Keith Clifford (born 20 June 1938) is a British retired actor best known for his role as Billy Hardcastle in ''

Last of the Summer Wine ''Last of the Summer Wine'' is a British sitcom set in Yorkshire created and written by Roy Clarke and originally broadcast by the BBC from 1973 to 2010. It premiered as an episode of ''Comedy Playhouse'' on 4 January 1973, and the first seri ...

'' between 1999 and 2006.

Career

Clifford was born in

Halifax, West Yorkshire Halifax is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale, in West Yorkshire, England. It is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. In the 15th century, the town became an economic hub of the old West Riding of Yorkshire, primarily in woo ...

. He played Billy Hardcastle in the

British sitcom A British sitcom or a Britcom is a situational comedy programme produced for British television. British sitcoms have predominantly been recorded on studio sets, while some include an element of location filming. Live audiences and multi-camera ...

'' from 1999 until he decided to leave the programme at the end of series 27 in 2006. (Billy was a comedy character who believed he was a direct descendant of

Robin Hood Robin Hood is a legendary noble outlaw, heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature, theatre, and cinema. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions o ...

.) He also made guest appearances on '' Heartbeat'', ''

Dalziel and Pascoe Detective Superintendent Andrew "Andy" Dalziel and Detective Sergeant, later Detective Inspector, Peter Pascoe are two fictional Yorkshire detectives featuring in a series of novels by Reginald Hill. Characterisation and style Dalziel is d ...

'' and an episode of ''

Cold Feet ''Cold Feet'' is a British comedy-drama television series produced by Granada Television for the ITV (TV network), ITV network. The series was created and principally written by Mike Bullen as a follow-up to his 1997 Comedy Premieres, Comedy ...

'', and appeared in the TV film '' Vacuuming Completely Nude in Paradise'' (2001). In 2007 Clifford played Frank Nicholls in ''

Coronation Street ''Coronation Street'' (colloquially referred to as ''Corrie'') is a British television soap opera created by ITV Granada, Granada Television and shown on ITV (TV network), ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres on a cobbled, terraced ...

'' having previously appeared in the series in the guises of different characters; that of Les Battersby's mate, Charlie West, and Harry Norton, a showbiz associate of Alec Gilroy. He won a Sony Radio Award in 1993 for his portrayal of the

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...

comedian

Frank Randle Frank Randle (born Arthur Hughes, also known as Arthur McEvoy or Arthur Twist; 30 January 1901 – 7 July 1957) was an English comedian. A contemporary of fellow Lancashire, Lancastrians George Formby, Jr., George Formby and Gracie Field ...

in the radio play ''Randle's Scandals''. Clifford has four children, twin sons and two daughters.

Television roles

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Clifford, Keith 1938 births Living people Male actors from Halifax, West Yorkshire English male television actors English male film actors British male soap opera actors 20th-century English male actors 21st-century English male actors