Coronation Street star dies aged 86

The actor played taxi driver Donald "Don" Brennan in the long-running ITV soap, in the 1980s and 1990s, and was known for his romantic relationship with Ivy Tilsley

Coronation Street star Geoffrey Hinsliff has died aged 86, his family have confirmed.

The actor played taxi driver Donald "Don" Brennan in the long-running ITV soap, in the 1980s and 1990s, and was known for his romantic relationship with Ivy Tilsley (Lynne Perrie).

Hinsliff, who also had parts in Doctor Who, Brass, A Bridge Too Far and Heartbeat, was just short of his 87th birthday when he died, his family said.

They said he "died at home surrounded by his family after a short illness".

A statement from his wife Judith and daughters Gaby and Sophie, said: "He was restless, curious, adventurous and funny; he loved nothing better than setting the world to rights around the dinner table."

"But it was family and home that ultimately mattered to him most."

Fellow Coronation Street actress Helen Worth, who plays Gail Platt, said in a statement released by ITV: "Geoff was a lovely, quiet man who will be sadly missed by us all."

"His partnership with Lynne Perrie was something rather special and they gave the viewers huge pleasure for many years."

Platt was married to Ivy's son, Brian Tilsley, around the same period that Hinsliff was on the soap.

Born in Leeds, Hinsliff graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (Rada) in 1960.

His family said: "Geoff was a working-class boy from a family of five, who left school in Leeds aged 15 with no qualifications, yet went on to study at Rada with a scholarship and to join the Royal Shakespeare Company."

"It was an English teacher who encouraged him to act, and all his life he fervently believed in the power of education. He was restless, curious, adventurous and funny; he loved nothing better than setting the world to rights around the dinner table."

He went on to appear in crime shows The Professionals and Z-Cars, before taking to the cobbles as a main character in 1987.

Hinsliff featured in storylines documenting Don's stormy relationship with his wife Ivy, who had issues getting over the death of her son, as well as his flings including with Denise Osbourne (Denise Black).

Perrie, who died in 2006, was last seen on the street in 1994 when she announced she was going to live in a convent, and viewers were later told she had died from a stroke.

Brennan died in 1997 when his car burst into flames in a crash off a viaduct when he became involved in kidnap and attempted murder after struggling with a gambling problem, and having a rivalry with businessman Mike Baldwin (Johnny Briggs).

When he left the soap, Hinsliff said: "I am going out in style."

"I really have to go. Don's too far down that road now. He's virtually a complete mental case and there's no going back."

Also known for his theatre work, he worked with director Peter Brook in the English-language production of the play Marat/Sade, in the rugby play The Changing Room at the Royal Court and in the comedy film O Lucky Man with Lindsay Anderson in the 1970s.

"He also thoroughly enjoyed playing the forelock-tugging George Fairchild in the cult ITV satire Brass, a pastiche of gritty northern dramas which said so much, and so cleverly, about class divides and the north of his childhood," his family's statement also said.

Hinsliff is survived by his wife Judith and daughters Gaby, a columnist with The Guardian, and Sophie, along with his four grandchildren.

They also said: "We'd like to thank the palliative care team at Ashgate Hospice in Derbyshire and the NHS for their unstinting support and care."