James Garbutt (born 12th September 1925 in Houghton-le-Spring, Co. Durham; died 6th April 2020 in Kingston upon Thames, Surrey) appeared on Coronation Street in three roles:
- Football fan Johnny Lister in November 1970
- A drunk in October 1972
- Allotment secretary Wilf Gaskell in April and December 1996, with a return to the role in February and April 1997.
Formerly an RAF pilot during World War II and an art teacher in Newcastle before pursuing a career in acting, his other credits dating back to the late 1960s included television roles in The Borderers, Z Cars, Joe and the Gladiator, The Witch's Daughter, Full House, The Onedin Line, Woodstock, Doctor Who, The Stars Look Down, Bill Brand, When the Boat Comes In, Out of the Past, Prince Regent, Our John Willie, Juliet Bravo, Brookside, Ladies in Charge, Gems, The Franchise Affair, The Watch House, The Manageress, All Creatures Great and Small, Spender, Middlemarch, along with the films The Thirty Nine Steps, Superman and High Heels and Low Lifes.
On stage, he appeared in productions of Death of a Salesman, Close the Coalhouse Door, Henry IV, The Love Girl and the Innocent, Our Friends in the North and The Witch of Edmonton.
