Michael Le Vell

Michael Le Vell (born Michael Robert Turner, 15 December 1964) is an English actor. He is known for his role as garage mechanic Kevin Webster on the ITV soap opera Coronation Street, a role he has played since 1983.

Early life

Le Vell was born in Newton Heath, Manchester. When he was 15, his mother died from a brain tumour. At the age of 22, his father died of lung cancer.

Career

Le Vell began his acting career in the Oldham Theatre Workshop after taking an interest in amateur dramatics while at school. He had a guest role as paperboy Neil Grimshaw in Coronation Street. He then went onto star in the BBC shows Fame is the Spur and One by One.

Le Vell later attended an audition at Granada Studios for the series Scully, where he met casting director Judy Hayfield. Hayfield presumed that he was present to audition for Coronation Street, and asked him to return the following day to try out for a part. Le Vell was then offered the role of Kevin Webster.

During the 1980s, Le Vell gained status as a gay icon because he wore tight jeans and had a moustache. He was also the first British actor to have his left ear pierced while on screen. Le Vell received a high volume of fan mail from his gay fans. He later stated that his gay following diminished after he shaved off his moustache. His following resurfaced in 2005 after photos of himself dressed as a woman for charity appeared in the Daily Mirror newspaper. 26 years into playing Kevin, Le Vell said he would continue in the role because he still viewed it as "the best job on television".