John Middleton (born "Richard F. J. Cooper" on 7th September 1953 in Bradford) appeared on Coronation Street in two roles: firstly between February and March 1993 as John Hargreaves, who knocked down and killed Lisa Duckworth; and he returned to the programme between May and June 1995 as Mr Mitchell, the surgeon at Weatherfield General who conducted a kidney transplant operation on Tracy Barlow from the recently deceased donor, Samir Rachid.
He also appeared as Coronation Street creator, Tony Warren, in the ITV drama The Things You Do for Love: Against the Odds.
He trained at the E15 acting school in Essex.
Best known for his role as vicar Ashley Thomas in Emmerdale from 1996 to 2018, his other credits include roles in The Shadow of the Noose, Prime Suspect 3, Medics, Heartbeat, The Gambling Man, EastEnders, The Grand and Doctors, along with the 1995 film Eden Valley.
