Vincent Ball celebrates 100th birthday

Actor Vincent Ball celebrated his 100th birthday in Australia earlier today. The performer who has had a long career taking in theatre, television and film joins David Lawton in the Crossroads ‘100 club’ as both are the only stars from the show living to reach their century. David – who played chef Bernard Booth in the ATV saga – marked his landmark day back in August.

Ball appeared in Crossroads for the first time in 1966 when the series featured a storyline which saw Meg (Noele Gordon) and some of the motel regulars holiday in Spain, staying at a villa. The Spanish plot began on April 4th ’66 with episode 371 when the characters flew out from the Midlands. Later in the story while on a visit to the terrace of the ‘Fiesta Del Mar Club’ Meg met a gent called Kevin McArthur, dashingly dressed in a blazer and yachting cap. Meg is impressed by him, and he is by her. (Both think each other are millionaires).

Vincent played Kevin for this holiday plot, but proved popular with audiences and later returned to the storyline back in the UK when he became a semi-regular in Kings Oak well into the 1970s. His final plot saw him vying for the love of Meg against Timothy Hunter (Derek Farr) however both were left in runner-up positions when Hugh Mortimer (John Bentley) arrived back in Meg’s life and wooed her into a third engagement and marriage in the spring of 1975.

Australian Vincent has also appeared in sagas both in the UK and down under including Compact, The Young Doctors, A Country Practice, Home and Away and two Carry On films as well as several other movies dating back to the 1940s. TV dramas have ranged from ATV’s Ghost Squad, BBC’s Z Cars and Granada TV’s Play of the Week.

Ball, a Royal Air Force military veteran, has also authored a number of books.