Kevin Howarth, a renowned British actor, was born in Keresley, a village and civil parish within the city of Coventry, Warwickshire, England, to his mother Betty Jeanetta Smith (née Gridley) and father Peter William Walton Smith.
As the youngest of six children, Kevin's life took a devastating turn when his mother passed away from cancer at the tender age of one, leaving him and his five older siblings to be raised by their paternal grandmother, Ada Smith (née Medforth),while their father worked permanent night shifts as an engineer at the prestigious Jaguar Cars factory.
Kevin's early years were marked by the influence of his grandmother, who played a significant role in his upbringing. He attended Hill Farm Primary Schools in Coventry, where he first discovered his passion for acting at the age of six, playing a Chinaman in a school production. This marked the beginning of a lifelong journey in the world of acting, with many more school productions following.
As he grew older, Kevin continued his education at President Kennedy Comprehensive School, but he felt constrained by the uninspiring curriculum and found solace outside of school hours in the Air (Cadet) Training Corps (ATC),where he excelled in all aspects of their training, sports, and rigorous outdoor pursuits. This experience had a profound impact on him, leading him to seriously consider joining the military, but ultimately, his father discouraged the idea and instead guided him towards studying mechanical engineering and technology as an apprentice at Jaguar Cars.
After completing his apprenticeship and feeling disillusioned, Kevin took the opportunity of voluntary redundancy and began to explore new avenues. He spent several years drifting from job to job, traveling, and "partaking in much revelry" until he found himself based and working in Stratford-upon-Avon.
It was during this period that a defining moment at the Royal Shakespeare Company's Swan Theatre sparked his passion for acting, and he was offered a scholarship and a place at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art in London, just six months later.
Throughout his career, Kevin has been known for playing complex and dangerous leading roles, including Max, the "smooth talking psychopath", in The Last Horror Movie (2003); Peter, the mentally disturbed drifter in Summer Scars (2007); and Viktor, the brutal and calculating brothel keeper in The Seasoning House (2012).
