Bill Tarmey (born William Piddington; 4 April 1941 – 9 November 2012) was an English actor and singer, best known for playing

Jack Duckworth John "Jack" Duckworth is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'', played by Bill Tarmey. The character debuted on-screen during the episode broadcast on 28 November 1979. Jack was introduced by executive prod ...

in the 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. Origi ...

''. First appearing in the role in November 1979, he played it continually from 1981 to 2010.

Early life and education

Tarmey was born in

Ardwick Ardwick is a district of Manchester in North West England, one mile south east of the city centre. The population of the Ardwick Ward at the 2011 census was 19,250. Historically in Lancashire, by the mid-nineteenth century Ardwick had grown from ...

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

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 Lancashi ...

. Shortly after his birth, he moved with his family to live in

Bradford, Manchester Bradford is a district of east Manchester, England, two miles north east of the city centre. The population at the 2011 census was 15,784. Historically in Lancashire, after the closure of its heavy industries Bradford was for many years an econ ...

, where he was also educated. Following the death of his father William in 1944 whilst driving an ambulance at the

Battle of Arnhem The Battle of Arnhem was a battle of the Second World War at the vanguard of the Allied Operation Market Garden. It was fought in and around the Dutch city of Arnhem, the town of Oosterbeek, the villages Wolfheze and Driel and the vicinity fro ...

during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, his mother Lilian remarried, to Robert Cleworth. Tarmey attended the Bradford Memorial School and the Queens Street School (which became the Philips Park Secondary Modern School). On leaving school, he was apprenticed to his stepfather, who was an

asphalt Asphalt, also known as bitumen (, ), is a sticky, black, highly viscous liquid or semi-solid form of petroleum. It may be found in natural deposits or may be a refined product, and is classed as a pitch. Before the 20th century, the term a ...

spreader by trade. He also worked in the construction industry for a number of years.

Career

In 1968, Tarmey gave up his job in the building industry to work as a

nightclub singer A nightclub act is a production, usually of nightclub music or comedy, designed for performance at a nightclub, a type of drinking establishment, by a nightclub performer such as a nightclub singer or nightclub dancer, whose performance may ...

and entertainer. In order to supplement his income, he took on work as an extra on shows such as ''

'', amongst others. Despite suffering a serious heart attack in 1976 and a stroke in 1977, he was eventually offered the role of

, a character who would go on to become an institution in British soap operas. He underwent quintuple

bypass surgery Bypass surgery refers to a class of surgery involving rerouting a tubular body part. Types include: * Vascular bypass surgery such as coronary artery bypass surgery, a heart operation * Cardiopulmonary bypass, a technique used in coronary artery ...

in January 1987, and had a pacemaker fitted in June 2002 after suffering a second heart attack, which was used as a storyline in ''Coronation Street'' to explain his absence. He also developed

sleep apnoea Sleep apnea, also spelled sleep apnoea, is a sleep disorder in which pauses in breathing or periods of shallow breathing during sleep occur more often than normal. Each pause can last for a few seconds to a few minutes and they happen many times ...

, disrupting his breathing while asleep. Tarmey was an extra in the

Granada Television ITV Granada, formerly known as Granada Television, is the ITV franchisee for the North West of England and Isle of Man. From 1956 to 1968 it broadcast to both the north west and Yorkshire but only on weekdays as ABC Weekend Television was it ...

adaptation of ''

King Lear ''King Lear'' is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare. It is based on the mythological Leir of Britain. King Lear, in preparation for his old age, divides his power and land between two of his daughters. He becomes destitute and insane an ...

'' (1983) which starred

Laurence Olivier Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier (; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor and director who, along with his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud, was one of a trio of male actors who dominated the Theatre of the U ...

in the title role. He appeared on ''

Lily Savage's Blankety Blank ''Blankety Blank'' is a British comedy game show which started in 1979 and is still running today, albeit with some sizeable gaps. The original series ran from 18 January 1979 to 12 March 1990 on BBC1, hosted first by Terry Wogan from 1979 un ...

''.

Departure from ''Coronation Street''

In April 2006, when he turned 65, Tarmey announced he was thinking of retiring, which prompted letters of protest from fans. In 2009, he wanted to leave his role in ''Coronation Street'' due to his multiple health problems, which included severe breathing problems. The show's producers, however, persuaded him to stay until the 50th anniversary, in December of the following year. News of his departure was announced on 9 April 2010. Commenting, he said, "I've had the most amazing 30 years playing Jack. Because of him I've made fantastic friends and travelled all over the world. I'll be sorry to say goodbye". Tarmey's departure was pushed forward to 8 November 2010 episode because of his declining health; in this episode Jack died asleep in his chair in a manner similar to the death of Vera (although Jack had a storyline illness). Tarmey was the second longest serving male actor in the show. In a March 2011 interview with

Nigel Pivaro Nigel Pivaro (born 11 December 1959) is an English actor and journalist. He is best known for playing Terry Duckworth, the son of Jack and Vera Duckworth in ''Coronation Street''. Career Pivaro was born in Manchester, England to an Italian ...

, Tarmey revealed he also had to leave the series because his son Carl had been diagnosed with a

brain tumour A brain tumor occurs when abnormal cells form within the brain. There are two main types of tumors: malignant tumors and benign (non-cancerous) tumors. These can be further classified as primary tumors, which start within the brain, and secondary ...

in 2009.

Personal life

In 1955, he met his future wife Ali in the local

youth club A youth center or youth centre, often called youth club, is a place where young people can meet and participate in a variety of activities, for example table football, association football (US soccer, UK football), basketball, table tennis, vid ...

. The couple married in 1962, and had two children: Carl (1966–2019) and Sara (born 1970). Tarmey suffered from poor health for many years, having a severe heart attack at the age of 35 and also a stroke when he was 36. He had heart bypass surgery twice, once in 1987 and again (following another heart attack) in 2002. He and his wife Ali lived in

Ashton-under-Lyne Ashton-under-Lyne is a market town in Tameside, Greater Manchester, England. The population was 45,198 at the 2011 census. Historically in Lancashire, it is on the north bank of the River Tame, in the foothills of the Pennines, east of Manche ...

. He also suffered from

due to breathing problems. Despite his multiple health problems, Tarmey refused to stop smoking. In May 2011 Tarmey revealed that he needed to undergo further heart surgery.

Death

A ''Coronation Street'' spokesman confirmed that Tarmey died in Tenerife from a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

on the morning of 9 November 2012 at the age of 71.

Music career

Tarmey was an accomplished singer and released several albums. Four of his albums, ''A Gift of Love'' (1993), ''Time for Love'' (1994), ''After Hours'' (1996) and ''In My Life'' (2001) appeared on the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts C ...

, as well as three

singles Singles are people not in a committed relationship. Singles may also refer to: Film and television * ''Singles'' (miniseries), a 1984 Australian television series * ''Singles'' (1992 film), written and directed by Cameron Crowe * ''Singles'' ...

charting on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

. His biggest hit single was a cover of the

Barry Manilow Barry Manilow (born Barry Alan Pincus; June 17, 1943) is an American singer and songwriter with a career that spans seven decades. His hit recordings include "Could It Be Magic", " Somewhere Down the Road", " Mandy", "I Write the Songs", " Can ...

song " One Voice" which Tarmey recorded with the

St Winifred's School Choir St Winifred's School Choir, from St Winifred's Roman Catholic Primary School in Stockport, England, was a choir of children whose single entitled "There's No One Quite Like Grandma" in 1980 became that year's British Christmas number one singl ...

and producers

Stock In finance, stock (also capital stock) consists of all the shares by which ownership of a corporation or company is divided.Longman Business English Dictionary: "stock - ''especially AmE'' one of the shares into which ownership of a company ...

& Waterman (from 1980s hitmaking production team

Stock Aitken Waterman Stock Aitken Waterman (abbreviated as SAW) are an English songwriting and record production trio consisting of Mike Stock, Matt Aitken, and Pete Waterman. The trio had great success from the mid-1980s through the early 1990s. SAW is considered ...

). This one-off release would reach number 16 in the UK singles chart for BMG's Arista label, with Tarmey signing a deal with EMI to record more music, after its success. In 1995, to commemorate the programme's 35th anniversary, a CD titled ''The Coronation Street Album'' was released, featuring cover versions of modern songs and standards by contemporary cast members. Tarmey appeared as one of the backing vocalists for Bill Waddington, on "The Coronation Street Single" version of Monty Python's "

Always Look on the Bright Side of Life "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" is a comedy song written by Monty Python member Eric Idle that was first featured in the Python film '' Life of Brian'' and has gone on to become a common singalong at public events such as football matc ...

". This single was a number 35 hit in December. Tarmey's autobiography, ''Jack Duckworth and Me: My Life on the Street and Other Adventures'', was published in 2010.

Discography

Albums

*''A Gift of Love'' (1993), EMI - UK #15 *''Time for Love'' (1994), EMI - UK #28 *''After Hours'' (1996), EMI Premier - UK #61 *''Down Home'' (1997), Connoisseur Collection *''In My Life'' (2001), EMI - UK #80

Singles

*"Our Song of Love" (duet with

Ruth Madoc Ruth Madoc (born Margaret Ruth Llewellyn Baker; 16 April 1943 – 9 December 2022) was a British actress who had a career on stage and screen spanning over 60 years. She was best known for her role as Gladys Pugh in the BBC television comedy '' ...

) (1988), Sain *"I'll Be with You Soon" (duet with

Liz Dawn Sylvia Ann Ibbetson (''née'' Butterfield; 8 November 1939 – 25 September 2017), known professionally as Elizabeth Dawn or Liz Dawn, was an English actress, best known for her role as Vera Duckworth in the long-running British soap opera ''C ...

) (1989), Westmoor Music *"One Voice" (1993), Arista - UK #16 *"

The Wind Beneath My Wings "Wind Beneath My Wings" (sometimes titled "The Wind Beneath My Wings" and "Hero") is a song written in 1982 by Jeff Silbar and Larry Henley. The song was first recorded by Kamahl in 1982 for a country and western album he was recording. Kamahl talk ...

" (1994), EMI - UK #40 *"

I.O.U. An IOU (abbreviated from the phrase "I owe you") is usually an informal document acknowledging debt. An IOU differs from a promissory note in that an IOU is not a negotiable instrument and does not specify repayment terms such as the time of re ...

" (1994), EMI - UK #55

References

External links

*
What's on TV
profile {{DEFAULTSORT:Tarmey, William 1941 births 2012 deaths Male actors from Manchester Singers from Manchester English male singers English male soap opera actors English writers English expatriates in Spain People from Ardwick People from Ashton-under-Lyne Nightclub performers Male actors from Lancashire