Peter Armitage (actor)
Peter Armitage (born October 23, 1939 in Skipton - † November 30, 2018 ) was a British actor . He gained particular fame through his role Bill Webster in the television series Coronation Street , which he impersonated in almost 400 episodes.
Life
Armitage had a difficult childhood. His single mother had varying relationships and therefore often left him with his aunt. This only changed when she married again. He didn't meet his biological father, a German, until he was 28. He attended a Secondary Modern School in Glusburn and then completed an apprenticeship in a company that manufactured diesel engines. He then joined the merchant marine in 1960 and toured the world for the next four years. In 1964 he settled in London and worked as a construction worker ( banksman ) working on the Victoria Line tunnel . It was around this time that he discovered his interest in acting when he saw and joined an amateur theater group in a folk club. He later took acting classes at East 15 Acting School in Essex and performed at the Sheffield Repertory Theater.
He got his first role on television in 1970 when he appeared in the pilot episode of The Befrienders . When that series got a season in 1972, Armitage resumed his role. He managed to distinguish himself as a character actor, which earned him many occupations as a soldier or police officer. In 1975 he played in Days of Hope . 1976 followed appearances in the film Grease Monkey and in the television series Lucky Feller . The next year he was first seen in the television series Coronation Street. He also played from 1977 to 1979 at the Royal National Theater under the direction of Bill Bryden .
Frustrated with the development of his acting career, Armitage left his wife, actress Annabel Scase, who he married in 1970, in 1980, and emigrated to Australia . During his two-year hiatus, he kept afloat as a street musician in Sydney . With the money he saved, he bought a used motorcycle and traveled the country. Back in the UK, he starred again in the 1984 television series Coronation Street, but this time in the role of Bill Webster . After a few months, however, he dropped out of the television series and his character was written out of the series by emigrating to Germany. From 1995 to 1997 and from 2006 to 2011, Armitage played the role of Bill Webster again in Coronation Street.
After retiring from Coronation Street in the 1980s, he had guest roles on several popular television series. In 1992 he played one of the lead roles in the police drama Sam Saturday .
On November 30, 2018, Armitage died of a myocardial infarction . From his divorced marriage he had two children, a son and a daughter.
Filmography (selection)
- 1970: The Befrienders (film)
- 1971: Justice (TV series, 1 episode)
- 1972: The Befrienders (TV series, 11 episodes)
- 1972: The Pathfinders (TV series, 1 episode)
- 1974: They Disappear When You Lie Down
- 1975: The Foxes (Original title: The Sweeney ) (TV series, 1 episode)
- 1975: Days of Hope - 1916: Joining Up
- 1976: Couples (TV series, 9 episodes)
- 1976: Grease Monkey
- 1976: Lucky Feller (TV series, 11 episodes)
- 1977: Coronation Street (TV series, 2 episodes)
- 1978: Die Profis (Original title: The Professionals ) (TV series, 1 episode)
- 1984–1985, 1995–1997, 2006–2011: Coronation Street (TV series, 391 episodes)
- 1988: Jack the Ripper - The London Monster
- 1992: Sam Saturday (TV series, 6 episodes)
- 1993: Mr. Wroe's Virgins (TV series, 1 episode)
- 1993: Medics (TV series, 1 episode)
- 1993: The Bill (TV series, 1 episode)
- 1993: Harry (TV series, 1 episode)
- 1993: The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones (TV series, 1 episode)
- 1994: Peak Practice (TV series, 1 episode)
- 1994: Chandler & Co (TV series, 1 episode)
- 1995: Hearts and Minds (TV series, 4 episodes)
- 1995: The Vet (TV series, 2 episodes)
- 1996: Circles of Deceit: Sleeping Dogs
- 2001: The B-Team: Restricted and on probation (Original title: The Parole Officer )
- 2002: Holby City (TV series, 1 episode)
- 2002: Fat Friends (TV series, 1 episode)
- 2003: The Second Coming
- 2013: Doctors (TV series, 1 episode)
Web links
- Peter Armitage obituary , December 6, 2018, The Guardian
- Peter Armitage in the Internet Movie Database (English)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Armitage, Peter |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | British actor |
| DATE OF BIRTH | October 23, 1939 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Skipton |
| DATE OF DEATH | November 30, 2018 |