Anna Cropper (13th May 1938 - 22nd January 2007) appeared on Coronation Street as the disturbed Joan Akers who kidnapped baby Christopher Hewitt in October 1962. Prior to this role, Cropper played a brief part in Emergency-Ward 10 and later roles include Couples, The Jewel in the Crown and Ruth Rendell Mysteries. In 1961, Cropper married William Roache and together they had two children, future Coronation Street actor Linus Roache and a daughter, Vanya. The couple divorced in 1974.