Beverley Callard
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| Beverley Callard | |
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| Born | Beverley Jane Moxton March 28, 1957 Leeds, England |
Beverley Callard (born March 28, 1957 in Leeds) [1] is an English actress, best known for her role as Liz McDonald in ITV's Coronation Street, and Floella Henshaw in BBC Three's Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps.
[edit] Career
Beverley Jane Moxon was born in Leeds on March 28, 1957 to Clive and Mavis Moxon. Clive was a baker and Mavis was a concert pianist. She has a younger sister called Stephanie.
She attended Elmfield and Peel Street schools in Morley, Leeds.
At the age of seven, Bev made her acting debut as Darius the page boy. After leaving school in 1973, she took a job as a shorthand typist. She later turned to acting and appeared on stage as Jaqui Coryton in Noel Coward's Hay Fever, Liz and Rita in Billy Liar and The Wicked Queen in Snow White.
Bev made her television debut (as Beverley Sowden) in the Yorkshire Television soap Emmerdale Farm as Angie Richards in 1983. The following year Bev played Gail and Brian Tilsley's friend June Dewhurst in Coronation Street. Other roles followed including parts in Hinge & Bracket: Dear Ladies, Hells Bells, Will You Love Me Tomorrow and The Practice.
In 1989, Bev agreed to return to Coronation Street in a new and more significant role - that of Liz McDonald. She joined Charles Lawson, Nicholas Cochrane and Simon Gregson, who played the other members of the McDonald family. Callard's first appearance in the role was aired on 27 October 1989.
Bev's character of Liz McDonald has since had to endure being a battered wife, a kidnap victim, harassed mother and unfaithful wife. Almost 20 years after her first appearance, she is still a regular character in the show, although she did take a break (with a few brief re-appearances between) during the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Bev left Coronation Street in November 1998 to concentrate on her other career as an aerobics instructor and to spend more time with her family. She has released books and exercise videos called Real Results, Rapid Results, Ultimate Results and Lasting Results. She also appeared on GMTV and This Morning and has had a fitness page in the Daily Mirror. In 2001 Beverley was cast as Flo Henshaw in the BBC Three sitcom Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps and continued in the role for 4 years. During this time she also guested on Sky One's Mile High. In 2003 she returned to Coronation Street and now provides much comic relief as the long suffering mother of Steve McDonald and friend to Deirdre Barlow.
[edit] Personal life
Beverley married her first husband, journalist Paul Atkinson at Dewsbury Register Office, Leeds, on 19 January 1974. The couple thought she was expecting a child but it turned out that she was not. Their daughter Rebecca Callard was born in 1976 but the couple later divorced. Bev then married teacher David Sowden in 1980 but after this marriage fell apart she lived with warehouse worker Steven Callard. Bev fell pregnant in 1989 and the couple married. Their son, Joshua was born in 1990. Steven and Bev separated briefly in 1997 after his alleged affair with a shop assistant. Bev was involved in a car crash at 60mph in 1997 and was lucky to escape with just bruises and whiplash. Daughter Rebecca has had television success in shows such as The Borrowers and The Grand. Bev has also appeared with Rebecca in The Booktower and Screen Two's Will You Love Me Tomorrow. Rebecca has been married to Gideon Turner since 24 July 2001 and they have a son called Sonny who was born 2 weeks premature.
Beverley now lives with her partner, Jon McEwan, in Eccles, Salford, with her son Josh and Jon's son Ben. They also own a pub in the town, The White Horse and restaurant M30.
