Geoffrey Hughes (actor)
Geoffrey William Hughes DL (2 February 1944 – 27 July 2012) was an English actor. Hughes provided the voice of Paul McCartney in the animated film Yellow Submarine (1968), and rose to fame for portraying much-loved bin man Eddie Yeats in the long-running British soap opera Coronation Street from 1974 to 1983, making a return to the show in 1987. He is well known for playing loveable slob Onslow in the British sitcom Keeping Up Appearances (1990–1995); and 'Twiggy' in the sitcom The Royle Family, playing the part from 1998 to 2008.
Geoffrey Hughes | |
|---|---|
Hughes as he appeared in Heartbeat | |
| Born | Geoffrey William Hughes 2 February 1944 Wallasey, Cheshire, England |
| Died | 27 July 2012 (aged 68) Isle of Wight, England |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1964–2010 |
| Spouse |
Susan Mundell (m. 1975) |
From 2001 to 2005 he played Vernon Scripps, conman and loveable rogue, in the ITV police drama Heartbeat, taking over as the show's main loveable rogue from Bill Maynard's Claude Greengrass, and returning to the show briefly in 2007.
Hughes was diagnosed with prostate cancer in the 1990s and in 2010 he suffered a relapse which led him to retire from acting. He died from the illness, aged 68, in 2012.