Arthur Leslie
 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification.(January 2008) |
Arthur Leslie | |
|---|---|
| Born | Arthur Leslie Scottorn Broughton 8 December 1899 Newark-on-Trent,Nottinghamshire,England |
| Died | 30 June 1970(aged 70) |
| Occupation(s) | Actor,playwright |
| Years active | 1916–1970 |
| Spouse | Betty Powell (m. 1925) |
| Children | 1 |
Arthur Leslie Scottorn Broughton(8 December 1899 – 30 June 1970), better known asArthur Leslie,was a Britishactorandplaywright,best known for original character ofpublic houselandlordJack Walkerin television soapCoronation Street.[2]
Early life
[edit]Leslie was born inNewark-on-Trent,Nottinghamshire,but moved toLancashireat an early age. DuringWorld War I,he served on board variousconvoysin the north of theAtlantic Ocean.
Career
[edit]His first job was in 1916 at the Old Queen's Theatre inFarnworth,and he also had a spell as actor-director at the Hippodrome theatre inWigan. Leslie's best known role is asJack Walker,genial landlord of theRovers Return Innin television soapCoronation Street.Jack ran the pub alongside his wifeAnnie(played byDoris Speed). The Walkers were extremely popular characters, and both Leslie and Speed were much liked and respected by fellow cast members. Jack appeared in the show from the second episode on 14 December 1960 until his last appearance on 24 June 1970. In addition to acting, Leslie was also aplaywright,and wrote under the name "Arthur S. Broughton".[3]One such play,Welcome Little Stranger,enjoyed success in repertory theatre.
Death
[edit]On 30 June 1970, six days after his last appearance onCoronation Street,Leslie died suddenly of a heart attack whilst on holiday inCardigan,Wales.His character, Jack Walker, was the first character to be written out of the soap following the death of the actor who played them, by means that he suffered the same fate. Out of respect for Leslie's family, Jack's funeral took place off-screen, and his death (unlike those of future characters who were written out for the same reason) was presented as a known fact to the main characters from the beginning of the episode broadcast on 8 July 1970, and did not dominate the storyline.Doris Speedconsidered leaving the programme as well, but was persuaded to stay, which she did until 1983. Leslie is buried in the churchyard ofSt Stephen on-the-CliffsinBlackpool.He was survived by his wife of 45 years, Betty Powell, and their son, actor Tony Broughton, who would go on to appear in several episodes ofCoronation Street.[4]
References
[edit]- ^"Corrie Originals - Arthur Leslie as Jack Walker".Coronation Street Blog. 18 June 2012.Retrieved30 May2014.
- ^"Coronation Street[01/12/1969] (1969)".BFI.Archived fromthe originalon 5 March 2021.Retrieved2 October2022.
- ^"Nostalgia: Cherished Coronation Street actor left lasting impression".InYourArea.co.uk.3 February 2022.Retrieved2 October2022.
- ^Hogan, Michael (5 July 2020)."When the tears are real: how TV shows say goodbye when one of their actors dies".The Telegraph.ISSN0307-1235.Retrieved2 October2022.
External links
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