Tim Healy
Healy in 2007
Born	Timothy Malcolm Healy (1952-01-29)29 January 1952 (age 73) Newcastle upon Tyne, England
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1976–2023
Spouses	Denise Welch ​ ​ (m. 1988; div. 2012)​ Joan Anderton ​ ​ (m. 2015)​
Children	2, includingMatty Healy

Timothy Malcolm Healy (born 29 January 1952) is an English actor. He playedDennis Patterson in the comedy-drama seriesAuf Wiedersehen, Pet (1983–2004),Lesley Conroy in the sitcomBenidorm (2009–2018), and Gastric in the comedy seriesStill Open All Hours (2014–2019).^[1]

Timothy Malcolm Healy was born in theBenwell area ofNewcastle upon Tyne on 29 January 1952, the son of Sadie (née Wilson) and Timothy Malcolm Healy Sr.^[2]

He grew up inOuston, County Durham, west ofBirtley, Tyne and Wear, in formerChester-le-Street (district).^[3] He attendedPelton Secondary Modern School inPelton, County Durham.

He worked as awelder in a factory and joined theBritish Army, serving part-time in the4th Battalion, Parachute Regiment.^{[citation needed]} In 1973 he successfully responded to an advert for the Northern Arts School, obtaining a student grant and moving into acting. He was an early member of theLive Theatre Company, a touring company that put on drama productions in community halls andworking men's clubs.^[4]

In 1982, Healy appeared inA Captain's Tale, depicting the triumph ofWest Auckland F.C. in theSir Thomas Lipton Cup. In 1983, Healy was brought to public attention for his role inAuf Wiedersehen, Pet a TV comedy drama series about British builders working in Germany.

In 1984 Healy appeared in theMinder episode "A Star is Gorn", in which he played George, an enforcer for Cyril Ash, a crooked music agent.

During the mid-1980s, Healy played Barney Bodger, the blundering handyman in theChildren's ITV seriesTickle on the Tum, becoming a favourite with young viewers.

In the early-1990s, he appeared as a cockney ex-pat in the BBC seriesBoys From The Bush and played abinman inCommon as Muck. In 1994, he appeared in one episode of the fourth series of Heartbeat, he played Cedric Shanks. In 2001, Healy appeared in the surrealBBC situation comedyBreeze Block, playing the head of a strange family. Healy had high hopes for the series, but was reportedly upset when it was only screened on the digital channelBBC Choice (later relaunched asBBC Three) and never broadcast onBBC One orBBC Two. He starred as afolk musician in the first episode of comedy series,Phoenix Nights. His band, "Half a Shilling", sang a song called "Send the Buggers Back", supposedly about a pair ofHoly Communion shoes, butclearly intended as a racist anthem. He played Jackie Elliot in the West End musicalBilly Elliot.

Healy appeared in the filmPurely Belter as the abusive father of delinquent teenager Gerry and appeared inCoronation Street as Paul Jones, the father of barmanSean Tully. Healy previously appeared on the show in 1976 as abingo caller. In 2002, Healy appeared as DS Philip Carter in an episode ofSilent Witness. 2003, Healy appeared as Inspector Colin Duggan in an episode of the BBC dramaMurder in Mind. In 2009, Healy appeared in the BBC dramaWaterloo Road as a Security Guard, Dave Miller, a love interest forSteph Haydock, played by his wife at the time,Denise Welch. In 2013, Healy appeared as Eric in the Sky Living SitcomThe Spa for one series.

When Healy's ex wife, Denise Welch, was a guest onThe Paul O'Grady Show, an apparently aged man came on the show to talk about a subject. He sounded unwell while Welch was speaking, and to her and everyone's surprise, he revealed himself to be Healy. Healy starred in the third series of the ITV comedyBenidorm playing across dresser called Lesley. He later became a regular in the fourth series in 2011.

Healy has also had a role inVic Reeves andBob Mortimer's showCatterick as a helpful man with a chronically cold wife. In November 2013, he filmed a cameo in the first episode of the second series of the BBC sitcomHebburn.^[5]

In September 2009, Healy became the voice of The Greener Company – a wood-burning stove company based in Lymm, Cheshire. Working in conjunction with The Greener Company andSmooth FM, Healy plays the role of David – The Wood-Burning Stove fitter for The Greener Company. David is a character in a series of radio commercials used to promote the company.^{[citation needed]}

He played Gastric inStill Open All Hours (2014–2019).

Healy married actressDenise Welch in 1988.^[6] They had two sons before divorcing in 2012; their older son,Matty, is the lead singer of the bandThe 1975.

Healy married Joan Anderton in 2015.^[7]

He is an avid supporter ofNewcastle United FC.

Healy often shows support for the children's charity,Children North East, which is based in Newcastle, by making appearances at events and showing support at their community-based projects. The charity raise funds for youth projects, such as WEYES project, in the west end area where Healy grew up.

He co-founded the Sammy Johnson Memorial Fund, established to support young talent in North East England. He hosts the biennialSunday for Sammy concerts in aid of the fund.^[8]

Wikimedia Commons has media related toTim Healy.

• Tim Healy atIMDb
• Voice of Wood Burning Stoves^{[permanent dead link]}
• www.sitcom.co.uk: Boys from the Bush

• 1952 births
• Living people
• Male actors from Newcastle upon Tyne
• English male film actors
• English male television actors
• English male musical theatre actors
• English male voice actors
• People from Pelton, County Durham
• 20th-century English male actors
• 21st-century English male actors

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