[5] He arrived in England in 1952 after escaping from the Russian zone of Eastern Europe, following his arrest for helping refugees to move west.
Ivan, Linda and their new-born son Paul move to Canada in 1961, making the occasional trip to Weatherfield until their return to the UK in 1966.
In 1961, Walder was written out of the serial, along with Anne Cunningham, due to their contracts being unable to be renewed during the dispute between ITV and Equity.
[2][8] The Cheveskis made several return visits to Weatherfield, including for Christmas in 1962, and again in 1966 when Ivan had set his mind on moving to Birmingham.
Ivan and Linda had a second son, Martin, in 1964, and stayed in Birmingham, next visiting for Elsie's wedding to Steve Tanner (Paul Maxwell) in 1967.
[9] He appeared in Crossroads in 1964, and had a role in Castle Haven, a drama serial created by future Emmerdale creator Kevin Laffan, between 1969 and 1970.
[5] In the early 1960s, Walder ran an antiques stall on Portobello Road in Notting Hill, west London, with his former Coronation Street screen wife Anne Cunningham, who played Linda Tanner.
[2][12] Walder subsequently lived in Kensington Gardens Square in Paddington, west London, before moving to Skipton, North Yorkshire, where he resided in the late 1970s.
[13] Walder's charity work included, in 1969, an appeal for old toys, games and books for children for Oulton Hospital, West Yorkshire, and in 1998, while living in Bradley, North Yorkshire, he raised £1000 for kidney research in memory of Graham Beecroft, a Gargrave resident killed in a road accident.
[6][16] His death was not reported until Coronation Street writer Daran Little broke the news on social media in June 2022.