Peter Gunn is best known for playing Coronation Street’s mild-mannered Brian Packham.
The 59-year-old actor made his debut on the ITV soap since 2012 and has appeared on the show on-off for the past decade.
Brian is currently in a relationship with Cathy Matthews (Melanie Hill) and Corrie spoilers have revealed that the pair will get engaged next week.
As soap seems to be paving the way for Cathy’s final scenes, is a double exit about to be on the cards?
Brian takes centre stage in the soap next week and Daily Star has taken a look at Peter’s life past and present.
Early years
(Image: Mike Marsland/WireImage)
Peter was born in Lytham St Annes, near Blackpool in Lancashire, and as a young actor, he had small roles in TV shows and films from Resurrected to Love Hurts to Harry Enfield’s Television Programme.
He also appeared in The Bill and as Len Cosgrove in the BBC series Born and Bred.
Peter, 59, even had a cameo in the Manchester cult classic 24 Hour Party People.
He is married to Julie and has two sons George, 22, and Tom, 19.
Bullying hell
When Peter was starting out as an actor he landed a show starring a very well known actor, who wasn’t too kind to him, though Peter has never named and shamed him.
As his character was in the midst of a bullying storyline in 2018, Peter recalled the incident well.
He said that he was thoroughly put in his place after he got a laugh from the audience while filming in a London studio.
Peter said: “I was a policeman and I got a laugh and I thought, ‘brilliant’.
“But he got it wrong deliberately and as we had to set up to go again he said to me, ‘don’t ever do that again’.
“He didn’t like that I had got the laugh. We did it again and I didn’t get a laugh and we carried on.”
He mused to The Mirror: “I think that was to do with ego, in a similar way to Phil at Bessie Street. It was an early lesson for me. It was a real shock to think, ‘I ’m trying my best here and I got a laugh’, he was older and more bitter.
“I was keen as mustard, I thought it was brilliant. I really loved the programme, and him as an actor, and then you get this slap down.”
Miley Cyrus connection
(Image: Disney)
Believe it or not, Peter appeared in Hannah Montana: The Movie.
One of his mates, also from his hometown, is Peter Chelsom, who directed the film and thought the soap star would be perfect to play the part of music journalist Oswald Granger.
Peter didn’t even know who Hannah Montana was.
However, there were some red tape issues he had to overcome.
He said: “A Disney attorney tried to convince the Screen Actors’ Guild to let me in but you have to make a case that you are the best actor for the job and have evidence.
(Image: Manchester Evening News)
“I remembered my mum had a scrapbook called ‘Peter’s progress’ – every scrap of work I’ve ever done was in there. I digitised it and sent it to America. And the attorney was like, ‘This is gold dust Peter, thanks to your mom!’”
Peter and his family flew out to America for eight weeks in Nashville and LA and it “blew their minds”.
He gushed about what a hard worker Miley Cyrus is and how disciplined she was, filming five days a week and then flying off to perform two stadium tours every weekend.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
