Former Coronation Street actor Rupert Hill has returned to acting after stepping away from the spotlight to run pubs in Manchester. The 47-year-old, best known for playing Jamie Baldwin on the ITV soap from 2004 to 2008, is now starring in and co-directing the short film Operation Magpie, available on YouTube.
Hill collaborated with fellow Corrie veteran Julie Hesmondhalgh on the project. Earlier this month, he also appeared in the Christmas show Tinsel at The Edge theatre in Manchester. His recent theatre work includes The Fire Raisers at Hope Mill Theatre in September, and he directed a tour of Mike Bartlett's play COCK.
The actor left the limelight to manage Manchester pubs including Castle Hotel, Gulliver's and the Eagle Inn, which he co-owns with his wife Jenny Platt. He previously renovated The Parlour in Manchester, telling the Manchester Evening News: 'From day one, we've found this shared passion for taking weary and underperforming pubs with bags of potential. And breathing new life into them, bringing them back into the community, creating places that people love to be in.'
Hill fell in love with Manchester during his time on Coronation Street and now lives in the city's Northern Quarter. He is married to former Corrie co-star Jenny Platt, who played his on-screen love interest Violet Wilson. His character Jamie Baldwin was known as a heartbreaker and was involved in a controversial storyline with his step-mother Frankie.
After leaving Corrie, Hill appeared in The Bill, Hollyoaks and Midsomer Murders. He recently shared a throwback photo of his character on social media, writing: 'This young whippersnapper just made his first appearance (again) on the cobbles in #classiccorrie. I think he might get up to some mischief!! #jamiebaldwin.'
