William Joseph "Bill" Waddington was born on June 10, 1916, in Oldham, Lancashire, England, to a builder. He began his career in the entertainment industry during World War II, playing the ukulele and becoming a member of a group called the Blue Pencils, which entertained forces abroad.
After the war, Waddington transitioned to a career in comedy, often sharing the bill with Jill Summers, who would later play Phyllis Pearce in Coronation Street. In 1955, he was chosen to perform at the Royal Variety Performance, and when American stars such as Frankie Laine, Lena Horne, Billy Daniels, and Dorothy Lamour toured Britain, he was the opening comedian in their shows.
Throughout his career, Waddington appeared in over 800 variety and comedy programs on radio and television, starring alongside notable actresses such as Margaret Lockwood. In the 1970s, he formed a successful stage partnership with Sid James, which was only cut short by James's death in 1976.
Waddington also made appearances in various television shows, including Victoria Wood's first play, Talent, in 1979, where he played a magician. In 1995, he released a cover of "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" with the rest of the Coronation Street cast, which reached number 35 on the UK Singles Chart.
Waddington is perhaps best known for his role as cantankerous pensioner Percy Sugden on Coronation Street, a character he played from August 1983 until his departure from the show in October 1997. In his personal life, Waddington married Sheila, the sister of the Chuckle Brothers, and had two daughters. He died on September 9, 2000, at the age of 84, after a 50-year acting career, due to complications from Parkinson's disease.
