Kevin whately actor biography
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Kevin Whately
English actor (born 1951)
Kevin WhatelyOBE (born 6 February 1951) is an English actor. He is best known for his roles as Neville "Nev" Hope in the comedy dramaAuf Wiedersehen, Pet; Robert "Robbie" Lewis in the British crime dramaInspector Morse (1987–2000) and Lewis (2006–2015); and Jack Kerruish in the drama series Peak Practice (1993–1995), although he has appeared in numerous other roles.
Early life
[edit]Whately is from Brampton, near Carlisle, Cumberland.[2] The family later moved to North Tynemouth when Kevin was 4 years old. His mother, Mary (née Pickering[3]), was a teacher and his father, Richard, was a Commander in the Royal Navy.[4] His maternal grandmother, Doris Phillips,[4] was a professional concert singer, his paternal grandfather, Herbert Whately, was Archdeacon of Ludlow, and his great-great-grandfather, Richard Whately, was Anglican Archbishop of Dublin.[5] The BBC documentary Who
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Kevin Whately
Englishman Kevin Whately studied at London's Central School of Speech and teaterpjäs and performed in the amateur People's Theatre in Newcastle before making his debut in the TV drama "Shoestring" in 1979. His first significant role came in the soap opera "Angels," where he had a three-episode stint; he began playing in the comedic drama "Auf Wiedersehen, Pet" in 1983, but truly became a recognizable face with a co-starring role in the highly lauded crime teaterpjäs "Inspector Morse." Playing Morse's good-natured working-class partner Detective Sergeant Lewis, he was on the show for 12 award-filled seasons.
During the show's long run he appeared in the educational series "Look and Read" with his wife, Madelaine Newton, and began a feature role on "Peak Practice" in 1993. He ended his role as Dr. Jack Kerruish after two seasons and had a rare feature-film part in "The English Patient" before returning to series television. He played policeman-turned-insurance investigator Jimmy
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From an early series of affable naïfs and dependable supporting characters, Kevin Whately graduated to lead status in a career taking in varied television, stage and film work, latterly playing effectively against type.
After growing up in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, he abandoned ambitions of a medical career and relocated to London to attend the Central School of Speech and Drama. He subsequently appeared in Shoestring (BBC, 1979), Angels (BBC, 1980), Juliet Bravo (BBC, 1980) and Coronation Street (ITV, 1981). When he first read the script for Auf Wiedersehen, Pet (ITV, 1983-86; BBC, 2002-2004), about a group of northern brickies working on a Düsseldorf building site, he considered loud-mouthed Geordie Oz the standout part, but took his wife's advice to audition instead for the youthful innocent Neville Hope. It was in this role that Whately first became familiar to the public, making the usually miserable and homesick Neville a nonetheless endearing character.
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