Kevin Reardon Lloyd was born on 28 March 1949 in Derby, England. His Welsh-born father, Ellis Aled Lloyd, was himself a police officer, and was killed in an accident while answering an emergency call in 1970, aged 46. Kevin later said he drew on aspects of his father's personality and manner when creating his best-known role.
After leaving grammar school, Lloyd initially trained as a solicitor before deciding to become a professional actor, studying at the East 15 Acting School in Loughton, Essex. He first found wide recognition playing nightclub owner Don Watkins in Coronation Street, before going on to his defining role as Detective Constable Alfred "Tosh" Lines in the ITV police drama The Bill, which he played from 1988 to 1998.
Lloyd struggled with alcoholism in his later years and left The Bill in 1998. He died on 2 May 1998, less than a week after leaving the show, while undergoing treatment at a clinic in Burton upon Trent.