Rita Sullivan
Rita Tanner (also Littlewood, Bates, Fairclough and Sullivan) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street, played by Barbara Knox, the character first appeared onscreen as "Rita Littlewood" for one episode on 2 December 1964, before returning as a full-time cast member on 31 January 1972. Knox is currently the second longest-serving cast member in the show. The character of Rita is one of the most beloved and iconic characters on any British soap opera. The actress is recognised as being one of the List of longest-serving soap opera actors.
| Rita Sullivan | |||||||||||||||||
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| Coronation Street character | |||||||||||||||||
| Portrayed by | Barbara Knox | ||||||||||||||||
| Duration | 1964, 1972– | ||||||||||||||||
| First appearance | Episode 415 2 December 1964 | ||||||||||||||||
| Introduced by | Tim Aspinall (1964) Brian Armstrong (1972) | ||||||||||||||||
| Spin-off appearances |
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| Classification | Present; regular | ||||||||||||||||
| Profile | |||||||||||||||||
| Other names |
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| Occupation | Businesswoman Newsagent Belly Dancer | ||||||||||||||||
| Home | 10a Coronation Street | ||||||||||||||||
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She is known for being something of a mother figure to a number of the street's residents including Sharon Gaskell (Tracie Bennett), Jenny Bradley (Sally Ann Matthews), Sally Webster (Sally Dynevor), Tina McIntyre (Michelle Keegan) and Gemma Winter (Dolly-Rose Campbell).
