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Friday 29 June 2012

Corrie originals - Christine Hargreaves as Christine Hardman/Appleby


First appeared: 14th December 1960

Last appeared: 3rd July 1963

Christine Hargreaves played the role of young independent woman Christine Hardman/Appleby between 1960 and 1963.

Born in Salford in Manchester in 1939, Hargreaves was trained as an actress in the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and later starred on the stages of Northern England. In one production she starred alongside Arthur Leslie (Jack Walker) and it was indeed while acting with Arthur that they were both chosen to join the original cast of Coronation Street in 1960. Appearing in the second episode, 21 year old Christine Hardman felt trapped on the street and longed to escape. Amongst her storyline was losing her mother May to a brain tumour; a suicide attempt where old friend Ken Barlow had to talk her down from Ellison’s Raincoat factory rooftop; whirlwind romance and eloping with Colin Appleby in 1962 but he died in a car crash that year; and becoming engaged to Frank Barlow (26 year her senior) but called it off when she realised she didn’t love him. During her time on the Street, she worked at Elliston’s Raincoat Factory and later at clothes shop Miami Modes with Elsie Tanner and Dot Greenhalgh. She was promoted to a higher position in Miami Modes and was transferred. The last time Christine was mentioned on the street was when she sent a telegram to congratulate Elsie and Steve Tanner on their wedding in 1967 and by then was said to be residing in Southampton. During her three years on Coronation Street, Hargreaves appeared in 125 episodes.

Due to her short tenure, viewers struggle to remember Christine Hardman/Appleby. Although she secured many roles from the 1960s to the early 1980s, she wasn’t top of the bill. She played various roles in ITV Play of the Week (1962-1964), The Wednesday Play (1967-1970), Albert! (1969-1972), Softly Softly: Task Force (1972-1976), Z Cars (1962-1978), Play for Today (1970-1981), Crown Court (1978-1982) and Juliet Bravo (1980-1983).

Hargreaves died in 1984 aged 45 in London from a brain tumour. She made posthumous appearances in TV shows Mitch (1984) and Walter and June (1986) and films Nineteen Eighty Four (1984) and Nineteen Nineteen (1985). Christine’s fate hasn’t been addressed in the show.

Christine had married Klaus Voormann in 1965 and they had one child. They later separated.

Did you ever see or meet Christine Hargreaves? Do you have any pieces of trivia about her?

Research from Corriepedia, Wikipedia and IMDB.

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9 comments:

Anonymous said...

I thought Christine died from a brain tumour!?!?!

Nathan Johnson said...

That was her mother, May.

Greg said...

Hargreaves died in August 1984 from a brain tumour at the age of 45.

Thats what I always thought too

Anonymous said...

Klaus Voormann did not have any children with Christine!

Anonymous said...

Christine had one child with Klaus, also named Christine. It's documented in the UK birth registers

Anonymous said...

Klaus and Christine Hargreaves had a daughter named Christine. England and Wales birth registers have it documented

Anonymous said...

Actually, A Christine Voormann was born in Hampstead in 1975, mother's name given as Hargreaves. This is listed in the England and Wales birth registers. Klaus appeared to be out of Christine's life at this point, although whether they were divorced or not is unknown. Christine was technically Mrs Voormann and her child might have been the baby of another father, not necessarily Klaus.

Unknown said...

Christine did have a daughter in 1975, Klaus was not the father however, and her name was not Christine. If you look at the same reference but under Hargreaves rather than Voorman she was re-registered correctly under the name of Rosie Weeks Hargreaves, her father is bass guitarist Willie Weeks, hence her middle name.

Tony said...

Hi ,I met Christine when I was a child . I'm unsure in what year , possible around 1961 to 1963...She was going out ( courting as they said in those day's) with friend of my dad's , a lovely guy who was a plumber , who's name was Lol, yes Lol....I remember she was always impeccably dressed , two piece suit hat and gloves.she once gave my brother and I a packet each of Maltesers...I remember thinking how posh and rich she must be ...I was only 6 or 7 at the time , playing on bomb site's still in them day's . I also remember when they filmed a short for the Street , Down the Docks, as we called the Manchester ship canal...It was suppose to be Albert Tacklocks allotment and had all freshly prepared by set designers just for that day..The call went out and all the kid's in the area decended on the scene..The production team were playing hell with us kid's and we thought it was hilarious and fun to see these old actor's cursing and pulling face's in frustration..I lived in Eccles then , and played down the docksmost day's after school or in the holidays....Such happy day's....

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