Kevin Whately

Englishman Kevin Whately studied at London's Central School of Speech and Drama and performed in the amateur People's Theatre in Newcastle before making his debut in the TV drama "Shoestring" in 1979. His first significant role came in the soap opera "Angels," where he had a three-episode stint; he began playing in the comedic drama "Auf Wiedersehen, Pet" in 1983, but truly became a recognizable face with a co-starring role in the highly lauded crime drama "Inspector Morse." Playing Morse's good-natured working-class partner Detective Sergeant Lewis, he was on the show for 12 award-filled seasons.

During the show's long run he appeared in the educational series "Look and Read" with his wife, Madelaine Newton, and began a feature role on "Peak Practice" in 1993. He ended his role as Dr. Jack Kerruish after two seasons and had a rare feature-film part in "The English Patient" before returning to series television. He played policeman-turned-insurance investigator Jimmy Griffin in "The Broker's Man" in '97, and after he ended his role on "Inspector Morse" in 2000, returned as Neville Hope for two final seasons of "Auf Wiedersehen, Pet." He also reprised his Robert Lewis character (now Detective Inspector) in "Inspector Lewis" in 2007.