Freddie Fletcher

Freddie Fletcher is a British actor best known for playing Jud Casper, in Ken Loach's award-winning 1969 film Kes.

Early Years
The young Fletcher was born in Grimethorpe and attended Brierley-Grimethorpe Secondary School. He later said, "The only acting I did was in the headmaster's office". When he left school he worked as a painter and decorater for a large firm, until Ken Loach cast him as the violent brother of Billy Casper in his film.

Career after Kes
Like many of the actors in Kes, Fletcher had no formal acting experience, but almost immediately found television work.

From 1970-1972, Fletcher had a regular television role as Raymond Shepherd, one of Diana Dors's wayward sons in the popular comedy series Queenie's Castle. He also played a football team captain in Jack Rosenthal's BAFTA nominated drama Another Sunday and Sweet F.A., which was part of Granada Television's Sunday Night Theatre series.

For the rest of the 1970s, Fletcher worked in various television plays, including four BBC Play for Today films between 1973-1978. He also had a small part as a radio officer in the British thriller film Juggernaut in 1974, starring Richard Harris and Anthony Hopkins.

In 1978, he appeared in the ITV movie Clouds of Glory, starring Felicity Kendal, written by Melvyn Bragg and directed by Ken Russell.

In November 1982, Fletcher played Chalkie Whitely's son Bob in the ITV soap opera Coronation Street. By this time, actress Lynne Perrie was established in the show as Ivy Tilsley. Perrie had played Fletcher's mother in Kes and had worked alongside him in Queenie's Castle ten years before. Consequently, Fletcher had acted alongside Perrie's brother Duggie Brown in Another Sunday and Sweet F.A.

In the 1990s, Fletcher continued to act, he had a regular role as Mr. Smithson in the ITV drama series Children's Ward. He also appeared as farmer Sam Carver in the Bitter Harvest episode of Heartbeat in 1992, and played George Milton in the Tender episode of Peak Practice in 1995. The same year he appeared in Some Kind of Life with Jane Horrocks.

In 1996, Fletcher appeared in the BBC film Brothers In Trouble. The same year he played Judd, a pub landlord in the Sean Bean movie When Saturday Comes, his last acting role to date.