Kevin Kennedy (actor)

Kevin Kennedy
Born Kevin Patrick Williams
(1961-09-04) 4 September 1961
Wythenshawe, Manchester, Lancashire, England
Occupation Actor and musician
Years active 1983–present
Spouse(s) Claire Kennedy
Children 2

Kevin Kennedy (born Kevin Patrick Williams, 4 September 1961) is an English actor and musician, best known for playing the character Curly Watts for 20 years in ITV's long-running television soap opera Coronation Street.

Early life

Kennedy was born in Wythenshawe, Manchester, Lancashire. He attended St. Paul's Catholic High School and was a keen member of Manchester Youth Theatre. Kennedy later studied drama at Manchester Polytechnic.

Career

Kennedy was in the band the Paris Valentinos with Johnny Marr and Andy Rourke.[1]

Between 1983-2003, Kennedy played the character of Norman "Curly" Watts in the TV soapCoronation Street. Among other jobs, the character started as a paperboy, then became a dustman, and was later an assistant manager at a supermarket. The character had two marriages, producing two children; one from each wife. After a short break from acting whilst recovering from an alcohol addiction in 2000,[2] he released a single, Bulldog Nation, with his band the Bunch of Thieves, on the RCA Records label. The single peaked at #70 on the UK Singles Chart.[3]

He returned to Coronation Street a few months later, before being written out permanently in September 2003. In an interview in 2009, Kennedy said that he would consider a return to the show[4] and it was later confirmed that he would film scenes for its fiftieth anniversary DVD. However, more than a decade after his departure, he has yet to make a return.[5] Kennedy was the writer and producer of the 2005 television series Spanish Capers. A second series was recorded in 2006-07 for Sky Television plc.

In 2009, Kennedy played the part of ageing hippie "Pop" in the touring production of Ben Elton's We Will Rock You[6] before joining the cast of the West End London production in 2010. In 2015, Kennedy was asked to be involved with the launch of the world's third-largest cruise liner "Anthem of the Seas" appearing in a West End production of "We Will Rock You".

He also appeared in the 2009 "Scent from Heaven?" advert for Daz, as part of the company's "Cleaner Close" campaign.[7] In 2010, Kennedy, along with several other Coronation Street stars, contributed to Trisha Ward's album Rogues, Angels, Heroes and Fools, recorded for the fiftieth anniversary of the soap.[8] In 2017, he played Graham Ollerinshaw, a David Bowie tribute act, in an episode of the BBC's Holby City.

Personal life

Kennedy is married and has two children. A supporter of Manchester City, he serves as director of Kennedy St recovery services, a social enterprise, with his wife Clare, the Brighton-based organisation's CEO, offering free telephone advice, signposting to local recovery services, home-based detox, various recovery focused programs and a professional advice & coaching service to the business sector.[9]

Credits

Acting

Year(s) Title Role
1983 Dear Ladies Boy in photo booth
1983–03 Coronation Street Curly Watts
1984 Keep on Running Pete Bennett
2005–07 Spanish Capers Presenter
2006 Blue Murder Donny McAvoy
2006 Doctors Mick Carter
2010 Coronation Street: A Knights Tale Curly Watts
2017 Holby City Graham Ollerinshaw

Albums

Year(s) Title
2000 Bulldog Nation
2002 Present Kennedy
2010 Rogues, Heroes, Angels & Fools

References

  1. ↑ Johnny Maher fansite
  2. ↑ Blyth, Gavin (20 February 2000). "I was a washed-up alcoholic soap star until the day I started". Sunday Mirror. Archived from the original on 24 February 2011.
  3. ↑ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 299. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  4. ↑ Published Tuesday, Apr 14 2009, 19:46 BST (2009-04-14). "Kennedy: 'I'd like to return to Corrie' - Coronation Street News - Soaps". Digital Spy. Retrieved 2013-04-19.
  5. ↑ "Ken Morley and Kevin Kennedy to return to Coronation Street | Unreality TV". Primetime.unrealitytv.co.uk. 2 August 2010. Archived from the original on 1 October 2011. Retrieved 18 August 2011.
  6. ↑ "Get ready to go Ga Ga over We Will Rock You". Sunderland Echo. Retrieved 18 August 2011.
  7. ↑ "Sniffing out white lies and dirty laundry - in Cleaner Close". Dazwhite.co.uk. Archived from the original on 10 May 2013. Retrieved 2013-04-19.
  8. ↑ "Coronation Street - Rogues, Angels, Heroes and Fools - The Making of". YouTube. 2010-12-21. Retrieved 2013-04-19.
  9. ↑ "Kevin Kennedy". LinkedIn. Retrieved 18 April 2018.

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