Geoffrey Hinsliff, a self-made actor familiar to millions as Coronation Street cabbie Don Brennan, has died aged 86. His character appeared on the ITV soap from 1987 to 1997 and was known for his relationship with Ivy Tilsley, played by Lynne Perrie.
But Geoffrey, who left school aged 15 with no qualifications but an enduring love for acting, also had parts in Doctor Who, Brass, A Bridge Too Far and Heartbeat.
And according to his wife Judith and daughters Gaby and Sophie, the role he enjoyed the most was as a husband and dad.
Announcing his death yesterday after a short illness, they said: “He was restless, curious, adventurous and funny; he loved nothing better than setting the world to rights around the dinner table. But it was family and home that ultimately mattered to him most.”
Fellow Coronation Street actress Helen Worth, who plays Ivy’s daughter-in-law, Gail Platt, said: “Geoff was a lovely, quiet man who will be sadly missed by us all.
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“His partnership with Lynne Perrie was something rather special and they gave the viewers huge pleasure for many years.”
Born in Leeds in 1937, Geoffrey kicked off his acting career at the Leeds Service of Youth Players in a production of Outward Bound by Sutton Vane at the Civic Theatre in Leeds in November 1954.
He trained at RADA, before making his television debut in an episode of Z-Cars.
He went on to appear in Adam Adamant Lives!, Dixon of Dock Green, UFO, Crown Court, The Professionals and Heartbeat, and also played a wireless operator in the film A Bridge Too Far.
In 1978 Geoffrey appeared as a sergeant in an episode of the hard-hitting British police drama The Professionals, the episode entitled When the Heat Cools Off.
The following year, he took the role of Doctor Astrov in Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya at Leeds Playhouse, directed by Michael Attenborough.
He also had a role in the comedy-drama Brass and appeared in two Doctor Who stories: Image of the Fendahl and Nightmare of Eden.
And he was a guest star in an episode of Holby City in 2010.
Geoffrey married Judith in 1967. Their daughter Gaby is a Guardian columnist and in 2019 she wrote about how her dad went back to school later in life to educate himself.
In an article on mature students, she wrote: “The idea of lifelong learning resonates with me because I grew up with it.
“While I ploughed through the O-level syllabus, my dad was grappling with French irregular verbs alongside me, catching up through evening classes on the qualifications he never got at school.
“He was part of a generation of working-class kids who left school at 15 without a certificate to their name, but saw a second chance in night school and took it.
“He didn’t need exam passes for work by then, but clearly it felt like unfinished business.” During his decade-long stint on Corrie, Don met his Ivy when he picked her up in his cab, marrying her in 1988.
He purchased MVB motors from Mike Baldwin but harboured resentment when the garage went under, kidnapping Mike’s wife Alma and driving their car into a canal, though both managed to survive.
Don later attempted to run Mike over but met his end when his car crashed into a viaduct and exploded.
