Sir Ben Kingsley has spoken of his pride at appearing in Coronation Street as a young actor. The Gandhi star joined the cast of the soap in 1966 as Ron Jenkins, who was involved with Ken Barlow's first wife Val. Sir Ben reportedly told the Daily Telegraph: "I haven't seen the show for a while, but I have very fond memories of it." He added: "Coronation Street takes place in Salford and I was brought up five miles from there - it's very much in my background and my territory. "So to be part of such an iconic series early on in my career was wonderful. We had great writers and extraordinary directors. "It was like live theatre: we ran from one part of the studio to the other to keep the tapes rolling. Quite marvellous." Since appearing on the cobbled streets of Weatherfield, Sir Ben has gone on to forge a successful Hollywood career, scooping an Oscar for his lead role in Gandhi in 1982. The 64-year-old has three films due out within the next couple of months: The Love Guru, Elegy and The Wackness. The Love Guru, which opens in cinemas on Friday, is a Mike Myers satire featuring Sir Ben as Guru Tugginmypudha.
