, Morley starred in the sitcom ''
Hardware'' as Rex alongside
Martin Freeman.
In 2005, he was a contestant in the
ITV television show ''
Celebrity Fit Club'', where he lost over two stone.
Morley also appears in the adverts for
Safestyle
Safestyle UK plc, part of the Style Group UK, is a provider of PVCu double glazed windows, doors, French doors, patio sliding doors, bifolding doors and conservatories in the United Kingdom.
History
Established on 22 December 1992 with £2,00 ...
UK double glazing windows. He features as a character similar to Reg Holdsworth.
Morley is a pantomime favourite and has appeared in many pantomimes including: Jack and the Beanstalk, Aladdin, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty and lots more.
In 2010, Morley returned to ''
Coronation Street
''Coronation Street'' is an English soap opera created by Granada Television and shown on ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres around a cobbled, terraced street in Weatherfield, a fictional town based on inner-city Salford.
Orig ...
'' in the 50th Anniversary Special ''Coronation Street: A Knights Tale'' alongside former ''
Coronation Street
''Coronation Street'' is an English soap opera created by Granada Television and shown on ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres around a cobbled, terraced street in Weatherfield, a fictional town based on inner-city Salford.
Orig ...
'' actor
Kevin Kennedy who played
Curly Watts
Norman Arthur "Curly" Watts is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street'', from 1983 to 2003, and in a few spin-off DVDs in 2010. He was portrayed throughout by Kevin Kennedy.
Most of Curly's storylines deal ...
.
In 2011, he appeared in an episode of the children's television show
Sooty
Sooty is a British children's television media franchise created by Harry Corbett incorporating primarily television and stage shows. The franchise originated with his fictional glove puppet character introduced to television in 1955, with the ...
as Hurbert Fanshawe.
Morley has promoted and appeared in the adverts ''Coronation Street'' Bingo for
Gala Bingo.
In 2014, he guest starred in the
ITV sitcom ''
Benidorm'' as Herbert.
In mid 2014, he was a contestant in the BBC cookery show ''
Celebrity Masterchef
''MasterChef'' is a competitive cooking reality show produced by Endemol Shine UK and Banijay and broadcast in 60 countries around the world. In the UK, it is produced by the BBC. The show initially ran from 1990 to 2001 and was revived in 20 ...
''.
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
The Office of Communications, commonly known as Ofcom, is the government-approved regulatory and competition authority for the broadcasting, telecommunications and postal industries of the United Kingdom.
Ofcom has wide-ranging powers acros ...
had earlier received 233 complaints about his behaviour.
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
''Breaking Bad'' is an American crime drama television series created and produced by Vince Gilligan. Set and filmed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the series follows Walter White (Bryan Cranston), an underpaid, overqualified, and dispirited h ...
'' as well. I know my son’s got it. He would have got it from there."
Personal life
Morley married secondary school teacher Sue on 27 July 1989 at
Woolwich Town Hall
Woolwich Town Hall is an early 20th-century town hall located in the historic Bathway Quarter in the centre of Woolwich, South East London. Until 1965 it was the seat of local government of the Metropolitan Borough of Woolwich, after which it b ...
.
Morley has been associated with several criminal incidents against him in recent years; it was reported in October 2007 that his wife had been attacked during an armed raid on their house,
and five years earlier, in 2002, he was the victim of a mugging by a group of youths who stole his trademark glasses, which were later recovered.
Morley has had a fascination with cars since he was young. He was an avid car collector, his collection included:
*1956
Ford Fairlane
*1959 pink
Cadillac Coupe de Ville
*two 1976
Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham – one since sold
Cadillac – Used Cars on Carzone.ie – New & Used Cars in Ireland
/ref>
Filmography
Guest appearances
*'' Supermarket Sweep'' (1993) – 1 episode
*'' Celebrity Squares'' (1993) – 3 episodes
*'' Surprise Surprise'' (1994) – 1 episode
*'' Live Talk'' (2000) – 1 Episode
*'' This Morning'' (2000) – 1 episode
*'' The Weakest Link'' (2003) – Soap Star Special – 1 episode
*'' This Morning'' (2003) – 1 episode
*''Celebrities Under Pressure
''Celebrities Under Pressure'' is a British game show that aired on ITV from 13 September 2003 to 7 August 2004. It was first hosted by Melanie Sykes for series 1 & 2 and then hosted by Vernon Kay for series 3.
Format
The show follows familie ...
'' (2004) – 1 episode
*''Today with Des and Mel
''Today with Des and Mel'' was a British television chat show hosted by Des O'Connor (''Des O'Connor Tonight'') and Melanie Sykes. The show featured celebrity guests, phone-in competitions and chat between the hosts. It was produced by Carlto ...
'' (2004) – 1 episode
*'' Dick and Dom in da Bungalow'' (2004) – 1 episode
*''Loose Women
''Loose Women'' (previously known as ''Live Talk'' from 2000 to 2001) is a British talk show that broadcasts on ITV1 weekdays from 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm. The show focuses on a panel of four female presenters who interview celebrities, talk about ...
'' (2006) – 1 episode
*''Richard & Judy
''Richard & Judy'' (also known as ''Richard & Judy's New Position'') is a British television chat show presented by the married couple Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan. The show originally aired on Channel 4 from 26 November 2001 to 22 Augus ...
'' (2009) – 1 episode
*'' Come Dine with Me'' (2010) – Coronation Street Special – 1 episode
*''Loose Women
''Loose Women'' (previously known as ''Live Talk'' from 2000 to 2001) is a British talk show that broadcasts on ITV1 weekdays from 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm. The show focuses on a panel of four female presenters who interview celebrities, talk about ...
'' (2010) – 2 episodes
*'' This Morning'' (2010) – 1 episode
*''BBC Breakfast
''BBC Breakfast'' is the BBC television breakfast news programme. Produced by BBC News, the programme is broadcast on BBC One and the BBC News channel. The simulcast is presented live, originally from the BBC Television Centre, London before ...
'' (2011) – 1 episode
*'' Pointless Celebrities'' (2012) – 1 episode
*''Loose Women
''Loose Women'' (previously known as ''Live Talk'' from 2000 to 2001) is a British talk show that broadcasts on ITV1 weekdays from 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm. The show focuses on a panel of four female presenters who interview celebrities, talk about ...
'' (2012) – 1 episode
*'' Celebrity Five Go To...'' (2012) – 4 episodes
*'' Piers Morgan's Life Stories'' (2013) – 1 episode
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Morley, Ken
1943 births
Living people
English male soap opera actors
People from Chorley
Male actors from Lancashire
Male actors from Manchester
Comedians from Lancashire
Comedians from Manchester
English male stage actors