Kenneth Cope was a Liverpudlian actor, writer and restaurateur, the son of an engineer. On stage, he had a lengthy association with the Bristol Old Vic Company at the Theatre Royal, beginning in 1951. In 1953, Cope also debuted on television, and, for the first two decades played rank and file soldiers and professional men in episodic television and in occasional films. He appeared as himself (1962-1963) in the satirical series That Was the Week That Was (1962). As petty crook Jed Stone, Cope was a semi-regular resident of Coronation Street (1960) during the early and mid-sixties, later resurfacing in the role after an absence of 42 years. He had another recurring stint as the widower Ray Hilton during the latter stages of the soap Brookside (1982) (1999-2002).