Out Spotlight

Today's Out Spotlight is an  English actor best known for his roles in Coronation Street and the original UK version of Queer as Folk. Today's Out Spotlight is Antony Cotton.

Antony Cotton was born Antony Dunn on August 5, 1975, in Bury, Greater Manchester, the second son of British actress Enid Dunn. He attended Woodhey High School at Holcombe Brook, Ramsbottom, and the Oldham Theatre Workshop.

He currently plays barman and factory worker Sean Tully in the long running and popular UK soap opera Coronation Street. Sean first appears in July 2003 at a hospital party. He is introduced as a friend of Martin Platt's fellow-nurse Karl Foster, who, unknown to Martin, is gay. The character is seen again in April 2004 when Karl and Todd Grimshaw have a night out on Manchester's Canal Street. In August, after Todd has left the Street, Sean comes to Coronation Street, desperate for somewhere to live. Sean Tully was the first openly gay character on Coronation Street.

Cotton said that playing Sean is easy because he just has to act like himself. Speaking to The People, Cotton said that Sean looks and he sounds like him. Cotton also explained that he received fan mail from one 79-year-old saying he's "ace" but said they miss the point. Cotton was also blamed Sarah Platt losing her baby when Sean was yet to be introduced. Cotton later admitted that not all of the reviews about him are positive. Some of the gay press have accused Cotton of making Sean a stereotype. Of this he said, "You've got people like Blanche Hunt, Emily Bishop and Norris Cole and there were the classic characters like Bet Lynch and Annie Walker. They're all more camp than Sean - I'm Grant Mitchell compared to them."

Cotton told the Lesbian and Gay Foundation (LGF)  "What's so nice about playing Sean, is that he makes no apologies for who he is. Here is a gay character living his life. This is refreshing and new."

Cotton also played "Alexander" in the original UK version of Queer as Folk and appeared in several episodes of Absolutely Fabulous. On January 13, 2007, Cotton won the second series of ITV's Soapstar Superstar. He donated his winning money, £200,000, to the Elton John Aids Foundation.

In July 2007, it was announced that Cotton would be fronting his own teatime chat show on ITV. The show, That Antony Cotton Show, was filmed with a live studio audience at Granada Television studios in Manchester, and combined celebrity chat with topical humor. It was first broadcast on  August 13 2007 at 5 pm; however, following the end of the first series, ITV announced that the show would not return for a second.

He had appeared on Family Fortunes in September 2008 winning £10,000 for his chosen charity. In December 2008, he appeared with co-star Suranne Jones on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?  Cotton also took part in the eleventh series of I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! which began airing in November 2011 leaving after 21 days. He  also starred in an episode of Mad Mad World on ITV1 in the Spring 2012.

He made his film debut opposite Daniel Craig and Derek Jacobi in the 1998 film Love Is the Devil: Study for a Portrait of Francis Bacon. and also appeared in the 1998 film, The Wisdom of Crocodiles.

Cotton has appeared in several stage performances at the Oldham Coliseum, including The Fifteen Streets and The Hobbit at Manchester's Palace Theatre and Opera House. And appeared in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in the Middlesbrough Theatre.

In 2005, he won the Most Popular Newcomer category at the National Television Awards for his role in Coronation Street and won the 2005 Inside Soap Awards for Best Newcomer and Funniest Performance. In 2006 he won (again) the award for Funniest Performance. At the 2007 British Soap Awards, he was awarded the Best Actor award, which was voted for by the public. Also in 2007 he won Best Actor at the Inside Soap Awards.

Cotton supports the Terrence Higgins Trust and is a patron of the LGF, The Albert Kennedy Trust and the Queer Up North festival. In March 2010 the Daily Mirror reported that he had exchanged rings with his partner, Peter Eccleston. They met in the summer of  2005, on the set of Coronation Street  where Eccleston was an assistant props buyer.

In 2012, they were slate to go on the game show All Star Mr. & Mrs. with other celebrity couples.

In January 2012, footballer Michael Ball was fined by the Football Association for a homophobic rant on Twitter about Cotton.