Peter Armitage (actor)

Peter James Armitage MBE (23 October 1939 – 30 November 2018)[1][2] was an English television and stage actor best known for his role as Bill Webster on long-running soap opera Coronation Street.[3] He was a regular on British screens from the 1970s onwards.

Peter Armitage

MBE
Born
Peter James Armitage

(1939-10-23)23 October 1939
Skipton, West Riding of Yorkshire, England
Died30 November 2018(2018-11-30) (aged 79)
Cononley, North Yorkshire, England
NationalityBritish
OccupationActor
Years active1969–2018
Spouse(s)Annabel Scase (1970-?; divorced)
Children2

Early life

Armitage was born out of wedlock in Skipton, West Riding of Yorkshire, where he was brought up primarily by his aunt until the age of 10, when his mother married.[4] He did not meet his father, who was German, until he was 28, and the two did not form a long-term relationship. Armitage attended Glusburn secondary modern school, then was apprenticed to a firm building diesel engines for five years. He subsequently spent a further four years in the Merchant Navy before settling in London, where he worked as a banksman on the construction of the Victoria line. He then trained as an actor at the East 15 Acting School in Loughton, Essex.[1]

Career

Armitage had three spells as the character Bill Webster on Coronation Street, appearing in the role in 1984–1985 (for six months), then from 1995 to 1997 and again from 2006 to 2011. He had previously appeared as a different character playing a painter and decorator in two episodes in 1977. In 2014 Armitage stated in an interview that he hoped to return to the series after successfully battling bowel cancer.[5][6]

His other TV credits include The Befrienders, Couples, Jack the Ripper and Hearts and Minds. He also appeared in Lucky Feller, a short-lived sitcom starring David Jason.[7] In 1998, played Danny Ormondroyd in a stage adaptation of the film Brassed Off at the Sheffield Crucible and London’s Olivier Theatre.[1]

Personal life

Armitage married actress Annabel Scase in 1970; the couple had two children, Daniel and Sally, and later divorced.[1]

Armitage lived in Cross Hills, North Yorkshire[8] and subsequently in Cononley near Skipton.[9] He was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2011 Queen’s Birthday Honours for services to amateur theatre in Yorkshire.

Armitage died of a heart attack on 30 November 2018, aged 79. He was survived by his children.[1][10]

References
  1. Hayward, Anthony (6 December 2018). "Peter Armitage obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 December 2018.
  2. "Coronation Street actor Peter Armitage dies age 78". Bbc.co.uk. 5 December 2018. Retrieved 5 December 2018.
  3. "East 15 notable alumni". East15.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 29 June 2015. Retrieved 5 December 2018.
  4. Witherow, John, ed. (1 January 2019). "Peter Armitage:Obituary". The Times (72732). p. 44. ISSN 0140-0460.
  5. "'Corrie' Star Wants Soap Return After Beating Cancer". HuffPost UK. 27 February 2014. Retrieved 5 December 2018.
  6. Earp, Catherine (26 February 2014). "Corrie star beats cancer, wants return". Digital Spy. Retrieved 5 December 2018.
  7. Hildred, Stafford; Ewbank, Tim (3 September 2012). Sir David Jason - A Life of Laughter. John Blake Publishing. ISBN 9781782190721. Retrieved 5 December 2018 – via Google Books.
  8. "Cross Hills, North Yorkshire has plenty to trumpet about". Yorkshire Life. Retrieved 5 December 2018.
  9. Crawford, Sue (26 February 2014). "Corrie Bill Webster has beaten cancer and wants to get on the cobbles". Mirror.co.uk. Retrieved 5 December 2018.
  10. "Peter Armitage dead: Coronation Street star who played Bill Webster dies aged 78". Mirror.co.uk. 5 December 2018. Retrieved 5 December 2018.
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