Ivan Cheveski was a Coronation Street resident in the early 1960s, and the husband of Elsie Tanner's daughter Linda. He and Linda originally moved to Warrington but bought a house in Coronation Street when Linda wanted to be closer to her family.
Ivan, Linda and their newborn son Paul moved to Canada in 1961, making the occasional visit to Weatherfield on their return to the UK in 1966.
Born in Poland, Ivan and his family left their home during the war as Ivan's grandparents' shop was burned down by the Nazis when they were found to be harbouring a Jewish doctor. After the war, Ivan emigrated to the UK, and found a home in Warrington with his uncle Rizhard.
On 1st April1958, Ivan married eighteen-year-old Linda Tanner and the pair settled in Warrington. Hard-working Ivan saw it as his duty to provide for his wife and preferred that Linda didn't work. Linda fled to her home town Weatherfield to stay with her mum Elsie Tanner, telling her she wasn't returning to Ivan, but when he followed her to get her back, she admitted she was pregnant. Ivan was thrilled and agreed to stay in Coronation Street - the couple moved into 9 Coronation Street, and Ivan bought it.
While Linda and Elsie prepared the house for the baby, Ivan concentrated on money. He worked in Warrington, and kept up the job while living in Weatherfield. For extra money, he took an evening job as potman at the Rovers Return Inn. Linda convinced Ivan to take a day job in Weatherfield, at an ironworks.
In June 1961, Linda gave birth to a baby boy - Ivan wanted to name him Rizhard after his uncle, but they settled on Paul.
The new parents were worried when Paul developed a lingering chesty cough, and it made them realise how unhealthy living in the inner city was. When Ivan received a letter from one of his workmates in Canada, he became taken with the standard of living his friend had and when offered a job that would see him earn just as much as his friend, Ivan convinced Linda that they should emigrate. Linda agreed, for better or worse, and the family moved.
The Cheveskis made several return visits to Weatherfield, including once for Christmas in 1962 and again in 1966 when Ivan had set his mind on moving to Birmingham. The marriage was in crisis as Linda had had an affair with a Canadian and returned to Weatherfield. Ivan got a job in Birmingham and waited for Linda to come to her senses. It took an accident in which Paul fell into a canal to bring Ivan up to Weatherfield, and the Cheveskis got back together after all. Ivan was furious when he found out that councillor Len Fairclough had voted against the erection of a fence by the canal, and hit him when drunk, blaming him for what could easily have killed his son.
Ivan and Linda had a second son, Martin, in 1964 and stayed in Birmingham, next visiting for Elsie's wedding to Steve Tanner in 1967.
In 1984, Ivan and Linda split up, apparently for good.
Background information
Ivan was one of the original twenty-one characters in Coronation Street. He was written out of the programme in 1961 so that he would leave with wife Linda, as actress Anne Cunningham's contract was set to expire and she could not sign a new contract due to the Equity actors' strike. The character was recurring thereafter.
Ivan made recurring appearances in 1962, 1963, 1966 and his final appearance was in December 1967. Wh
Ivan celebrates with Linda and Elsie because Linda is pregnant
en Linda returned to Weatherfield in 1968, and again in 1984 (where she and Ivan were apparently separated) he had never appeared. The actor stated that he wasn't invited back to return to the show, but would have probably returned if asked.
According to the video The Life and Loves of Elsie Tanner released in 1987, Linda stated to Emily Bishop that she and Ivan were now divorced by that point. However, the video doesn't appear to be canon as some things in it don't match up with the series, such as Elsie apparently recently dying, whereas she actually died alongside Bill Gregory in 2004/5. It's unknown what the status of their relationship was after Linda left Weatherfield again in 1984.
First and last lines
"Oh yes." (to Annie Walker's remark about how changeable the weather is)
