CORRIE LEGEND
Who was Coronation Street star John Savident?
The soap star is also remembered for his work in a very iconic film
CORONATION Street legend John Savident has died at the age of 86.
The actor was known for playing butcher Fred Elliott on the ITV soap in the 90s.
1
Who was John Savident?
John Savident was a British actor who was born on January 21, 1938,
He was best known for playing Fred Elliott on Coronation Street
I couldn't go on any longer - the whole situation was becoming ridiculous and deeply distressing.
John Savident on leaving Corrie
Born in the Channel Islands, Savident was a cop before becoming an actor.
He was seconded to the vice squad in Manchester, where he was scouted for Corrie by Granada.
Read more on John Savident
After leaving the hit ITV soap, the actor guest-starred in the Christmas special episode of Holby City in 2012, playing patient Rupert Pool.
The talented star also voiced the character Pendle in the Doctor Who audio-drama Order of the Daleks.
Sadly on February 21, 2024, the iconic actor passed away.
His agent said: "We are sad to announce the death of the actor John Savident who died on Wednesday 21 February.
Most read in Soaps
"He was a much-loved husband and father of two and will be sorely missed by all who knew him."
What happened to Fred Elliot on Coronation Street?
John first stepped on the cobbles as butcher Fred Elliot in 1994 and quickly became a fan favourite.
His storylines involved his disastrous love life, including three marriages and several failed proposals.
His secret son, Ashley Peacock, also arrived on the show and the two later developed a close bond as they worked as butchers together.
However, Fred was killed off in 2006 after suffering a stroke on the day he was supposed to marry Bev Unwin.
After leaving Corrie, he told the : "It was the show itself that did for me - it was breaking my heart.
" I was becoming an absentee husband, father and grandfather by spending so many hours working on The Street.
"I couldn't go on any longer - the whole situation was becoming ridiculous and deeply distressing."
What else had John Savident starred in?
Before life on the cobbles, John enjoyed an impressive film career.
This included a role in the iconic cult classic movie, A Clockwork Orange in 1971.
He was also known for his performance as Monsieur Firmin in the West End cast of The Phantom of the Opera
READ MORE SUN STORIES
The actor left life in the spotlight after he was stabbed at his Manchester flat in December 2000.
He had invited back Michael Smith, 30 - later jailed for seven years for the attack - to talk about theatre after they met in a nightclub.
Fred Elliott’s best Corrie moments
Butcher Fred Elliott spent 12 years on Coronation Street and quickly became a fan-favourite with his booming voice and habit of saying everything twice and here are his most memorable moments...
- 1997- Fred married Maureen Holdsowrth but the marriage didn’t last with Sheree Hewson’s Maureen leaving him after just a week.
- 1999 - Fred let slip that his nephew Ashley was actually his biologically son from a one night stand with an old employee.
- 2001 - Fred bought the Rovers Return for barmaid wife Eve Sykes but it quickly emerged that she was a bigamist leaving him alone again.
- 2004 - Unlucky in love Fred fell for Penny King until she had her head turned by Mike Baldwin
- 2004 - Heartbroken Fred thought he’d found love with Thai bride Orchid. Until he learned that it was all a scam and she was actually a stallholder from Levenshume Market called Stacy Hilton.
- 2006 - Selling the Rovers to retire to the country with Bev Unwin, Fred spent the morning of his wedding telling Audrey Roberts that he loved Bev. Before leaving her house he suffered a massive stroke, leaving Bev devastated at the altar.
Topics