ITV Coronation Street's Ken Barlow has a very famous son who stars in Hollywood blockbusters

Coronation Street icon William 'Bill' Roache has a very famous son who has made a name for himself in Hollywood, starring in a number of blockbuster films

Coronation Street legend William 'Bill' Roache, who plays Ken Barlow, has a son who is a well-known Hollywood actor. While Bill has made his own mark in the television industry, his son Linus has taken it a step further.

As Bill was being recognised by the Guinness World Records for being the longest-serving living actor in a continuous TV role, Linus was securing roles in major projects like Batman Begins. Born in 1964 to Bill and his actress wife Anna Cropper, it's no surprise that Linus chose to follow in his parents' footsteps.

After studying at the Central School of Speech and Drama, Linus made his first TV appearance alongside his father in Coronation Street, playing Peter Barlow. Although he held the role for two years, Linus had his sights set on Hollywood.

By 2002, he had been nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Miniseries or TV Film for his performance in RFK, where he portrayed Robert F. Kennedy.

He also received a BAFTA Scotland Award nomination for his work in Blind Flight in 2003, where he played John McCarthy. In his personal life, Linus married fellow actor Rosalind Bennett in 2002 in a beautiful ceremony in Worcestershire's Malvern Hills, reports the Mirror.

Interestingly, Rosalind also appeared in Coronation Street in 1986, playing Tina Wagstaffe. The Roache family has a long history with Coronation Street. Linus' mother, Anna, featured in several episodes of the soap in 1962, while his half-brother James portrayed James Cunningham – Ken's long-lost grandson – in 2010 and 2011.

In an interesting twist, James' brother Linus played his father, Laurence, on the show, while their real-life father Bill played his grandfather. James even portrayed his own father William in a dramatisation of Corrie, titled The Road to Coronation Street.

Bill had his son James with his second wife Sara McEwan Mottram, who appeared in eight episodes of Corrie throughout her career – both as a receptionist and as Judge Alderman. The couple also had two daughters, Verity and Edwina, the latter of whom tragically passed away at just 18 months old.