IT'S a long way from soccer shoot-outs to cowboy gunfights but Everton chairman Bill Kenwright is saddling up for the ride - and is seeing another lifelong dream come true.
In May, while the Goodison Park faithful and most other fans start the countdown to the World Cup, the 60-year-old impresario will be heading for Arizona for three months to direct his first film - a Western called Incident at Twenty Mile.
No stranger to the screen, Allerton-born Mr Kenwright got into acting at 18 when he landed a part in TV's The Villains with follow-up spots in shows like Z Cars, the gritty police series set in Kirkby.
His big break came in 1968 when he won the role of Betty Turpin's son, Gordon Clegg, in Coronation Street. He spent four years in the role before leaving to pursue a musical career.
It was the launch pad to another stage in a brilliant career. During the 1970s, he made the transition into production. Since then he has produced hundreds of plays, including Willy Russell's long-running hit, Blood Brothers.
Bill Kenwright Ltd, is now the largest independent theatre and film production company.
He is currently directing the musical Whistle Down the Wind in London's West End.
He has already moved into movie producing, with films like Us Begins with You, but has never directed films before.
Apart from the theatre, the other major love of Mr Kenwright's life is Everton. A lifelong Blue, he joined the board of directors in 1989.
His marathon battle to take over culminated on Boxing Day in 1999, a day that also saw a 5-0 victory for Everton over Sunderland.
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