Jim Whelan

Jim Whelan was born in 1942 and grew up in post war Salford. The second of five children in a first generation Irish immigrant family, Jim left school at the age of 15 without any qualifications to work on Manchester Docks. A youth club worker kindled an interest in acting and despite having no training, Jim went on to become a club entertainer and Redcoat at Butlin’s Holiday Camp, progressing much later to parts in theatre and television. In spite of several disappointments when coveted roles failed to materialise and frequently having to take other jobs to pay the bills, Jim has continued to follow his dream, working alongside many famous actors during his 50 years in the entertainment business. Jim has appeared in Coronation Street during each of its five decades playing different characters and is probably best known for his role as the Reverend Todd. During his long career, Jim has appeared in a number of iconic series including The Liver Birds, Crown Court, Cracker, Heartbeat, Emmerdale, The Royle Family, Blackpool and Last of the Summer Wine. He has also had film roles in Velvet Goldmine, Snake Eyes and There’s only one Jimmy Grimble. Jim is married with two grown-up children.