Francis Patrick Grimes (born 9th March 1947 in Dublin, died 1st August 2025) appeared on Coronation Street intermittently between February 2008 and May 2015 as Barry Connor, patriarch of the Connor family.
He achieved his first major success as the young Brendan Behan in the 1967 stage adaptation of Behan's autobiography, Borstal Boy, at the Abbey Theatre. When the production moved to Broadway in 1970, he was nominated for a Tony Award for best actor. In the early 1970s, he moved to London where he was offered a part in a production of David Storey's play The Farm - the success of which established his reputation in British theatre.
His other television credits included roles in Stage 2, My Son, My Son, Strumpet City, Specials, Comics, The Bill, Dangerous Lady, Casualty, The Wingless Bird, Silent Witness, Holby City, Doctors, Father Brown and Mrs. Brown's Boys.
Film roles included Royal Flash, A Bridge Too Far, The Outsider, The Funhouse, Britannia Hospital, Give Us This Day, Crystalstone, The Whales of August, Dykket, War of the Buttons, When the Sky Falls and Anything for Love.
On stage, he appeared in productions including Veterans, The Illumination of Mr Shannon, John Gabriel Borkman, The Seagull, The Bed Before Yesterday, Hedda, Juno and the Paycock, The Cherry Orchard, Julius Caesar, Holiday, The March on Russia, The Beautiful Game and All That Fall.
While on the other side of the camera, he was credited as Field Producer on several documentaries and Segment Director on ten episodes of the TV series Ripley's Believe It or Not! between 2000 and 2003.
Roles in Coronation Street[]
