John "Jack" Walker was portrayed by the lovely Arthur Leslie between 1960 and 1970.Jack was born on 26 April, 1901 in Accrington, Lancashire. He was born to parents Joan and Amos, who was a veterinarian. Jack married the love of his life Annie Beaumont in 1937, and shortly afterward the couple bought the Rovers Return Inn. They ran it together and Annie fell pregnant and gave birth to a son, Billy, in 1938 and later a daughter Joan, the apple of Jack's eye. Jack soon had to go and fight for his country in the Second World Warand Annie was left to run the pub on her own until Jack returned. Jack was a long-suffering husband as Annie was a snob and saw herself as a more educated person than the rest of the people on Coronation Street, Jack had to put up with Annie's antics and enjoyed watching his daughter Joan marry in 1961.
Jack and Annie were also offered the Royal Oak by the brewery but the decided that their heart belonged in the Rovers Return. In 1964, Annie left Jack after she suspected him of cheating on her. Jack remained calm as he knew that her accusations were untrue and he had not been having an affair. Annie soon realised her error and returned to the Rovers. Three years later, Annie again suspected that Jack was having an affair, this time with Elsie Tanner, in 1967, but Annie had incorrectly interpreted the situation as Jack wanted Elsie to make some clothing for Annie. Jack also helped his good friend Ena Sharples recover from the death of her daughter in 1967.
In 1969, the residents of Coronation Street arranged a trip but the coach crashed and Jackwas left in a bad way, which left Annie in tears. But Jack recovered in time to serve behind the bar again.
Jack and Annie had run the Rovers for 33 years when in 1970, Jack fell ill and went to stay with his daughter Joan in Derby. Jack died of a heart attack while staying at Joan'shouse after a bout of ill health. His death occurred off-screen, the result of actor Arthur Leslie dying. At the time his death was a huge shock as Jack was the first major character onCoronation Street to have to be written out because of an actor's death. Jack left a devastated street of residents and a heartbroken wife, but as Jack would've wanted, theRovers remained open and Annie continued to be landlady for another thirteen years.
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