Coronation Street star Geoff Hinsliff, who played villain Don Brennan, dies aged 86

19 September 2024, 13:57 | Updated: 19 September 2024, 14:04

Coronation Street star Geoff Hinsliff has died aged 86.

Hinsliff, who was best known for playing Don Brennan in the soap from 1987 to 1997, was just short of his 87th birthday when he died, his family said.

They said he "died at home surrounded by his family after a short illness".

A statement from his wife Judith and daughters Gaby and Sophie, said: "He was restless, curious, adventurous and funny; he loved nothing better than setting the world to rights around the dinner table.

"But it was family and home that ultimately mattered to him most."

During his career, Hinsliff also appeared in Doctor Who, Brass, A Bridge Too Far and Heartbeat.

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Tributes have since poured in for Hinsliff, with co-star Helen Worth, who plays Gail Platt, saying: "Geoff was a lovely, quiet man who will be sadly missed by us all.

"His partnership with Lynne Perrie was something rather special and they gave the viewers huge pleasure for many years."

Platt was married to Ivy's son, Brian Tilsley, around the same period that Hinsliff was on the soap.

Born in Leeds, Hinsliff graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (Rada) in 1960.

He was also known for his theatre work, having worked with director Peter Brook in the production of the play Marat/Sade and in the rugby play The Changing Room at the Royal Court.

"He also thoroughly enjoyed playing the forelock-tugging George Fairchild in the cult ITV satire Brass, a pastiche of gritty northern dramas which said so much, and so cleverly, about class divides and the north of his childhood," his family's statement said.

They added: "We'd like to thank the palliative care team at Ashgate Hospice in Derbyshire and the NHS for their unstinting support and care."