Joseph Gladwin KSG (22 January 1906 – 11 March 1987) was an English actor, best known for his roles as Fred Jackson in Coronation Street, Stan Hardman in Nearest and Dearest, and Wally Batty in the world's longest-running sitcom, Last of the Summer Wine (1975–1987).

[1][2] Gladwin was born at 44 Tatton Street in the Ordsall district of Salford, Lancashire, the son of Joseph and Elizabeth (née Dooley).

[5] Before his professional career took off, Gladwin performed with The Decoys during World War II, a concert party based in Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Manchester.

At the time, Gladwin was a driver for a company delivering medicines to chemists (from an interview with Joyce Bishop, 3 November 2018, daughter of one of the members of The Vocals).

Between 1968 and 1973 Gladwin appeared in Nearest and Dearest as Stan Hardman, a long-time worker in Pledge's Pickle factory, set in Colne, Lancashire and starring alongside Hylda Baker and Jimmy Jewel.