Christopher Smith is an English actor

Actor

An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...

 well known for playing the part of Robert Sugden

Robert Sugden

Robert Jacob Sugden is a fictional character in the British soap opera Emmerdale. He was played by three different actors: Richard Smith , Christopher Smith and Karl Davies .-Storylines:A character that was born on the show, Robert was notorious for the number of romantic relationships in...

 in ITV

ITV

ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...

 soap opera

Soap opera

A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...

 Emmerdale

Emmerdale

Emmerdale, is a long-running British soap opera set in Emmerdale , a fictional village in the Yorkshire Dales. Created by Kevin Laffan, Emmerdale was first broadcast on 16 October 1972...

from 1989 until May 2001, when he was axed and replaced by Karl Davies

Karl Davies

Karl Davies is an English actor, who portrayed Lyle Anderson in the TV series Kingdom. Previously he had portrayed Robert Sugden in the ITV soap opera Emmerdale.- Biography :...

.

Christopher attended Stage 84 drama school in Bradford, where his mother was choreographer, and at the age of 4 was picked from 50 auditionees when Yorkshire Television

Yorkshire Television

Yorkshire Television, now officially known as ITV Yorkshire and sometimes unofficially abbreviated to YTV, is a British television broadcaster and the contractor for the Yorkshire franchise area on the ITV network...

 visited the school searching for a new boy to play the character of Robert in Emmerdale. His father, Richard Smith, also acts and appeared in a minor role in Emmerdale before Christopher joined the cast.

The axing was due to the producers' intentions to feature Robert in more adult plotlines, therefore requiring an older looking actor for the part. The recasting took place while Robert was off-screen visiting his grandmother, Annie Sugden

Annie Brearly

Anne "Annie" Brearly is a fictional character in the popular soap opera Emmerdale. She was played by Sheila Mercier as a regular character between 1972 and 1994, making guest appearances in 1995, 1996 and 2009. Annie was one of Emmerdale Farm's original characters, appearing in its first episode...

 in Spain after learning his brother Andy

Andy Sugden

Andrew "Andy" Sugden is a fictional character in the British soap opera Emmerdale played by Kelvin Fletcher.-1996–2007:...

 was responsible for starting the barn fire that killed his mother.

In September 2001 Christopher sued Yorkshire Television for unfair dismissal

Unfair dismissal

Unfair dismissal is the term used in UK labour law to describe an employer's action when terminating an employee's employment contrary to the requirements of the Employment Rights Act 1996...

 from his part as Robert Sugden.

Christopher supports Bradford City football club

Bradford City A.F.C.

Bradford City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Bradford, West Yorkshire, playing in League Two....

. His parents own Love Bites Foods, a sandwich wholesaler based in Bradford.

External links

• Interview with Christopher Smith from Inside Soap magazine 2003 (Andy Baker) - http://www.emmerdale.org/emmerdale/profiles/robert2.htm