Judith Barker | |
|---|---|
| Born | 22 June 1943 Oldham, Lancashire, England |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1964–present |
| Television | |
| Spouse | Kenneth Alan Taylor (m. 1964)[1] |
Judith Barker (born 22 June 1943) is an English actress, best known for her role as the upwardly mobile homewrecker Janet Reid in Coronation Street, which she played from 1969 to 1977.
Since her departure from Coronation Street, Barker has mostly been a character actress in television dramas, such as the 1984 Channel 4 series Scully, where she played the teacher Mrs Heath. An exception is her role as Audrey Manners in Brookside during 1995. She appeared in the first series of Waterloo Road as Estelle Cooper, and had a small role in the film Miss Potter. It was reported that she declined the premiere for the movie starring Renee Zellweger to teach drama at her local school, Saddleworth Drama Centre in Oldham.[2]
Barker reappeared in Waterloo Road in series 10, playing a different character, Grace.
In 2012, she appeared in the second series of Scott & Bailey as Dorothy Parsons, the mother of Lesley Sharp's character DC Janet Scott. From 2019 to 2020, she appeared as Agatha Finn in Emmerdale. Barker also runs her own drama classes at Springhead Congregational Church, alongside choreographer Adele Parry and musical director Dave Bintley. - Saddleworth Drama Centre. Recent achievements have seen her classes performing at the Oldham Coliseum Theatre.[3]