Peter Dudley
Peter Dudley | |
---|---|
Born | Manchester, England | 21 June 1935
Died | 20 October 1983 Salford, England | (aged 48)
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1960s–1983 |
Peter Dudley (21 June 1935 – 20 October 1983) was an
Early life and career
As a child, Dudley harboured a desire to become an actor, but after leaving school, he began his working life as a doffer in a local mill—but this job lasted only two days. He then took a job in a grocer's shop before he joined the Bolton Hippodrome where he stayed for six months. He then worked as a window dresser and a salesman before doing his national service with the army.
After leaving the army, Dudley returned to acting with the Oldham Repertory Company and at the University Theatre in Manchester. He also became a leading actor with Manchester's Library Theatre Company. He made his first appearances on Coronation Street in the late 1960s, first playing a waiter and later a delivery man. He appeared in a small part as a lorry driver in the film
Court case and decline in health
Dudley was openly gay to the cast and crew of Coronation Street. In 1981, he was observed exposing himself to another man in a public toilet in
Dudley spent time in physiotherapy but wanted to continue to act in Coronation Street, so a storyline of Bert being injured in a compressor explosion in Brian's garage was devised. Although his disabilities were largely hidden, it was clear the actor was unwell. Dudley was then written out of the show in mid 1983 so that he could prepare for his pending retrial, but before the second trial was heard, he suffered two heart attacks and a further stroke. He died on 20 October 1983 in Salford Royal Hospital,[1] at the age of 48. He was cremated at Blackley Crematorium, Manchester on 25 October 1983. Coincidentally, Dudley's co-star Lynne Perrie, who played his screen wife, was also briefly admitted to the same hospital after experiencing chest pains the day before he died. Later, upon learning of his death, she was said to be "devastated".[1] Co-star Eileen Derbyshire, who played Emily Bishop in the series, stated she would remember Dudley as "full of vitality, fun and laughter, despite his personal problems."[1]
References
External links
- Peter Dudley at IMDb