Bill Waddington
| Bill Waddington | |
|---|---|
 Bill Waddington as Percy Sugden in Coronation Street | |
| Born |
William Joseph Waddington 10 June 1916 Oldham, Lancashire, England |
| Died |
9 September 2000 (aged 84) Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England |
| Spouse(s) |
Evelyn Gladys Case (1940-1947; divorced) Lilian Waddington (1947-1980; her death) (2 children) Irene Beaumont (1982-??; divorced) Sheila Torr (1995-2000; his death) |
William Joseph Waddington (10 June 1916 – 9 September 2000), was an English music hall performer and comedian who was born in Oldham, Lancashire. In later life he achieved stardom as the pompous ex serviceman Percy Sugden in Granada Television's long-running soap opera, Coronation Street.
Biography
Waddington was born at Oldham on 10 June 1916, the son of a builder. He played the ukulele and became a member of a group called the Blue Pencils, recruited to entertain forces during the Second World War.
After the war "Waddy" became a comedian, often appearing on the same bill as Jill Summers, who would eventually play Phyllis Pearce, Percy Sugden's foil in Granada TV's Coronation Street. In 1955 Bill was chosen for the Royal Variety Performance, and when American stars such as Frankie Laine, Lena Horne, Billy Daniels and Dorothy Lamour toured Britain, he was the opening comedian in their shows. His agent was Lew Grade.
Waddington appeared in more than 800 variety and comedy programmes on radio, and made his mark on television, starring with Margaret Lockwood as early as 1946. In the 1970s he enjoyed a stage partnership with Sid James, only ended by James's death in 1976.
He appeared as a magician in Victoria Wood's first play Talent for Granada Television in 1979.
Bill played his best known role of cantankerous pensioner Percy Sugden on Coronation Street from August 1983 until quitting the serial in October 1997. He had previously appeared in a single episode in June 1978 as Eric Summers and later played the minor role of Arnold Swain's best man George Turner in three episodes of the series during 1980.
Music
In 1995, he released a cover of "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" along with the rest of the Coronation Street cast, the single reaching No. 35 on the UK Singles Chart.
Personal life and death
In later life, Waddington became brother-in-law to the Chuckle Brothers when he married their sister Sheila. He died at Rotherham General Hospital on the morning of 9 September 2000 at the age of 84 after a fifty-year acting career. He had been suffering from Parkinson's disease and had two daughters. Waddington is buried at St. Peter's graveyard, Bradfield Green, near Crewe.
TV Credits
- A Family at War (1970) - Ted Fiddler
- Coronation Street (1978-1997) - Percy Sugden / George Turner / Eric Summers
Bibliography
External links