Michael Byrne dies aged 82 as tributes paid to actor

He appeared as Gail Platt’s long-lost father, Ted Page, on Coronation Street between 2008 and 2010.

In one storyline on the ITV soap, he memorably gave his unlucky-in-love daughter away at her wedding to Joe McIntyre.

Alongside that, he played SS Officer Ernst Vogel in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, sharing scenes with Harrison Ford and Sean Connery.

RIP to the charming Michael Byrne who played Corrie’s (lovely, gay) Ted Page. pic.twitter.com/kkTam7Ezw7

— Stuart Beck (@StuartBeckMP) June 30, 2026

Other supporting roles included Gellert Grindelwald in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1, Smythe in Braveheart, Major Schroeder in Force 10 from Navarone and Admiral Kelly in the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies.

A few people took to social media to pay tribute to Byrne, as one wrote on X: “So sad to hear about the death of Michael Byrne who played the glorious Gay Ted in #Corrie.”

In response, one person said: “Oh, he was always so lovely! Those eyes!”

A third posted: “RIP to the charming Michael Byrne who played Corrie’s (lovely, gay) Ted Page.”

The superb Michael Byrne has left us 💔 pic.twitter.com/8DxQ4bJFX9

— Lily May Sherratt (@IreneWildthyme) June 30, 2026

The veteran actor is survived by his former wife Carole, who cared for him towards the end of his life, alongside their daughters, Tara and Bryony, and three grandchildren, Tom, Chloe and Jasmine.

The life and career of Michael Byrne

Michael Byrne was born in Hampstead, London, the son of Helen Byrne, a single mother and cook from Kilkenny, Ireland.

Byrne attended the Anna Freud nursery and Burgess Hill school in Hampstead, and trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama (supported by the Freud Institute), The Guardian reports.

He met his future wife, Carole Nimmons, when he toured Ireland with the Arena theatre company in 1962, marrying her in 1965.

Byrne appeared in many small roles on stage at first, as part of Laurence Olivier’s National Theatre Company.

He moved on to major roles at the Royal Court and West End and began to make appearances in numerous TV shows and films.

Film credits included Apt Pupil, The Eagle Has Landed, A Bridge Too Far, The Medusa Touch, The Saint, The Sum of All Fears and Gangs of New York.

Meanwhile, TV shows included Casualty, A Touch of Frost and Sharpe.

What are your favourite memories of Michael Byrne on screen? Let us know in the comments.