Barbara Ferris: Coronation Street legend who played role of barmaid Nona Willis dies aged 85 - tributes pour in
Actress Barbara Ferris has died after playing the role of Nona Willis on Coronation Street.
The Coronation Street actress has passed away aged 85. Barbara Ferris played a barmaid in Coronation Street in 1961, and enjoyed a decades-long career. Her sister is the actress Pam Ferris, who has had a long career of her own including well-known TV stints in the Darling Buds of May and Rosemary and Thyme, and a role as Marge Dursley in Harry Potter.
After a stint on Coronation Street as Nona Willis, actress Barbara stepped away from the show after just 10 episodes, admitting she found the Lancastrian accent too difficult to follow. Film fans may also remember her as Dinah, the love interest who runs away with Dave Clark in the 1965 movie Catch Us If You Can. Her final screen appearance came in 1990’s The Krays, directed by Peter Medak.
Ferris eventually left acting behind to focus on raising her children and accompanying her husband on international work trips, with the couple settling in homes across Ireland, Zurich, and London. Following news of her passing, fans have shared touching tributes and vintage photos online to honour her memory. One wrote: “Absolutely gutted to hear about Barbara Ferris. She had such a quiet grace on screen — Catch Us If You Can was a core memory from my childhood. Rest easy, Dinah."
Another echoed: “RIP to Barbara Ferris - unforgettable in The Krays. That voice, that presence. We were lucky to have her, even if briefly.” Ferris is survived by her husband and their three children: Nicholas, Christopher, and Catherine.