Patrick Stewart says tiny ‘Coronation Street’ role convinced his parents he would have a career

Sir Patrick Stewart has opened up about his tiny role in Coronation Street back in 1967, which convinced his parents that he would actually have an acting career.

The legendary performer, who has won two Olivier Awards, and been nominated for Golden Globes and countless other accolades, was quizzed about his work on the iconic ITV soap during his recent appearance on The One Show, via Digital Spy.

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After co-host Rylan Clark-Neal told Stewart, “We had no idea that you did a little bit on Corrie,” he jumped at the chance to talk about it.

"It was the end of my first season with the Royal Shakespeare Company and at the end of that season, expecting that I would be let go, [RSC founder] Peter Hall offered me a three-year contract.”

"I was so overwhelmed and I accepted, of course, but they had nothing for me to do so I was free and up came this little appearance in Coronation Street. Well, I mean does it get any more significant than that? I think not."

It was at this point that Stewart admitted his turn on Coronation Street, which saw him play a fire officer that put out a fire at Dennis Tanner’s house, made his Yorkshire parents incredibly happy.

"And more than anything else it made my parents very happy. At last they saw that I might possibly have a career being an actor."

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Of course, Stewart soon went on to have an extraordinary career. His long run with the Royal Shakespeare Company saw him receive the 1979 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actor for his turn in Antony and Cleopatra.

He then moved into TV, with Hedda, I, Claudius, before finding fame as Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation, and then he moved into movies as Charles Xavier in the X-Men franchise.