British actor Kevin Whately is best known for his role as Robert 'Robbie' Lewis in crime dramas Inspector Morse and Inspector Lewis, as well as Neville Hope in Auf Wiedersehen, Pet.
Where is Kevin Whately from and how old is he?
Kevin was born in Hexham, Northumberland in February 1951, making him 69 years old. The actor from the North East had an interesting start to his career, working as a folk singer and training as an accountant before striking it lucky on TV and in theatre.
Does Kevin Whately have a wife?
Yes – he’s married to actress Madelaine Newton, who you might remember from the 1970s BBC drama, When the Boat Comes In. The pair were actually both born in Hexham, Northumberland, just three weeks apart, but they never knew each other as kids. Kevin told The Times: “That shared history helped us “click”. As soon as we met, that was it.”
They then married in 1984.
Does Kevin Whately have children?
He has a daughter called Catherine (known as Kitty) who was born in 1983 and a son called Kieran who was born in 1985.
Kitty briefly followed in her father’s footsteps and appeared alongside him in the series Auf Wiedersehen, where she played his character’s onscreen daughter. Since, she has carved out a successful career as an opera singer and is also the co-founder of the charity Supporting Women and Parents in Opera.
How tall is Kevin Whately?
He’s 5’9.
What is Kevin Whately’s net worth?
According to Celebrity Networth, Kevin Whately has a networth of $10 million.
Is Kevin Whately retired?
Although Kevin Whately retired from his role as DI Lewis, which he played for three decades across TV series Inspector Morse and Inspector Lewis, his acting career didn’t come to an end as he went on to have a cameo role in Scottish sitcom, Still Game, where he played a dodgy dentist.
Back in 2016 he told Forbes magazinethat he would “pick and choose” more when it comes to new roles: “Having hit 65, I don’t want to work myself to death, which I think is what John Thaw did. I think he took on far too much, and I don’t want to go the same way.”
In 2018 Whately went on to narrate the BBC documentary, Island Medics, which takes a look behind the scenes at the UK's most remote hospital, the Gilbert Bain in Shetland. He has not appeared in any other acting roles since.
Kevin in Auf Wiedersehen, Pet
This was the series that made Kevin Whately a household name thanks to its humour and memorable characters. It launched in 1982 and followed British workers thrown together on a German building site. It ran for three series, with Kevin playing bricklayer Neville Hope alongside Jimmy Nail as Oz Osborne and Timothy Spall as Barry Taylor.
Kevin Whately’s detective roles
His first TV detective role was as Sergeant Fletcher in A Murder is Announced – a three-part adaptation of a Miss Marple novel, back in 1985. His role was actually very similar to Detective Sergeant Lewis, whose boots he would step into just two years later.
Kevin Whately in Inspector Morse and Lewis
Drama series Lewis is probably Kevin’s most famous role, and he started in 1987, cast opposite John Thaw’s Inspector Morse. He starred in 32 episodes over 13 years.
The programme led to spin-off series Lewis, which saw the detective return to Oxford as an inspector. He was joined by Laurence Fox’ Sergeant James Hathaway, and the two solved murder mysteries in the hugely popular series, which ran until 2012.
Will Lewis return?
When the show took a break after seven series in 2012, the door was left open for a reprisal, with the lead actors saying they’d like at least a year off. It then returned for a special two-part episode in 2015 called What Lies Tangled, and it’s unlikely to be reprised again, sadly.
Kevin in Peak Practice
During a break from Morse Kevin got his first leading role – and one that was written especially for him – as doctor Jack Kerruish in Peak Practice. The series ran from 1993 to 1995.
Did you know…?
If Kevin Whately hadn’t become an actor, he’d like to have been a stained glass restorer!
Kevin Whately Who Do You Think You Are
His episode of Who Do You Think You Are was a particularly interesting one, as it revealed a very mixed heritage including Thomas Whately who was a politician, writer and became head of the Bank of England, and Major Robert Thompson who was a tobacco plantation owner. His more immediate family is just as interesting, and includes a professional concert singer for a grandmother, and the Anglican Archbishop of Dublin for a great-great-grandfather.
Kevin Whately on John Thaw
He’s always had respect for the veteran actor, describing him as ‘as shy man’ who it took a long time to get to know.
Kevin Whately on Laurence Fox
Kevin Whately and Laurence Fox acted alongside each in ITV’s Lewis for a decade, where Kevin played DI Lewis and Laurence played his younger sidekick, DS James Hathaway.
Laurence attracted a fair amount of media attention over the last few years, after he told Dame Julie Walters to "shut up" to her comment that upper-class actors are dominating TV screens and his controversial comments regarding race on BBC’s Question Time last year.
Whately spoke out about Laurence’s response to Dame Julie Walters, who Laurence told to “shut up”, after she said upper class actors were dominating TV screens.
Speaking to the Sunday People, Whately jokingly said: “Do you want me to have a go at Laurence Fox? Because I will.”
However, there seems to be no indication that the Lewis co-stars aren’t still friends.
What TV shows has Kevin Whately appeared in?
As well as his more famous roles, Kevin has also been in Shoestring, Angels, Juliet Bravo, Coronation Street, Skallagrigg, The Broker’s Man, Murder in Mind, The Children, New Tricks and Silent Cry
Kevin on his dementia campaign
One cause close to his heart is dementia care, after his mother’s battle with Alzheimer’s. He urged hospital managers to be aware of the additional care needed by dementia sufferers, after his mother went for a gallstone operation and contacted MRSA, which conspired to make her dementia worsen.
WATCH: Kevin Whately reads The Way Through the Woods by Colin Dexter
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