British actor Johnny Briggs, best known for his role as Mike Baldwin’s businessman in the TV soap opera “Coronation Street,” has died.
LONDON – Johnny Briggs, a British actor best known for his role as Mike Baldwin’s businessman in the TV soap opera “Coronation Street,” has died. He was 85.
A family statement said Briggs died peacefully Sunday morning after a long illness.
Briggs played on “Coronation Street,” playing his role for 30 years. Baldwin, who was the head of the Cockney clothing factory, became one of the most memorable characters in the fictional town of the Weatherfield show. John Whiston, the play’s managing director, said Briggs had charisma in his role which made it “very difficult to watch anyone else” when he was on screen.
“He was truly one of the most iconic characters the Street has ever known. We wish Johnny’s family all the best, “Whiston said in a statement.
Briggs started the show as Baldwin in 1976, and remained until 2006. In the early 1980s, his character’s relationship with married Deidre Barlow, played by Anne Kirkbride, took over the country and he was one of of the most popular stories in the show. An estimated 12 million viewers were staring in when his character died of a heart attack.
Briggs was named an MBE, or Member of the Most Special Order in the British Empire, in Queen Elizabeth II’s New Year’s Honors in 2006.