Roache, 81, who plays Ken Barlow in the popular soap opera "Coronation Street", is the latest high-profile figure to be accused of sex crimes in Britain since the death of BBC television presenter Jimmy Savile in 2011.
Savile was one of the BBC's biggest stars in the 1970s and 1980s, but after his death police discovered he had allegedly committed sex crimes on an unprecedented scale, triggering an investigation that has netted several other celebrities.
"We have concluded that there is sufficient evidence and it is in the public interest for Mr Roache to be charged with two offences of rape relating to a girl, aged 15, in 1967," said prosecutor Nazir Afzal in a statement.
Roache is expected to appear at Preston Magistrates' Court, in northern England, on May 14. Neither he nor his representatives have made any comment since his arrest.
Roache's arrest was not directly related to Savile investigations.
Other high-profile figures arrested in connection with sexual crimes since the Savile probe began include celebrity publicist Max Clifford, glam-rock singer Gary Glitter and comedian Freddie Starr, all of whom deny any wrongdoing.
Roache issued an apology in March after appearing to suggest that sex abuse victims were being punished for past sins, and calling for anonymity for those accused of child sex offences.
Earlier this year, Roache caused controversy when he said victims of child sex crimes had behaved badly in a previous life, and famous men could be "caught in the trap" of sleeping with underage girls and should be "forgiven" even if found guilty.
He was forced to apologise for the claims during a visit to New Zealand in March.
Roache said in the interview to TVNZ's One News: "If you accept that you are pure love, and if you know that you are pure love and therefore live that pure love, these things won't happen to you.''
Interviewer Garth Bray commented: "To some people that sounds perhaps like you're saying victims bring things on themselves is that what you're saying?''
Roache replied: "No, not quite, but and yet I am, because everything that happens to us has been a result of what we have been in previous lives or whatever.''
Roache went on to call for anonymity for all those accused of child sex offences because of the stigma they faced even if innocent.
He later apologised by saying: "I would like to say that I am very sorry for any offence that has been caused as a result of my comments."
"I would never say that victims of sexual offences are in any way responsible for the abuse they have suffered and I offer my deepest apologies if anything I have said has been misunderstood in this way."
"I had no intention of causing any kind of distress as a result of my interview and I offer my utmost sympathies to anyone affected by sexual offences and paedophilia.''
