Bryan Mosley
| Bryan Mosley | |
|---|---|
| Born |
25 August 1931 Leeds, West Riding of Yorkshire, England |
| Died |
9 February 1999 (aged 67) Shipley, West Yorkshire, England[1] |
| Education | Leeds Central High School |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1960–1999 |
| Spouse(s) |
Norma Bowes (m. 1956–99) (his death) |
| Children | 3 daughters, 3 sons |
Bryan Mosley OBE (25 August 1931 – 9 February 1999) was a British actor, known best as grocer Alf Roberts in the long-running ITV soap opera Coronation Street.
Early life
Born in Leeds, West Riding of Yorkshire, he attended Leeds Central High School and held a childhood ambition to become a missionary. Instead he won a scholarship to Leeds College of Art (1944–46) and afterwards worked as a commercial artist. He also worked in a bookshop and sold books door-to-door.[2]
After national service in the RAF, working in air traffic control, he trained as an actor at the Bradford Civic Theatre and Esme Church's Northern Theatre School.
Coronation Street
He appeared in Coronation Street in 1961 and 1963, then from 1971 onwards. His appearances in the soap opera became less frequent following a serious heart attack in 1991. Alf Roberts made his last appearance on New Year's Day 1999 dying peacefully on screen in his sleep. Mosley died just weeks later of a heart attack in Shipley, West Yorkshire aged 67.
As part of the show's 40th anniversary celebrations, heritage plaques were unveiled outside the Granada Studios in 2000 to four of the soap opera's stars, including Mosley. The other plaques commemorated the lives of Doris Speed, Pat Phoenix and Violet Carson.[3]
Other notable roles
Mosley made his screen debut in A Kind of Loving (1962). He also appeared in Get Carter (1971) playing local gangster Cliff Brumby. He is famously killed by Jack Carter (Michael Caine) who beats him up and throws him from the roof of the infamous Trinity Square multi-storey car park in Gateshead, after discovering Brumby's involvement in his brother's death. He also starred in two stories in the series Doctor Who in 1965 and 1966 and made two appearances in The Avengers. Mosley also had a small role as the pub landlord in Queenie's Castle.
Selected filmography
- A Kind of Loving (1962)
- Billy Liar (1963)
- Rattle of a Simple Man (1964)
- Up Jumped a Swagman (1965)
- Where the Bullets Fly (1966)
- Charlie Bubbles (1967)
- Far from the Madding Crowd (1967)
- Spring and Port Wine (1970)
- Get Carter (1971)
Fight arranger
He was also a fencer and a stage and film fight arranger. He fenced with Terence Stamp in the film Far from the Madding Crowd. He was a founder member of the Society of British Fight Directors and he arranged the Get Carter fight with Caine.
Bryan Mosley was sometimes credited as Buddy Windrush.
Personal life
Bryan married childhood sweetheart Norma in 1956. They have six children: Jaquline, Simone, Helen, Jonathan, Bernard and Leonard, four work in the theatre. He was also survived by six grandchildren.
References
- ↑ Hayward, Anthony (11 February 1999). "Obituary: Bryan Mosley". The Independent (London).
- ↑ Anthony Hayward (11 February 1999). "Obituary: Bryan Mosley". London: The Independent. Retrieved 29 August 2010.
- ↑ "Former Corrie stars remembered". BBC News. 24 October 2000. Retrieved 29 August 2010.
External links
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