Original EastEnders cast now from huge Hollywood role to tragically early death
EastEnders first hit our TV screens 40 years ago but what happened to the original Albert Square cast
EastEnders might be the quintessential British soap, woven into the fabric of UK culture with its beloved characters, tangled family dramas, and decades of tradition known to generations of viewers.
Since its explosive debut in 1985, the show has undergone dramatic transformations - both on screen and off.
From cherished icons who have sadly passed, to cast members who found fame in Hollywood or left the spotlight entirely, here's a look at the original EastEnders cast and where they are now, 40 years later.
Den Watts (Leslie Grantham)
Central to many major plots, the landlord 'Dirty Den' is one of the most iconic characters in the history of British soaps. In real life, Leslie Grantham's life was full of controversy from before even joining the show.
While serving the British army in West Germany in 1965, Grantham attempted to rob a taxi driver and ended up shooting him in the head. He was convicted of murder and spent 10 years in prison, and decided to pursue acting after being released.
After his EastEnders days - which ended because of an internet sex scandal he became involved in - he appeared in two UK tours of a stage adaptation of Beyond Reasonable Doubt, starred in police drama series The Bill, and had a cameo in the 25th anniversary episode of EastEnders. Grantham passed away in 2018, aged 71, of lung cancer.
Dot Cotton (June Brown)
Few characters in British soap history are as recognisable - or as beloved - as Dot Cotton. Played by June Brown, Dot was introduced in 1985 as a laundrette worker with a complicated son and a deep sense of morality.
June Brown stayed with the show, on and off, for 35 years. She made her final on-screen appearance in 2020, when Dot left Walford for Ireland.
The BBC made clear the door was left open for her return, even leaving her dressing room untouched. But June died in April 2022, aged 95.
Her impact was such that Dot's off-screen death was treated with reverence in a special episode later that year. Brown, who had been partially blind in her later years, was awarded an MBE in 2008 and a lifetime achievement award at the 2005 British Soap Awards.
Pauline Fowler (Wendy Richard)
Pauline was the heart of Albert Square's longest-running family, the Fowlers. Pauline's storylines spanned domestic abuse, teenage pregnancy, and family tragedy - culminating in her dramatic death on Christmas Day 2006, after being struck with a frying pan and left to die in the snow.
Wendy Richard, a veteran of Are You Being Served?, remained on EastEnders for over two decades. Her departure marked the end of an era. She was diagnosed with cancer shortly after leaving the show and died in 2009, aged 65. Richard had received an MBE in 2000 and remains one of the soap's most iconic faces.
Angie Watts (Anita Dobson)
The original Queen Vic landlady, Anita Dobson played Angie with raw emotional depth, especially during the infamous 1986 Christmas Day episode where Den handed Angie divorce papers.
Dobson left in 1988, despite producers pleading for her to stay. Angie was later killed off-screen in 2002, having died from alcohol poisoning.
Anita, now 75, went on to enjoy a successful career in theatre and TV, including Doctor Who and Call the Midwife. She married Queen guitarist Brian May in 2000 and remains one of the most respected actors to come out of the show.
Arthur Fowler (Bill Treacher)
Arthur Fowler was the everyman of EastEnders: kind, flawed, and a victim of life's pressures. Treacher asked to leave the show in 1995 after being warned that the stress of filming could be fatal.
Arthur was written out in a powerful storyline that ended in his death from a brain haemorrhage. Bill went on to appear in George and the Dragon alongside Patrick Swayze and continued acting until the early 2000s. He died in 2022 at the age of 92.
Nick Cotton (John Altman)
The villain you loved to hate, with his sneering grin and leather jacket, Nick Cotton was EastEnders' first true bad boy. John Altman played Nick across multiple stints from 1985 to 2015.
His final appearance saw Nick die of a heroin overdose in front of Dot - a grim end to one of the Square's most notorious characters. Altman, now 72, has appeared in The Real Marigold Hotel, indie films, and continues to work, including roles in horror and theatre.
Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean)
Introduced as the adopted daughter of Den and Angie, Sharon was the glam of EastEnders throughout the '90s, involved in love triangles and betrayals.
Letitia Dean left the show in 1995, returned in 2001, left again in 2006, and came back for good in 2012. Now 57, she remains a central figure in Walford, with major storylines as recently as 2024. Dean has remained fiercely private off-screen but is one of the few original characters still part of the current cast.
Michelle Fowler (Susan Tully)
Michelle made headlines from the moment she first appeared, thanks to the storyline involving her teenage pregnancy. Susan Tully played her until 1995, after which she stepped away from acting entirely.
She re-emerged behind the camera, directing episodes of Silent Witness, Line of Duty, and The A Word. Now 57, she is considered one of the UK's most respected TV directors. When Michelle returned to the show in 2016, she was played by a new actress, Jenna Russell.
Ethel Skinner (Gretchen Franklin)
A gossip with a heart of gold, Ethel Skinner was a former music hall star who brought old-school charm to Walford. Her most moving storyline came in 2000, when, gravely ill, she asked her best friend Dot to help end her life - an episode that pushed the BBC into controversy territory.
It was also Franklin's final performance. She died in 2005 aged 94, having reportedly insisted Ethel never be recast.
Pete Beale (Peter Dean)
Pete Beale was a rough-edged but well-meaning character, married to Pat, then Kathy, and clashing frequently with son Ian. Peter Dean played Pete until 1993, when the character was killed off-screen in a car crash during a dramatic twist by new producers.
Dean later criticised the decision, saying he was 'devastated' not to film his exit. The actor made a few TV appearances afterwards - including The Real EastEnders - but mostly stepped back from the limelight, and is now in his early 80s.
Lofty Holloway (Tom Watt)
In a square full of loudmouths and schemers, Lofty Holloway was kind-hearted and socially awkward and painfully sincere. His exit in 1988 was equally low-key: a letter and a goodbye.
Tom Watt made a surprise return for Lofty in 2019 during the funeral of Dr. Legg, but otherwise, he went on to become a football writer and ghost-wrote David Beckham's autobiography. Though rarely seen on screen these days, he's found success behind the scenes in sports broadcasting.
Lou Beale (Anna Wing)
The Beale matriarch was the first character to be created for EastEnders, and got killed off in 1988 - but not before making it clear to her nearest and dearest exactly what she thought of each of them.
She even managed to come to a truce with nemesis Pat. After leaving EastEnders, Wing still worked on stage productions, had numerous television roles, and appeared alongside Orlando Bloom in The Calcium Kid.
She also had roles in critically acclaimed films and earned an MBE in 2006. Wing died at the age of 98 from natural causes.
Sue Osman (Sandy Ratcliff)
One half of Walford's first married couple, Sue Osman was at the centre of one of EastEnders' earliest and most harrowing storylines - the sudden death of her baby from cot death.
The powerful plot helped establish the show's reputation for tackling real-life issues head-on. Sue struggled with mental health in later episodes before being written out in 1989. Off-screen, actress Sandy Ratcliff battled addiction, but later retrained as a counsellor. She died in 2019, aged 70.
Simon Wicks (Nick Berry)
A teenage heartthrob, Simon Wicks quickly became one of EastEnders' most popular early characters. His love triangles, family feuds, and musical talents earned him a brief pop career – including a No. 1 hit with Every Loser Wins.
After leaving the soap in 1990, Nick Berry found further fame in Heartbeat and later ran his own production company. Now 61, he's retired from acting and lives a quiet life away from the spotlight.
Dr Legg (Leonard Fenton)
One of Albert Square's quietest figures, Dr Legg was a comforting presence through the show's early years. Though he left full-time in 1997, he returned regularly for weddings, funerals, and major moments.
His final appearance in 2019, when the character died of pancreatic cancer, gave long-time fans a moving farewell. Leonard Fenton died in 2022, aged 95.
Mary Smith (Linda Davidson)
Known as 'Mary the Punk,' she was one of the Square's most striking residents: a single mum with bright hair, attitude, and a complicated life.
Mary's struggles with parenting and sex work pushed boundaries at the time, but her exit in 1988 came quietly. Linda Davidson left acting in the '90s to work behind the scenes at the BBC and later held executive roles at major digital companies, including the Jamie Oliver Group.
Tony Carpenter (Oscar James)
As one of the first Black characters on EastEnders, Tony Carpenter made TV history. A builder with a quick temper and a complicated family life, he stayed in Walford for just two years. A
fter the soap, Oscar James appeared in everything from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory to Shakespeare. Now 82, he's retired from acting.
Ali Osman (Nejdet Salih)
Taxi driver Ali Osman had a turbulent time in Walford, involving gambling problems, money struggles, and the heartbreak of losing his son Hassan. His relationship with Sue was central to the show's early drama.
Ali left the Square in 1989, and actor Nejdet Salih made only a few small TV appearances afterward. He later had a role in the Pirates of the Caribbean films and still acts occasionally.
Kelvin Carpenter (Paul J. Medford)
One of the Square's smartest teens, Kelvin Carpenter balanced school, ambition, and working-class grit. He stood out as a rare positive portrayal of Black youth on '80s TV.
Kelvin left in 1987 to go to university, and Paul J. Medford moved into stage roles before transitioning to a successful executive career. Since 2019, he's been a vice-president at Nickelodeon.
Debbie Wilkins (Shirley Cheriton)
Debbie Wilkins was the Square's arty, middle-class outsider - a university-educated character who stood out among her less academic neighbours.
She left in 1987 after a short run and never returned. Actress Shirley Cheriton largely stepped back from the spotlight, but had a handful of roles on stage and TV, including the 2009 comedy FM. She's now 69.
Andy O'Brien (Ross Davidson)
A mild-mannered nurse, Andy O'Brien made EastEnders history by being the first character ever killed off - in a dramatic road accident in 1986.
Actor Ross Davidson later starred in Brookside and Hollyoaks before passing away from brain cancer in 2006, aged 57.
Saeed Jeffrey (Andrew Johnson)
Saeed Jeffrey, Walford's shopkeeper, had a short and troubled time on the Square. His arranged marriage to Naima and cultural struggles caused controversy both in and outside the show, and he left after just ten months.
Actor Andrew Johnson moved to the US, where he appeared in Murder, She Wrote and Inspector Morse, before stepping away from acting. Now 70, his last known screen role was in 2019.
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