Anne Kirkbride | |
|---|---|
 Kirkbride in 2012 | |
| Born | (1954-06-21)21 June 1954 Oldham,Lancashire, England |
| Died | 19 January 2015(2015-01-19) (aged 60) Manchester, England |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1971–2014 |
| Known for | Role ofDeirdre Barlow inCoronation Street |
| Spouse | |
| Father | Jack Kirkbride |
Anne Kirkbride (21 June 1954 – 19 January 2015) was an English actress, best known for her long-running role asDeirdre Barlow in theITV soapCoronation Street, which she played for 42 years from 1972 to 2014. For this role, she posthumously received theOutstanding Achievement Award at the2015 British Soap Awards.
She was born inOldham,Lancashire,[1] the daughter ofJack Kirkbride, a cartoonist for theOldham Evening Chronicle.[1] She attendedCounthill Grammar School, Oldham, and then joined Oldham Repertory Theatre as an assistant stage manager, before progressing to acting roles.[2]
Kirkbride was noticed by casting directors for the Britishsoap operaCoronation Street when she acted in aJack Rosenthal play,Another Sunday and Sweet F.A. (1972), forGranada Television. She played thebit part of Deirdre Hunt inCoronation Street from November 1972. The character's role grew and after further appearances in 1973, Kirkbride signed a contract with theserial in 1974. From then on, the character of Deirdre Langton, later Barlow became known for her very large spectacles and her husky voice (a result of Kirkbride's own chain smoking).[1]
On 29 September 2014, it was announced Kirkbride would have a three-month break from the show[3] and prior to her death, she had filmed no official last scenes, making her final scenes the ones aired on 8 October 2014 with her character's absence in the soap being explained as staying with a friend until July 2015, when the death of her character Deirdre was announced byBev Unwin (Susie Blake) returning to tellKen andTracy that she died on the day of her 60th birthday party and homecoming. At the2015 British Soap Awards, she posthumously received theOutstanding Achievement award, which was accepted by her husband.[4]
Kirkbride was the subject ofThis Is Your Life in 1998, when she was surprised byMichael Aspel on the set ofCoronation Street.[5]
In 2012, Kirkbride completed a documentary entitledDeirdre & Me, a 60-minute special to celebrate her 40th year of playing Deirdre. She also completed a documentary in 2001 also entitledDeirdre & Me. Her late father Jack Kirkbride also gave an interview in the documentary in 2001.
In 2007, Kirkbride starred in the first episode ofYou Don't Know You're Born, agenealogy documentary onITV1. It was revealed she had Irish ancestry in Gort, County Galway.
In October 1983 Kirkbride was fined £250 and ordered to pay £25 costs for cannabis possession.[6] Kirkbride married former actor David Beckett on 24 June 1992 at Holy Trinity Church,Dobcross.[7] They met on the set ofCoronation Street, when Beckett joined the cast as her character Deirdre's boyfriend.[8] She was a lifelong heavy smoker.[9][10]
In 1993, Kirkbride was diagnosed withnon-Hodgkin's lymphoma. She spoke to the British press about her bout of depression following the diagnosis. She was cured within a year of being diagnosed.[11]
Kirkbride died at a Manchester hospital on 19 January 2015, aged 60, ofbreast cancer, which had metastasised to her brain.[12][13][14] Her funeral was held on 27 January 2015 in a private ceremony.William Roache,Beverley Callard,Kate Ford and former co-starJohnny Briggs were in attendance.
At the20th National Television Awards, held two days after Kirkbride's death, her on-screen partner and close friend fromCoronation Street, William Roache, paid tribute to Kirkbride during the ceremony. The actorAdam Woodyatt dedicated theBest British Soap awardEastEnders won to Kirkbride, referring to her as "theWeatherfield One",[15] referencing theCoronation Street storyline which saw Deirdre wrongly imprisoned forfraud.[16]
A public memorial service for Kirkbride was held atManchester Cathedral on 30 May 2015.[17]
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