Biography
William Roache, also credited as Bill Roache, is an English actor. He has played Ken Barlow in the ITV soap opera Coronation Street continuously since the series began on 9 December 1960.
Born on 25 April 1932 in Basford, Nottinghamshire, Roache served as a captain in the Royal Welch Fusiliers before entering acting in the late 1950s. He appeared in minor film and television roles and was cast as Ken Barlow after being spotted performing in a Granada Television play.
Roache is the longest-serving cast member of Coronation Street and holds the Guinness World Record for the longest-serving television star in a continuous role. He has also received an MBE and an OBE.
