John Middleton | |
|---|---|
| Born | 7 September 1953 Bradford, West Riding of Yorkshire, England |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Television | Coronation Street (1993, 1995) Emmerdale (1996–2018) |
| Political party | Labour Party (since 1982) |
| Spouse(s) | Christine Middleton (1983–present) |
| Children | 2 |
John Middleton (born 7 September 1953 in Bradford, West Riding of Yorkshire) is an English actor well known for his part in ITV's Emmerdale as sympathetic and caring Rev. Ashley Thomas, a role which he remained in from 1996 to 2017 and with a brief return in 2018 for two episodes.
Career
He has appeared in many other TV programmes, most notably in 1993 as John Hargreaves in Coronation Street, the man who knocked down and killed Lisa Duckworth. Two year later he appeared again in Coronation Street, this time as a hospital consultant, when Deirdre Barlow's late husband Samir Rachid was beaten up and killed by a gang of thugs.
His first Emmerdale role was that of PC John Jarvis at the time of the Post Office raid in 1994, before landing the role of the caring and sympathetic Rev. Ashley Thomas in December 1996. In October 2015, when a new storyline was revealed on-screen for Ashley, it was also announced Middleton would be leaving his role as Ashley after 20 years. Middleton's contract ended in March 2017 and Ashley died on 7 April 2017.
ITV have released a promo for a set of episode from 3 April 2017 through to 7 April 2017 titled "It's Time To Say Goodbye". It features many pictures of Ashley and his Family and Friends. Ashley slowly starts fading away from the photos.
Before appearing in both Coronation Street and Emmerdale, Middleton was seen in an early 90s UK TV advertisement for Swinton Insurance.[1]
He was the subject of a This is Your Life programme in 2003, when he was surprised by Michael Aspel on the set of Emmerdale.[2]
Personal life
He is married to his childhood sweetheart Christine and they have two sons, George and Jack. He plays cricket for the Emmerdale team and also the celebrity team, the Bunburys.
He is also a longtime supporter and has been a member of the Labour Party since 1982.
He is a supporter of Newcastle United Football Club.
References
- ^ Swinton TV Advert featuring John Middleton
- ^ "John Middleton". Bigredbook.info. Retrieved 19 December 2019.
External links
- John Middleton at IMDb
- Gavaghan, Carl (17 June 2008). "Emmerdale star interviews GP Taylor for TV show". Retrieved 22 May 2009.
- Davidson, Laura (17 February 2008). "Emmerdale Vicar In Hell As Baby Dan Dies". Sunday Mail'. Retrieved 22 May 2009.
- http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/news/politics/s/1404946_celebrities_urge_voters_to_turn_out_for_byelection
- John Middleton recalls his appearance on This Is Your Life