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Before We Die cast: How old is Bill Ward and who did he play in Coronation Street?

27 May 2021, 08:47

Bill Ward has starred in Emmerdale, EastEnders and Coronation Street. Picture: Getty Images/ITV

Who was Bill Ward in Emmerdale, Coronation Street and EastEnders? Here's what we know about the Before We Die actor...

Channel 4’s brand new crime thriller Before We Die has kicked off this Spring.

The six-part drama is based on a Swedish series of the same name, follows Bristol-based detective Hannah Laing (Lesley Sharp) who sets out to catch her colleague Sean Hardacre’s murderer.

Married Sean was having an affair with Hannah but planned to leave both his wife and the police force to settle down with his colleague.

He also became a mentor and a father figure to Hannah’s son Christian (Patrick Gibson).

Bill Ward has had a long career in soaps. Picture: PA Images

But who plays Sean, and what do we know about Bill Ward’s career?

Who plays Sean Hardacre in Before We Die?

Bill Ward plays Sean Hardacre in Before We Die.

The 54-year-old actor went to Bristol University where he studied Modern British History and worked as an advertising executive before beginning his career in TV in the 1980s.

What else has Bill Ward been in?

Bill is best known for his role as Charlie Stubbs in Coronation Street from 2003-2007.

Bill Ward played Charlie Stubbs in Coronation Street. Picture: PA Images

Local builder Charlie was killed by his ex Tracy Barlow (Kate Ford) after a domestic abuse storyline.

In 2013, Bill joined the cast of Emmerdale as James Barton where he was part of some huge storylines.

However, he announced he would be leaving the soap in August 2016 and his character was killed off a few months later.

EastEnders fans might also recognise Bill for his role as Mike Parker all the way back in 2003.

The star has also had roles in shows such as The Bill, Heartbeat, Holby City and Doctors.

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Bill has also had a successful stage career and in 2019 he starred as retired drag queen Hugo Battersby / Loco Chanelle in acclaimed musical Everybody's Talking About Jamie at the Apollo Theatre.

Last year Bill started working as a delivery driver for Tesco after many of his acting jobs were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.