Anthony Booth was born on 9th October 1931 in Liverpool to a poor working-class family. After passing the eleven plus it was hoped that he would progress to university but an accident of his father's at work meant that he had to give up his education to supplement the family income. He was called up for national service and it was in the army that he started to nurture an ambition to become an actor. His main experience was gained in repertory theatre in the 1950s where he first met Patricia Phoenix and had a short but tempestuous affair with her. He made his television debut in the late 1950s and first appeared in Coronation Street in 1960 in Episode 5 in the role of Malcolm Wilkinson, an unsympathetic but flash boyfriend of Christine Hardman's. He appeared in three episodes in total, fro