Bryan Mosley

Bryan Mosley OBE (25 August 1931 - 9 February 1999) was a British actor, known best as grocer 'Alf Roberts' in the long-running ITV soap opera Coronation Street.

Early life

Born in Leeds, Yorkshire, he attended Leeds Central High School and held a childhood ambition to become a missionary. Instead he won a scholarship to Leeds College of Art (1944-46) and afterwards worked as a commercial artist. He also worked in a bookshop and sold books door-to-door.

After National Service in the RAF, working in Air Traffic Control, he trained as an actor at the Bradford Civic Theatre and Esme Church Northern Theatre School.

Coronation Street

He appeared in Coronation Street in 1961 and 1963, then from 1971 onwards. His appearances in the soap opera became less frequent following a serious heart attack in 1991. Alf Roberts made his last appearance on New Year's Eve 1998 dying peacefully on screen in his sleep. Mr Mosley died just weeks later of a heart attack.

As part of the show's 40th anniversary celebrations, heritage plaques were unveiled outside the Granada studios in 2000 to four of the soap opera's stars - one of which was Mr Mosley. The other plaques commemorated the lives of Doris Speed, Pat Phoenix and Violet Carson

Other notable roles

Mosley made his screen debut in A Kind of Loving (1962). He also appeared in Get Carter (1971) playing local gangster Cliff Brumby. He is famously killed by Jack Carter (Michael Caine) who beats him up and throws him from the roof of the infamous multi-storey car park, Trinity Square, in Gateshead, after discovering Brumby's involvement in his brother's death. He also starred in two stories in the series Doctor Who in 1965 and 1966 and made two appearances in The Avengers. Mosley also had a small role as the pub landlord in Queenie's Castle.

Fight arranger

He was also a fencer and a stage and film fight arranger. He fenced with Terence Stamp in the film Far from the Madding Crowd. He was also a founder member of the Society of British Fight Directors and he arranged the Get Carter fight with Caine.
Bryan Mosley was sometimes credited as Buddy Windrush.