Barbara Knox (née Brothwood, formerly Mullaney; born 30 September 1933)[1] is an English actress, best known for her long-running portrayal of Rita Tanner in the ITV soap opera Coronation Street.
Knox made her professional stage debut in 1962 at the Oldham Coliseum Theatre, had a small role as a dancer in the 1969 remake of Goodbye, Mr. Chips and appeared opposite Ken Dodd in his 1972 comedy series Funny You Should Say That.
Knox left school at the age of 15 and worked as a telegraphist in the Post Office, learning shorthand and typing and had to pass Civil Service exams.
During this time she took part in amateur theatre until Carl Paulsen, who ran Oldham Rep, asked her to appear in The Boyfriend in 1962, which was her professional stage debut.
[2] Knox later appeared in television programmes such as Never Mind the Quality, Feel the Width, George and the Dragon and A Family at War, as well as doing a stint in Emergency – Ward 10.
She also had a small role as a dancer in the musical remake of Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1969) and did anything needed from announcer to stooge alongside several of the UK's top comedians for BBC radio's Comedy Half Hour.
Knox first played the role of Rita Littlewood in Coronation Street on 2 December 1964, when she appeared for only one episode as a friend of Dennis Tanner.
Knox also contributed to the one-off ITV documentary Coronation Street: A Moving Story, which saw the transition from recording at Granada Studios to the new MediaCityUK in 2014.