Bill Tarmey was an English actor, singer, and author, best known for his portrayal of Jack Duckworth in the long-running British soap opera Coronation Street. He first appeared in the role in November 1979 and continued to play it until his departure from the show in November 2010.
Born in Ardwick, Manchester, Lancashire, Tarmey moved with his family to Bradford, Manchester, where he was educated. After his father's death in World War II, his mother remarried, and Tarmey was apprenticed to his stepfather, an asphalt spreader. He later worked in the construction industry before pursuing a career in entertainment.
Tarmey began his career as a nightclub singer and entertainer, eventually landing a role as an extra on Coronation Street. Despite suffering a heart attack in 1976 and a stroke in 1977, he was offered the role of Jack Duckworth in 1983. Tarmey underwent quintuple bypass surgery in 1987 and had a pacemaker fitted after a second heart attack in 2002, which was incorporated into a storyline on the show.
In addition to his work on Coronation Street, Tarmey appeared in other television shows, including the Granada TV adaptation of King Lear, starring Laurence Olivier. He was also an accomplished singer, releasing several albums that charted in the UK.
Tarmey was the subject of This Is Your Life in 1992 and appeared on Lily Savage's Blankety Blank. He was a popular figure on Coronation Street, and his decision to retire in 2006 prompted an outpouring of support from fans. However, he returned to the show and remained until his departure in 2010, when his character died on screen.
Tarmey wrote an autobiography, Jack Duckworth and Me: My Life on the Street and Other Adventures, which was published in 2010. He was married to Ali, with whom he had two children, Carl and Sara. Despite his poor health, Tarmey continued to work and refused to quit smoking. He died in Tenerife on November 9, 2012, at the age of 71, exactly two years after his character's on-screen death.
