Bill Ward (born 5 May 1967) is an English actor. He is known for his soap opera roles as Mike Parker in Eastenders Charlie Stubbs in ''

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 ...

'' and James Barton in ''

Emmerdale ''Emmerdale'' (known as ''Emmerdale Farm'' until 1989) is a British soap opera that is broadcast on ITV1. The show is set in Emmerdale (known as Beckindale until 1994), a fictional village in the Yorkshire Dales. Created by Kevin Laffan, '' ...

''.

Early life

Ward was educated at

Oundle School Oundle School is a public school (English independent day and boarding school) for pupils 11–18 situated in the market town of Oundle in Northamptonshire, England. The school has been governed by the Worshipful Company of Grocers of the City ...

and

Bristol University , mottoeng = earningpromotes one's innate power (from Horace, ''Ode 4.4'') , established = 1595 – Merchant Venturers School1876 – University College, Bristol1909 – received royal charter , type ...

where he obtained a degree in Modern British History, and worked as an advertising executive before beginning his professional acting career in the 1980s.

Career

He acted widely in theatre and television, joining the cast of ''Coronation Street'' in 2003, portraying local builder Charlie Stubbs, until 2007 when his character was killed by

Tracy Barlow Tracy Lynette McDonald (also Barlow, Preston, Cropper and Langton) is a fictional character and a main antagonist from the British ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street''. She was born on-screen during the episode broadcast on 24 January 1977. ...

after a domestic abuse storyline. He made his second appearance in a major soap opera role as James Barton in ''

'' beginning in 2013. However, Ward announced in August 2016 that he is quitting the soap, his character was killed off in October 2016. Outside acting, Ward is noted as a photographer. Bill Ward also had a role back in 2003 in BBC TV's ''

EastEnders ''EastEnders'' is a Television in the United Kingdom, British soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the Ea ...

'', where he played the role of Mike Parker. He also has had roles in hit shows such as ITV's ''

The Bill ''The Bill'' is a British police procedural television series, first broadcast on ITV from 16 August 1983 until 31 August 2010. The programme originated from a one-off drama, '' Woodentop'', broadcast in August 1983. The programme focused on ...

'', '' Heartbeat'' and many more well known shows. In 2019, he starred as retired

drag queen A drag queen is a person, usually male, who uses drag clothing and makeup to imitate and often exaggerate female gender signifiers and gender roles for entertainment purposes. Historically, drag queens have usually been gay men, and part o ...

Hugo Battersby / Loco Chanelle in acclaimed musical ''

Everybody's Talking About Jamie ''Everybody's Talking About Jamie'' is a coming-of-age stage musical with music by Dan Gillespie Sells and book and lyrics by Tom MacRae. The musical is inspired by the 2011 British television documentary ''Jamie: Drag Queen at 16'' directed b ...

'' at the

Apollo Theatre The Apollo Theatre is a Grade II listed West End theatre, on Shaftesbury Avenue in the City of Westminster, in central London.

for a very limited run. In December 2020, it was revealed that Ward had undertaken work as a delivery driver for

Tesco Tesco plc () is a British multinational groceries and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Welwyn Garden City, England. In 2011 it was the third-largest retailer in the world measured by gross revenues and the ninth-largest in th ...

after several acting jobs he had scheduled were cancelled due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

Filmography

References

External links

* 1967 births Living people English male soap opera actors Male actors from Newcastle upon Tyne {{England-actor-stub