Gerald Hinks (born 7th July 1939 in Rugeley, Staffordshire; died 25th June 2021 in Stoke-on-Trent) appeared on Coronation Street in four roles:
- Property businessman Mr Bottomley in January 1997
- A man in a pub who Steve McDonald tried to sell some illicit tobacco to in June 1999
- Reverend Graham Broadbent of St. Christopher's Church, who officiated at the bigamous wedding of Peter Barlow and Shelley Unwin in July 2003, the wedding of Bev Unwin and Fred Elliott in October 2006 which was cancelled due to the groom’s sudden death and finally, Fred’s funeral a couple of weeks later.
- The vicar at the wedding of Ashley Peacock and Claire Casey in December 2004, the funeral of Mike Baldwin in April 2006, the wedding of Tyrone Dobbs and Molly Compton in January 2009 and the marriage blessing of Peter and Leanne Barlow in February 2011 (although it is possible that the Vicar and the Reverend Broadbent are supposed to be one and the same person).
He only became a professional actor in 1983 at the age of forty-eight after being made redundant from a career as an airline sales manager and being unable to find work in this field. Encouraged by his wife to turn professional after many years of amateur work, he formed his own theatre company to gain experience and credits and was then employed by the Dundee Repertory Company. Auditions for the BBC in Birmingham followed as well as other work for radio, stage and television. When deciding to become professional, he set himself three challenges: radio work on The Archers, television work on Coronation Street and a part in a West End play, the latter being achieved when he appeared at the Royal Haymarket in Lady Windermere’s Fan.
His other credits included roles in The Bill, Health and Efficiency, Backup, Dangerfield, Sunnyside Farm, The Cops, Dalziel and Pascoe, Emmerdale, In a Land of Plenty, Night & Day, Doctors, Barbara, No Angels, The Royal, Bad Girls and Hollyoaks, along with the films Dead Trees and Brokenhead.
On stage, he appeared in productions of Home at Seven, Hindle Wakes, Double Death and Rattle of a Simple Man.
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