Kate Connerty
Born	(1977-06-15) 15 June 1977 (age 35) Salford, Greater Manchester
Years active	2001–present
Spouse	Jon Connerty
Awards	British Soap Award for Best Bitch 2004 Coronation Street 2005 Coronation Street British Soap Award for Best Actress 2007 Coronation Street

Kate Connerty (née Ford) (born 15 June 1977) is a British actress best known for playing the role of Tracy Barlow in the long-running ITV soap opera Coronation Street from 2002 to 2007. Kate returned to Coronation Street on Christmas Eve 2010.

Ford was born in Salford, Greater Manchester. She attended Queen Elizabeth School in Kirkby Lonsdale, Cumbria and Blackpool and The Fylde College, Lancashire. She later trained at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art

In 2002, Connerty appeared in a spin-off episode of the popular BBC1 soap opera EastEnders which revolved around the characters of Ricky Butcher and Bianca Jackson.

Connerty took on the role of Tracy Barlow in Coronation Street in 2002. She is the fourth actress to play the role of Tracy Barlow after Christabel Finch played her from her birth in 1977 to 1985, with Holly Chamarette taking over from 1985 to 1988 and Dawn Acton playing the role from 1988 to 1999. Connerty brought a darker side to the character in the programme, making her more "bitchy" than the simply misunderstood girl the other actresses portrayed.

In 2004 and 2005, Connerty was awarded a British Soap Award for "Best Bitch" for her work on Coronation Street and around the same time appeared in a high-profile poster campaign for PETA. In 2007, she was awarded two British Soap Awards, one for Best Actress and another for "Best Storyline", which was shared with Samia Smith and Bill Ward. Connerty left Coronation Street after her contract expired in April 2007.^[1] In June 2007, she filmed her first role after leaving Coronation Street, as Adele in Blue Murder, a detective drama.^[2]

She married TV producer Jon Connerty on 13 October 2007.^[3] She gave birth to a son, Otis James Roger Connerty, in June 2008.^[4]

She was chosen to advertise the Autumn 2007 Ortak Jewellery [1] range.

Kate Connerty is a strong supporter and active campaigner of the Anti Fur Trade In China. She participates in the Peta' campaign "boycott all fur"^[5] She is also a supporter of the Green Party of England and Wales.

Kate and Jon now live in Dulwich, South London.^{[citation needed]}It was announced in January 2010 that Ford would be returning to Coronation Street on a permanent basis in 2010.^[6]

References[link]

1. ^ "Tracy to Leave Weatherfield". ITV News. ITV. 2006-08-01. http://www.itv.com/news/entertainment_8c0850eb6e20ec67345b83884bd2229b.html. Retrieved 2007-07-14. 
2. ^ "Corrie's Kate lands murder mystery role". My Village. 2007-06-11. Archived from the original on 12 July 2007. http://web.archive.org/web/20070712161702/http://www.mymanchester.org/manchester/celebs-kate-ford.htm. Retrieved 2007-07-14. 
3. ^ Coutts, Martin (14 October 2007). "Kate stars in Wedderfield". The Mirror. http://www.mirror.co.uk/sunday-mirror/2007/10/14/kate-stars-in-wedderfield-98487-19948476/. Retrieved 2009-05-14. 
4. ^ Carnegie, Jo (17 October 2008). "Coronation Street's Kate Ford backs Mirror campaign to find Britain's maternity unit miracles". The Mirror. http://www.mirror.co.uk/life-style/kids-and-family/2008/10/17/coronation-street-s-kate-ford-backs-mirror-campaign-to-find-britain-s-maternity-unit-miracles-115875-20814815/. Retrieved 2009-05-14. 
5. ^ Kate for Peta
6. ^ "Kate Ford to return to Corrie". United Kingdom: The Press Association. 04.01.10. http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5j69kbttLetcY2T87r2Hpk8oK4l_A. Retrieved 5 January 2010. 

External links[link]

• Kate Ford at the Internet Movie Database
• Kate's Coronation Street profile at What's on TV

Tracy Lynette McDonald (née Langton; previously Barlow, Preston and Cropper) is a fictional character in the British television soap opera Coronation Street. She is currently portrayed, since 2002, by Kate Ford, the latest in a series of actresses who have played Tracy at various ages. Christabel Finch played her from birth on 24 January 1977 to 21 November 1983, with Holly Chamarette taking over from 8 July 1985 to 23 March 1988. Dawn Acton is best known for playing the role regularly from 12 December 1988 to 14 June 1995, and then for brief reappearances in November 1996 till December 1997 and from 17 March till her last appearance as Tracy on 10 October 1999. Kate Ford took over the role from 25 December 2002, although Dawn Acton went to an audition but failed to get the part again. Ford left the role in 2007 making her final appearance on 8 April 2007. Following a three-year break, Ford returned to the role in May 2010. She returned on 24 December 2010. Tracy has changed from a troublesome but good-hearted teenager to a completely unsympathetic, borderline sociopathic adult.

Portrayed as headstrong, flirty and manipulative, early storylines featuring Tracy concentrated on her childhood and relationship with adoptive father Ken Barlow (William Roache). She went on to feature in storylines about drugs, various family crises, relationships with Roy Cropper (David Neilson) and Steve McDonald (Simon Gregson), a feud with Karen McDonald (Suranne Jones), and a short-lived marriage to Robert Preston. Her exit storyline in 2007 was the culmination of a storyline that saw the character imprisoned for Charlie Stubbs' (Bill Ward) murder. In the on-screen events, Tracy was sentenced to 15 years in prison. Her brief return in May 2010 saw the character talk Gail McIntyre (Helen Worth) into confessing to murdering husband Joe McIntyre (Reece Dinsdale). Her return in December 2010 saw her released from prison after forensic evidence used at her trial was discredited, and getting her daughter Amy (Elle Mulvaney) back as well as being attacked by Claire Peacock (Julia Haworth) and attempting to steal Steve from his wife Becky McDonald (Katherine Kelly) resulting in them both having a feud. Tracy's most recent storyline is her pregnancy with Steve's twins and then suffering a miscarriage after becoming agitated about Steve and Becky, who she thought were meeting clandestinely (but who were actually meeting a prospective client together).

Storylines[link]

1977–99[link]

Tracy is the daughter of Ray (Neville Buswell) and Deirdre Langton (Anne Kirkbride), born in 1977. Ray leaves when Tracy is a baby and she is raised by her mother and stepfather, Ken Barlow (William Roache), who adopts her. Ken and Deirdre separate in December 1989 when Ken has an affair with Wendy Crozier (Roberta Kerr), his secretary at the Weatherfield Recorder. Initially Tracy supports Deirdre, but above all else Tracy wants a return to the cosy Barlow family life. Once Ken sees the error of his ways and begins seeking a reconciliation, in opposition to Deirdre who wants a divorce, Tracy's allegiance shifts to Ken. Deirdre is subjected to further resentment when she takes up with joiner Dave Barton (David Beckett), who has rescued Tracy when she accidentally sets No.1's kitchen on fire. The divorce even affects Tracy's school life as Ken gets a teaching job there in 1990, as he can stay updated on Deirdre's exploits through Tracy. Caught between two warring parents, Tracy starts to rebel by playing truant from school, going instead to the amusement arcade with Steve and Andy McDonald (Nicholas Cochrane). The year also sees Tracy get her first boyfriend, Graham Egerton (Paul Aspden), but it doesn't last long and they end their relationship. Graham later tries to add Tracey as a friend on a social-networking website, but Tracey rejects his invitation and blocks him from sending emails to her.

At sixteen, Tracy leaves school with four GCSEs and starts work at Maggie's shop full-time, having made peace with Maggie over their past disagreement. Her relationship with Deirdre is also more cordial but Tracy is growing fed up with being treated like a child and in October 1993 she abruptly moves out of No.1 to live with her new boyfriend, 22-year-old Craig Lee, refusing to pass on the address to Deirdre. Unfortunately Tracy's new life doesn't last long as the lease runs out on the flat and Tracy has to turn to Deirdre, who agrees to house her and Craig on the condition that they don't get physical. Not surprisingly, Tracy takes no notice of this and a month later she and Craig move out after finding alternative accommodation.

Over the next few years, Tracy leads a more independent life, usually turning up to see Deirdre or Ken when she wants something. In 1994, she opposes Deirdre's marriage to Moroccan toyboy Samir Rachid but shows up at the wedding ceremony as a token gesture of support. The following year, Tracy is hospitalised after taking bad ecstasy in a nightclub, which results in kidney failure. Facing life on dialysis, Tracy wants to die but Samir volunteers one of his kidneys when they were found to be a match for Tracy's. When Tracy awakes after the successful operation, she is stunned to learn that Samir is dead, found unconscious outside the hospital, and that Deirdre has given permission for his kidney to be used. Tracy thinks that Deirdre will never forgive her and moves to Blackpool to stay with Mark Ramsden, brother of her Weatherfield flatmate Lorraine.

In 1996, Tracy meets carpet fitter Robert Preston (Julian Kay) and they decide to marry. They intend to tie the knot in London, where they are living, but on telling Ken and Deirdre the news, Tracy decides to marry in Weatherfield instead, on the cheap; she books the Registry Office immediately and buys a £14 wedding dress from a charity shop. The wedding is a success and the Prestons return to London.

Tracy visits Weatherfield three times over the next few years: she turns up at Deirdre and Jon Lindsay (Owen Aaronovitch)'s engagement party in 1997 and gives her approval of airline pilot Jon (who is really a con man), and then two years later seeks refuge in Weatherfield after falling out with Robert, who accused Tracy of having an affair with her friend Dan after seeing them kissing. Robert follows Tracy to Weatherfield and they reconcile when he accepts her story that she and Dan are just friends. Tracy also visits the Street in November 1999 for Ken's 60th birthday party.

2002–07[link]

Tracy returns on Christmas Day 2002, announcing that Robert has been cheating on her, but it turns out that she was having the affair with Robert's best friend. The marriage ends in divorce. Tracy starts a relationship with Dev Alahan (Jimmi Harkishin) but when she discovers Dev thinks she is not 'marriage material' she ends the relationship, cutting up his suits and stealing his credit card.

Tracy places a bet of 1p that she can have sex with married Roy Cropper. She gets him drunk and claims to have had sex with him. Roy is racked with guilt, and his wife Hayley (Julie Hesmondhalgh) is heartbroken. Tracy then reveals that she is pregnant and threatens to abort unless the Croppers buy the baby for £15,000. With Hayley being a transsexual, unable to have children, they agree, much to the disgust of Tracy's family. The Croppers worry Tracy will flee with their money and baby so Roy marries Tracy to gain legal rights. After the birth of her daughter, Amy (Holly Bowyer), Tracy confesses that Roy is not the father and she had lied about them having sex. The real father, Steve McDonald, is about to marry, until a jealous Tracy ruins the wedding in February 2004 by exposing Amy's true paternity, sparking a feud with Steve's wife Karen.

Tracy taunts Karen when her initial efforts to conceive a child with Steve are unsuccessful, referring to her as "Barren" Karen. By December 2004, Karen is pregnant, but soon miscarries. She steals and later torches Tracy's car. Tracy is devastated, as she and Steve believe Amy had been in the back of the car. She tears back to the Street in her taxi, lightly hitting Karen with her car and finally chasing her inside Underworld with a large tree branch with the intention of killing her. Only Steve's insistence that Amy is unharmed and staying with Roy and Hayley, cause Tracy to back down. Steve tells Karen that their marriage is over, and Tracy watches triumphantly as Karen packs her bags and walks out of the Street on Boxing Day 2004. Steve attempts a reunion with Tracy, but she quickly realises this is just for Amy's sake, not hers. They fall into a bitter custody battle, with Tracy making it look like Steve tried to leave the country with Amy, and finally even accusing him of abusing Amy. While Tracy wins primary custody, the judge does not believe her accusations and allows Steve visits with his daughter.

Short-lived flings with Ciaran McCarthy (Keith Duffy) and Nathan Harding (Ray Fearon) follow, until Tracy begins dating builder Charlie Stubbs in late 2005. However, Charlie sleeps with his ex-girlfriend Shelley Unwin (Sally Lindsay), resulting in a pregnancy. Though Tracy forgives Charlie, he strays again with Street resident Maria Sutherland (Samia Smith). Tracy concocts a plan for revenge, spreading lies that Charlie is abusing her, then suggesting to Charlie that she is having an affair. When Charlie decides to throw Tracy out she announces her intention to kill him, which he does not believe. On 12 January 2007 she seduces him, then hits him twice on the head with a metal ornament, taunting him as she does; she attempts to fool the police into thinking it is done in self-defence.

Charlie dies, and Tracy is remanded in custody but is released on bail. David Platt (Jack P. Shepherd) threatens to ruin her story by claiming that he witnessed the murder; he blackmails Tracy, saying he will only vindicate her if she sleeps with him. He lies during Tracy's trial, but his evidence is quickly dismissed by the court and, following Tracy's confession to her mother that the murder had been planned, Deirdre is unable to be convincing as a witness. Consequently, Tracy is found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment but this sentence is with a minimum of 15 years before parole. In financial ruin, Ken and Deirdre are unable to pay for an appeal, leaving Tracy to serve her sentence.

2010—[link]

In May 2010, Tracy returns after learning that her grandmother Blanche Hunt (Maggie Jones) has died, and is allowed to attend her funeral. She argues with Steve's new wife Becky (Katherine Kelly) and a fight breaks out after Steve is wanting to change Amy's surname to McDonald. Tracy is taken back to prison and vows to her cellmate that she will get herself out. She discovers that her former neighbour Gail McIntyre (Helen Worth) is on remand, accused of murdering her husband, Joe (Reece Dinsdale). Tracy plans to collaborate with the police, attempting to extract a confession from Gail, on the promise that she will be granted a transfer to an open prison but it fails. Tracy is also overjoyed to discover that Blanche left her £14,000 in her will.

On Christmas Eve 2010, during the remembrance carol service on the street for the victims of the tram crash, Tracy steps out of a taxi, shocking everyone. She tells the Barlows that the expert who handled the forensic evidence for her trial falsified his qualifications so she has appealed against her conviction and been released on bail, pending a retrial. She immediately goes to the Rovers, demanding to see Amy but is angry when Steve and Becky refuse to wake her. Amy comes down stairs and recognizes her mother and they hug. Later on, she tells Steve and Becky that she wants to have Amy for Christmas Day. They reluctantly agree and Gail then confronts Tracy. Tracy lies about why she tried to have Gail imprisoned, but Gail is not convinced and attacks Tracy in the pub.

On Christmas Day 2010, she arrives at the Rovers to pick up Amy. Amy later tells Tracy that Steve has bought Becky's nephew Max (Harry McDermott) from Becky's sister Kylie (Paula Lane). When Joshua Peacock (Benjamin Beresford) accidentally spills a drink over Amy's fairy dress, Becky helps her, but Tracy gets in the way and is angry as she believes Becky is trying to take her place. Tracy insults Becky and she loses her temper and attacks Tracy, upsetting Amy even more. Tracy decides that she wants Amy to live with her permanently. When Steve and Becky stop Tracy from leaving with Amy, Tracy threatens to inform Social Services about them giving Kylie money for Max and then takes Amy with her.

In February 2011, Tracy's retrial is a success and her conviction is overturned due to the unreliability of forensic evidence. When she tells Steve that she is going to move away from Weatherfield, taking Amy with her, he offers her a job behind the bar at the Rovers in an effort to make her stay. Tracy accepts and Becky is furious when she discovers the news. Tracy's first day as barmaid does not go well when she starts bunking off and insults Tina McIntyre (Michelle Keegan) in the process. Tracy arranges a date with businessman Frank Foster (Andrew Lancel) but he cancels the date as he has business to deal with. The following day her former love rival, Maria Connor, hears Sean talking about Tracy getting stood up, and warns Tracy that Frank had tried to sexually assault her, but Tracy refuses to listen. She later tells Frank what Maria alleged and as a result, Frank cancels a deal with Carla Connor (Alison King) and Underworld.

May 2011 sees Tracy going to Blackpool with Steve and Amy behind Becky's back. They end up losing Amy while having an argument but she is later found and they discover that their car has been towed and end up having to stay in a B&B. Tracy attempts to get Steve into bed with her but fails; they return home the next day. After going through Amy's bag, Becky finds a picture of Tracy, Steve and Amy in Blackpool; she is furious and demands to know the truth from Steve. A few days later Tracy decides to quit her job at the bar. While on a date with Frank, Tracy speaks excessively about Steve, in a deliberate attempt to wind Frank up. He notices this happens quite a lot and decides to end the relationship after he realises she is in love with Steve. Later on Tracy tells Steve and Becky that she is moving to London with Amy and won't be coming back.

With Steve so desperate to keep his daughter, he tries to appease Tracy as much as he can. Knowing that she will always try to manipulate any situation to her advantage, he plans to trick her. After he splits up with Becky, he gets Tracy to agree to a custody settlement over Amy. Tracy misinterprets what is going on and has illusions of being manageress at the Rovers and living there with both Steve and Amy. After she signs the custody agreement, he sacks her from the Rovers and introduces her to the newly-appointed Stella Price (Michelle Collins). In July 2011, Tracy attempts to start a relationship with Steve and invites him to dinner, where she makes a pass at him. He rejects her and leaves but following an argument with Becky, Steve returns to the Barlow house and sleeps with Tracy. After Steve rejects her again and refuses to start a relationship with her, Tracy realises that there is nothing left for her in Weatherfield, and leaves with Amy for London.

Tracy returns and tells Deirdre and Ken that she is pregnant with Steve's baby. Initially, Ken believes that Tracy is lying as she done it previously with Roy Cropper. However, Tracy does a pregnancy test and shows them the result. She informs them that she does not want Steve to know, and plans to have an abortion without him knowing. Deirdre thinks Steve has a right to know and reveals to a stunned Steve that Tracy is pregnant, and he is the father of her unborn child. Steve tells Tracy that he will help her financially, but can't offer anything else. Tracy begins to use the pregnancy to her advantage by winding Becky up, knowing that Becky can't hit a pregnant woman. A few weeks later, Tracy begins to treat Steve better and acts concerned for his welfare plus his stress levels. He begins to soften towards her. She asks him for her job back at the Rovers, to which he is initially reluctant for the safety of the baby but she persuades him. Soon afterwards, however, Tracy collapses and is rushed to hospital, where an emergency scan reveals that she is actually expecting twins.

Tracy and Steve are stunned by the news, as is everyone in the street. She tells Steve that she worries she won't be able to handle twins alone so he tells her that he will do his best to make a relationship work for the sake of Amy and their unborn babies, much to Tracy's secret delight. When she goes looking for Steve, she starts to have pain in her stomach, Tracy is rushed to hospital where she loses the twins and she is comforted by Deirdre. She is released shortly after discovering, and admits to Deirdre that she is struggling to break the news to Steve, as she is scared that now she has lost the only thing keeping him with her, he will leave her and get back together with Becky. Although Deirdre assures Tracy that Steve loves her, she remains reluctant to tell Steve and is even more worried when he doesn't return home again. Convinced he stayed with Becky overnight in her flat, she goes to Becky's flat and they have an argument. When leaving, she warns Becky to stay away from her, but faints and falls down a flight of stairs. Becky phones an ambulance, who then take Tracy to hospital to make sure she is okay. Steve eventually gets a message from Deirdre and rushes to the hospital, where Tracy lies to Steve that Becky pushed her down the stairs in a rage, causing her to have a miscarriage. Steve believes Tracy and confronts Becky, who denies all knowledge of the incident. Although Becky remains adamant that she didn't push Tracy, even those closet to Becky begin to doubt her innocence and believe Tracy's claims. Believing they can try again for babies, Steve then proposes to Tracy in the street, to which she accepts, much to Becky's horror. At the Street's nativity play, in which most of the kids have roles, Tracy is confronted by Becky, who is there to watch her nephew with his mum (Becky's half-sister) Kylie Turner (Paula Lane). Tracy acts hurt to Steve, who takes her side and orders Becky to leave. Becky issues Tracy a warning: that all liars always get found out eventually. After Becky leaves, her warning play's on Tracy's mind. She is close to confessing her lie to Steve, but stops herself by reminding how much she wants Steve. Unbeknownst to Tracy, Becky hacked into her medical files and was plotting her revenge. On her and Steve's wedding day, they were shocked to see Becky present and worried that she would cause a scene. However, Becky decided to unnerve them by standing up before they were announced husband and wife, but let them get married, pretending she needed to straighten out her dress. At the reception, Becky was hesitant about revealing the truth. However, after Tracy spoke nastily to Becky, she decided to tell Steve the truth. During his speech, Becky gave him the envelope, showing Tracy's medical records. Steve was shocked and realized that Becky was telling the truth. He tells a heartbroken Tracy that he hates her and went to the airport to chase her. He apologises to her and begs her to take her back, but Becky refuses and leaves Weatherfield with her new partner Danny. It is later revealed that Becky and Danny are engaged when Hayley Cropper tells Tracy smugly.

Steve came back a broken and bitter man, and announced that he was to get his marriage to Tracy annulled, hitting a roadblock when he discovered he needed her cooperation to do so. Tracy was crushed when Steve told her that he loved Becky and only married her out of pity. Unable to kick her out of No. 13, due to her name also being on the deeds, Steve converted it into two separate flats, sparking a small feud between him and Tracy, who vowed to be the neighbour from hell. She succeeds by doing things to annoy Steve, including reducing his time with Amy, playing loud music, and making lots of noise upstairs. She is angered when Steve cuts the electricity while she is listening to music. When Steve disappears, Tracy becomes worried but finds him drunk in their downstairs area of the house.

Creation and development[link]

Casting[link]

The first actress to play Tracy was Christabel Finch in 1977, who first appeared in the role when she was 15 days old. According to Finch in 2007, "It was a case of being the right baby, in the right place, at the right time. The casting director came to the baby unit and picked me at random, then asked my parents if I could be in the show."^[2] In 2001 Finch reflected on her time in the soap, remembering that she used to share a dressing room with Anne Kirkbride who plays Tracy's mother Deirdre and one of her most prominent storyline memories is her involvement in Deirdre's affair with Mike Baldwin (Johnny Briggs): "Because I was a kid, everyone was really friendly to me. Julie Goodyear, who played Bet Gilroy, was really lovely and a very down-to-earth person. The biggest plot I was involved in was when Deirdre had an affair with Mike Baldwin. There was a lot of shouting going on and Ken was screaming at her, 'Get out of the house!' I just thought, 'what's going on, why are they shouting?'" Finch left the role when she was seven as her parents had opted to move to Guernsey.^[3] It was two years till the producers recast Tracy. On screen during that time, Tracy's parents Ken and Deirdre would say that Tracy was either in her room upstairs or at school.^[2] 8-year-old Holly Chamarette was given the role in 1985. At the time she reportedly commented, "I'm thrilled. I've been watching Coronation Street for ages." She was chosen from more than 60 children, but left the role when she was 11 in 1988, quitting the acting profession to become a doctor.^[2]

The third actress to play the part was Dawn Acton, appearing between 1988 and 1999. Acton was 11 when she took on the role and played the character through her teenage years, in what Acton has described as Tracy's tarty phase.^[3] Acton has said that Tracy's appearances became rare in the mid 1990s, until the casting director James Bain informed her that her contract was not being renewed as "the storylines involving Tracy had dried up". Acton adds, "I was 17 but I wasn't devastated. There were no tantrums, like the ones Tracy was famous for. James said I should try other things in the acting world. I did - but it didn't work out."^[3] Kate Ford was the fourth actress cast as Tracy in 2002. Dawn Acton reauditioned for the role but was unsuccessful. A spokeswoman for the soap said: "[Kate] is very excited to have got the part. The character has changed substantially in the past four years and really hits the ground running. Kate is thrilled."^[4] Discussing why Acton was not brought back, a spokesperson said, "We [looked] at other actresses because the character has changed so much—she's going to be explosive."^[5] Ford was a fan of the show as a child, and revealed that when she was 12, she wrote around ten letters to the casting director requesting a part.^[6]

Personality and characterisation[link]

The character is portrayed as being extremely selfish and dangerous. She appears to be a tough, fiery and very bitchy character, with actress Kate Ford stating that "underneath she does care about her daughter which does show a soft side to her". In other words, she is a sociopath.

Murder of Charlie Stubbs and Departure (2007)[link]

In January 2007, it was announced that Tracy would kill Charlie Stubbs as part of Kate Ford's leaving storyline which saw Tracy sentenced to life imprisonment for Charlie's murder.

Tracy spends weeks staging arguments, locking herself in the house, and even burning herself with an iron, in order to convince neighbour Claire Peacock that Charlie is abusing her. Ken and Deirdre are also concerned for Tracy's well-being, but she will not leave Charlie.

In January 2007, Ken and Deirdre ask Ken's son Peter (Chris Gascoyne) to stay with Tracy. Charlie's best friend Jason Grimshaw (Ryan Thomas) sees Peter with his arm around Tracy but does not see his face and therefore does not recognise him. When Charlie badgers Tracy about her mystery man, she lets him believe the man is her secret lover to provoke him. Charlie attacks Peter, not knowing he is her stepbrother, and gives him a severe beating. Charlie is arrested for GBH, and Tracy's claims of abuse gain traction.

Charlie pleads guilty to the assault charge, and returns home, packing a bag for Tracy. Tracy tells him of her plan to murder him, and refuses to leave. She gives him a lap dance and begins to tell him they will be together forever. While he is distracted, she hits him over the head with a heavy metal sculpture. She taunts him and then hits him again, with a fatal blow. As a crowd begin to gather outside Tracy ransacks the house and puts a knife in Charlie's hand in order to appear that she had acted in self-defence.

Release from prison and return to Weatherfield (2010)[link]

It was announced in January 2010 that Ford would be returning to Coronation Street to reprise her role as Tracy.^[7] The actress attributed her return in part to the 2009 return of her friend Shobna Gulati as Sunita Alahan, and her desire to work with Gulati again.^[8] Ford believes that the time she has spent in prison has made Tracy's attitude worse, characterising her as "a bit cagey and a bit bitter". She stated that Tracy still loves Steve, but that his new wife Becky would beat her in a fight.^[6] Her first scenes were shown in May, when she returned for her grandmother Blanche's funeral.^[9] Ford found the scenes difficult to film, following the then recent death of Maggie Jones who played Blanche. She described Tracy as a more ruthless and extreme version of her grandmother.^[6]

Tracy returned to Weatherfield on a permanent basis later in 2010. The storyline depicting her initial return involved her being offered an early release in exchange for extracting a murder confession from Gail.^[10] She falsely accused Gail of her husband Joe's murder, by telling the police that she hit him with a rolling pin, after Gail told her that she hid a rolling pin on top of a bedroom wardrobe in order to stop poor cook Joe from baking potato pie. The police subsequently found the rolling pin hidden in the house, making Tracy's lie appear true. Tracy decided to testify in court, alleging that Gail was guilty of murdering Joe; Gail was found not guilty of murder and Tracy was furious that she might not be let out early, thus throwing a chair across the room at two police officers who were involved in Gail's case. Later that day, Tracy was attacked by Gail's inmates after they threw water at her and locked her in a cell and beat her up for being a grass. Tracy was hospitalized.^[11]

Executive producer Phil Collinson has revealed that Tracy's return will bring a few years' worth of storylines for her and many other characters in the soap, and that there is a possibility of Becky McDonald and Tracy appearing in a special two-hander episode.^[12] It was revealed on 4 October, that Tracy would return on Christmas Eve 2010, following her shock release from prison.

Tracy returns just as the tram crash memorial service is taking place. By the end of Christmas Eve she has managed to alienate most of the community, particularly Gail McIntyre and the recently-widowed Claire Peacock. On 30 December 2010, after Tracy has complained to Deirdre, Ken and Peter about being deprived of sex, David Platt confronts her at home about her conduct towards his mother. After a bitter argument, Tracy seduces David. Shortly afterward, Tracy sleeps with Nick Tilsley (Ben Price); they are discovered by Leanne Battersby (Jane Danson). On New Year's Eve, Deirdre and Ken find Tracy unconscious with a head injury. Suspicion falls on Steve, who is standing nearby with blood on his hands.

Reception[link]

When Tracy was blackmailed by David, Steven Perkins of Lowculture commented: "It's very incredibly wrong, and yet they're both so vile that it goes right around the loop and goes back to being a thoroughly great idea."^[13] Fellow Lowculture contributor Nick Linsdell praised Tracy as "one of the all-time great, completely horrific, self-absorbed soap monsters." He deemed her trial testament to the show's writers, as, even with a character who has been part of Coronation Street since birth: "they've come up with an exit storyline that outdoes all her previous exploits and dragged in half the cast to enjoy the fun."^[14] Perkins also praised the trial storyline, commenting: "It makes for quite a nice change to have sat through a soap trial, knowing for once that The Accused was (a) guilty as sin, (b) acting in a deliberate, calculated and premeditated fashion and (c) not trying to frame someone else." Alongside this unusual premise, he noted: "there are probably quite a few people who secretly want to see That Bitch Tracy Barlow finally get hers."^[15]

Radio Times included Tracy in their feature profiling 'bunny boilers' of soap opera.^[16] Discussing her they stated: "Qualifying as much as a soap villain as a bunny-boiler, grown-up Tracy in her final incarnation displayed enough deranged behaviour to have Flopsy, Mopsy and Cottontail bounding for the hills."^[16] Opining on her temper they added: "Tracy was capable of a rage so hot that, by comparison, the fires of hell were chilly."^[16] They also offered their opinion on what could have made her this way, blaming Ken and Dierdre's behaviour.^[16]

In February 2011, Ford was nominated for Best Comeback in the Soap Bubble Awards for her portrayal of Tracy.^[17] Tracy was nominated in the category of "Villain of the Year" at the 2011 Inside Soap Awards.^[18]

On 19 May 2011, Kate Ford revealed that the main thing driving her Coronation Street alter ego Tracy Barlow is the desire to have a family with daughter Amy and ex Steve McDonald. Speaking to TV Times, Ford said that Tracy is feeling as if her meddling is starting to pay off. "She thinks she can see a shift in Steve, and she knows that his and Becky's relationship is not on firm ground. She's excited because she thinks an opportunity might be presenting itself," Ford explained. "All Tracy wants is for her, Amy and Steve to be a family. She sees that as the key to her fulfilment and happiness. She does love Amy and she's really worried about her mystery illness. When it comes down to it, she will put Amy above anything."^[19]

See also[link]

• List of soap opera recasts
• List of soap opera villains

References[link]

External links[link]

• Tracy Barlow at itv.com

This article includes a list of references, related reading or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. Please improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (April 2011)

Tennessee Ernie Ford
Background information
Birth name	Ernest Jennings Ford
Born	(1919-02-13)February 13, 1919 Bristol, Tennessee, United States
Died	October 17, 1991(1991-10-17) (aged 72) Reston, Virginia, United States
Genres	Country & Western, Pop, Gospel
Occupations	Singer, actor
Instruments	Vocals, Guitar, violin

Ernest Jennings Ford (February 13, 1919 – October 17, 1991), better known as Tennessee Ernie Ford, was an American recording artist and television host who enjoyed success in the country and Western, pop, and gospel musical genres. Today, he is best remembered for his hit recording of "Sixteen Tons".

Biography[link]

Early years[link]

Born in Bristol, Tennessee, to Clarence Thomas Ford and Maud Long, Ford began his radio career as an announcer at WOPI-AM in Bristol, Tennessee. In 1939, the young bass-baritone left the station to study classical singing at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music in Ohio. First Lieutenant Ford served in World War II as the bombardier on a B-29 Superfortress flying missions over Japan. After the war, Ford worked at radio stations in San Bernardino and Pasadena, California. In San Bernardino, Ford was hired as a radio announcer. He was assigned to host an early morning country music disc jockey program titled Bar Nothin' Ranch Time. To differentiate himself, he created the personality of "Tennessee Ernie," a wild, madcap exaggerated hillbilly. He became popular in the area and was soon hired away by Pasadena's KXLA radio.

Ford also did musical tours. The Mayfield Brothers of West Texas, including Smokey Mayfield, Thomas Edd Mayfield, and Herbert Mayfield, were among Ford's warmup bands, having played for him in concerts in Amarillo and Lubbock, Texas, during the late 1940s. At KXLA, Ford continued doing the same show and also joined the cast of Cliffie Stone's popular live KXLA country show Dinner Bell Roundup as a vocalist while still doing the early morning broadcast. Cliffie Stone, a part-time talent scout for Capitol Records, brought him to the attention of the label. In 1949, while still doing his morning show, he signed a contract with Capitol. He also became a local TV star as the star of Stone's popular Southern California Hometown Jamboree show. RadiOzark produced 260 15-minute episodes of The Tennessee Ernie Show on transcription disks for national radio syndication.

He released almost 50 country singles through the early 1950s, several of which made the charts. Many of his early records, including "The Shotgun Boogie", "Blackberry Boogie," and so on were exciting, driving boogie-woogie records featuring accompaniment by the Hometown Jamboree band which included Jimmy Bryant on lead guitar and pioneer pedal steel guitarist Speedy West. "I'll Never Be Free," a duet pairing Ford with Capitol Records pop singer Kay Starr, became a huge country and pop crossover hit in 1950. A duet with Ella Mae Morse, False Hearted Girl was a top seller for the Capitol Country and Hillbilly division,^[1] and has been evaluated as an early tune.^[2]

Ford eventually ended his KXLA morning show and in the early 1950s, moved on from Hometown Jamboree. He took over from band-leader Kay Kyser as host of the TV version of NBC quiz show Kollege of Musical Knowledge when it returned briefly in 1954 after a four-year hiatus. He became a household name in the U.S. largely as a result of his hilarious portrayal of the 'country bumpkin,' "Cousin Ernie" on three episodes of I Love Lucy.

In 1955, Ford recorded "Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier" (which reached number 4 on the country chart) with "Farewell to the Mountains" on side B.

"Sixteen Tons"[link]

Ford scored an unexpected hit on the pop charts in 1955 with his rendition of Merle Travis' "Sixteen Tons", a sparsely arranged coal-miner's lament that Travis wrote in 1946, based on his own family's experience in the mines of Muhlenberg County, Kentucky. Its fatalistic tone contrasted vividly with the sugary pop ballads and rock & roll just starting to dominate the charts at the time:

You load sixteen tons, what do you get?

Another day older and deeper in debt.

Saint Peter, don't you call me, 'cause I can't go;

I owe my soul to the company store...

With a unique clarinet-driven pop arrangement by Ford's musical director, Jack Fascinato, "Sixteen Tons" spent ten weeks at number one on the country charts and eight weeks at number one on the pop charts, and made Ford a crossover star. It became Ford's 'signature song.'

Later years[link]

Ford subsequently helmed his own prime-time variety program, The Ford Show, which ran on NBC television from October 4, 1956, to June 29, 1961. In an ironic play of words, the show was named not after Ernie, but rather, the sponsor—Ford automobiles. Ford Theatre, an anthology series, had run in the same time slot on NBC in the preceding 1955–1956 season. Ford's program was notable for the inclusion of a religious song at the end of every show; Ford insisted on this despite objections from network officials who feared it might provoke controversy. This became the most popular segment of his show. He earned the nickname "The Ol' Pea-Picker" due to his catch-phrase, "Bless your pea-pickin' heart!" He began using the term during his disc jockey days on KXLA.

In 1956 he released Hymns, his first gospel music album, which remained on Billboard's Top Album charts for 277 consecutive weeks; his album "Great Gospel Songs" won a Grammy Award in 1964. After the NBC show ended, Ford moved his family to Portola Valley in Northern California. He also owned a cabin near Grandjean, Idaho on the upper South Fork of the Payette River where he would regularly retreat.

A photo of Ford with country singer Hank Thompson and Dallas nightclub owner Jack Ruby appeared in the 1988 book, The Ruby-Oswald Affair, by Alan Adelson.

From 1962-65, Ford hosted a daytime talk/variety show, The Tennessee Ernie Ford Show (later known as Hello, Peapickers) from KGO-TV in San Francisco, broadcast over the ABC television network.

Ford was the spokesman for the Pontiac Furniture Company in Pontiac, Illinois in the 1970s.

Ford's experiences as a navigator and bombardier in World War II led to his involvement with the Confederate Air Force (now the Commemorative Air Force), a war plane preservation group in Texas. He was a featured announcer and celebrity guest at the annual CAF Airshow in Harlingen, Texas, from 1976 to 1988. He donated a once-top-secret Norden Bombsight to the CAF's B-29 bomber restoration project. In the late 1970s, as a CAF colonel, Ford recorded the organization's theme song "Ballad of the Ghost Squadron."

Over the years, Ford was awarded three stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, for radio, records, and television. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1984, and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1990.

Offstage, both Ford and wife Betty contended with serious alcohol problems; Betty had the problem since the 1950s. Though his drinking worsened in the 60s, he worked continuously, seemingly unaffected by his heavy intake of whisky. By the 1970s, however, it had begun to take an increasing toll on his health and ability to sing. After Betty's substance abuse-related death in 1989, Ernie's liver problems, diagnosed years earlier, became more apparent, but he refused to reduce his drinking despite repeated doctors' warnings. In 1990, he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. His last interview was taped in September 1991 by his old friend Dinah Shore for her TV show. His physical deterioration by then was quite obvious.

Ford received posthumous recognition for his gospel music contributions by adding him to the Gospel Music Association's Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 1994.

Personal life[link]

Ford was married to Betty Heminger from September 18, 1942, until her death on February 26, 1989; they had two children—Jeffrey Buckner “Buck” Ford (born January 6, 1950) and Brion Leonard Ford (born September 3, 1952 in San Gabriel, California - died Friday, October 24, 2008 in White House, Tennessee, of lung cancer at age 56).

Less than four months after Betty's death, Ford, who had long suffered from severe alcoholism, married again. On September 28, 1991, he fell into severe liver failure at Dulles Airport, shortly after leaving a state dinner at the White House hosted by then President George H. W. Bush. Ford died in H. C. A. Reston Hospital Center, in Reston, Virginia, on October 17—exactly 36 years after "Sixteen Tons" was released, and one day shy of the first anniversary of his induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame.^[3] Ford was interred at Alta Mesa Memorial Park, Palo Alto, California. His second wife, Beverly Wood Ford (1921–2001), died ten years after Ernie and her body was interred with her husband's.

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

Singles[link]

• ^A"Sing We Now of Christmas" peaked at #2 on the RPM Top Singles chart in Canada.
• ^B"Colorado Country Morning" peaked at #85 on the RPM Country Tracks chart in Canada.

Notes[link]

References[link]

• Whiteside, Johnny; Kingsbury, Paul (ed.) (1998). "Tennessee Ernie Ford". The Encyclopedia of Country Music. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 176–7. ISBN 0-19-511671-2. 

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Tennessee Ernie Ford

Biography portal

• Tennessee Ernie Ford Official Website
• Sixteen Tons - The Story Behind the Legend
• Tennessee Ernie Ford at Allmusic

• Tennessee Ernie Ford at the Internet Movie Database

Laurel Holloman (born May 23, 1971) is an American actress, best known for her roles as Randy Dean in the 1995 indie film The Incredibly True Adventure of Two Girls in Love, Justine Cooper on Angel, and Tina Kennard on the Showtime series The L Word.^[1]

Career[link]

Laurel attended the University of North Carolina and appeared in numerous theater productions. After her freshman year, she moved to Chicago to work with the Piven Theatre Workshop. She studied with John Lynn in Los Angeles; was cast in David Orr's independent feature Blossom Time. She moved to New York City in early 1994 and appeared in stage productions such as Tennessee Williams' Glass Menagerie, Carson McCullers' The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter at Theatre for the New City. Holloman also performed off-Broadway in Julia Jordan's Night Swim at Playwright's Horizons.

In 1995, she began her film career with her breakout role as baby butch Randy Dean in The Incredibly True Adventure of Two Girls in Love for which she received critical acclaim. She has worked steadily in a variety of mostly independent film roles, such as The Myth of Fingerprints, Boogie Nights and Tumbleweeds.

In 2005, she appeared in Showtime's lesbian drama, The L Word as the bisexual Tina Kennard. For this role, she was presented with a Golden Satellite Award in 2005 as Best Actress in a Drama series.

Personal life[link]

Laurel is the youngest child in her staunchly Republican family. She graduated from The University of North Carolina.

Laurel married architect Paul Macherey on July 13, 2002. They have a daughter, Lola Reiko Macherey, who was born on November 4, 2004. They adopted a second daughter, Nala Belle (meaning 'beautiful gift') on March 25, 2008. The couple has filed for separation.

Laurel is also an artist.^[2] Laurel did a special series of paintings that was auctioned off for the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Fund.^[2]

Filmography[link]

• The Price of Love (1995) as Roxanne
• The Incredibly True Adventure of Two Girls in Love (1995) as Randy Dean
• Blossom Time (1996) as Francis Bodean
• Dalva (TV) (1996) as Karen
• Boogie Nights (1997) as Sheryl Lynn
• The Myth of Fingerprints (1997) as Leigh
• Dying to Belong (TV) (1997) as Shannon
• Prefontaine (1997) as Elaine Finley
• The Clearing (1997)
• The First to Go (1997) as Carrie
• Stamp and Deliver (1998)
• Cherry (1999) as Evy Sweet
• Chapter Zero (1999) as Jane
• Loving Jezebel (1999) as Samantha
• Tumbleweeds (1999) as Lauri
• Loser Love (1999) as Lily Delacroix
• Tide (1999) as Lilly
• Lush (1999) as Ashley 'Ash' Van Dyke
• Committed (2000) as Adelle
• Morning (2000) as Shelly
• Popcorn Shrimp (2001) as Cop #1
• Last Ball (2001) as Cathy
• The Rising Place (2001) as Emily Hodge
• Libery, Maine (2001)
• Angel (TV) (2001–2002) as Justine Cooper
• Alone (2002) as Charlotte
• The L Word (TV) (2004–2009) as Tina Kennard

References[link]

External links[link]

• Laurel Holloman Art
• Laurel Holloman at the Internet Movie Database
• Laurel Holloman Studio

Erin Daniels (born October 9, 1973) is an American actress. She is known for her role as Dana Fairbanks on The L Word (2004–2007). Her feature film work includes A Single Man, One Hour Photo, and Joshua Tree, 1951: A Portrait of James Dean.

Early life[link]

Daniels was born Erin Cohen in St. Louis, Missouri, where she grew up. Her father was an architect and her mother was a clinical social worker. She grew up in a Jewish family; her mother co-founded the Central Reform Congregation in St. Louis and her grandmother received an award from the National Conference of Christians and Jews.^[1] She attended Clayton High School and Vassar College, graduating from the latter in 1995^[2] after majoring in art.^[1]

Career[link]

After Vassar, she moved to New York City, where she studied with William Esper, a protégé of Sanford Meisner, and worked Off Broadway. She then moved to Los Angeles for a part on the short-lived TV series Action.^[1]

In 2002, the St. Louis Film Festival awarded Daniels the Emerging Star Award.^[3] She appeared in One Hour Photo, Wheelmen, and House of 1000 Corpses^[4] before becoming a cast member of Showtime's The L Word. Her depiction of Dana Fairbanks on that show prompted an anonymous donation of a million dollars to the Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation,^[5] an organization that promotes and funds breast cancer intraductal research.^[6]

Daniels has also appeared in the TV shows Action, Jericho, Dexter, Saving Grace, Big Shots, Justice, CSI and Swingtown.

She played the role of The Mother in director Matthew Mishory's debut feature, Joshua Tree, 1951: A Portrait of James Dean^[7].

Personal life[link]

Daniels married producer Chris Uettwiller in 2008. They are currently living in Los Angeles with their young son.

Filmography[link]

Film[link]

• 1998: USMA West Point as Christine Davis
• 1999: Flushed as Unknown (as Erin Cohen)
• 1999: Chill Factor as Medic #2
• 2000: The Disciples as Lisa Johnson
• 2002: Wheelmen as Gwen
• 2002: One Hour Photo as Maya Burson
• 2003: House of 1000 Corpses as Denise Willis
• 2008: Zach and Miri Make a Porno as Babs
• 2009: A Single Man as Bank Teller
• 2009: Sunday Afternoons (Screenwriter and Executive Producer)
• 2010: Portland as Amy
• 2011: The Sitter

TV[link]

• 1996: Law & Order as Miss Stadler (1 episode)
• 1999: The Outer Limits as Barbara Chafey (1 episode)
• 1999: Action as Jenny (4 episodes)
• 2000: V.I.P. as Die Bodyguards (1 episode)
• 2001: Jack & Jill as Becky Hart (1 episode)
• 2001: Philly as Nicole Gilbert (1 episode)
• 2003: Boomtown as Karen Crane (4 episodes)
• 2004-2007: The L Word as Dana Fairbanks (39 episodes)
• 2006: Julie Reno, Bounty Hunter as Julie Reno (1 episode)
• 2006: Love Monkey as Dana (1 episode)
• 2006: Dexter as Rita's Neighbor (1 episode)
• 2006: Justice as Betsy Harrison (3 episodes)
• 2007: Jericho as Maggie (2 episodes)
• 2007: Big Shots as Rebecca Parks (1 episode)
• 2007: CSI: NY as Det. Brennan (1 episode)
• 2007: Saving Grace as Asst. D.A. Morgan Byers (1 episode)
• 2008: Swingtown as Sylvia Davis (4 episodes)
• 2009: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation as Schuyler (1 episode)
• 2011: Rizzoli & Isles as Kate (1 episode)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Erin Daniels at the Internet Movie Database
• Erin Daniels interview at Diva Magazine official site