Michael Elphick
Encyclopedia
Michael John Elphick was an English
actor. Elphick was known in the UK for his trademark croaky voice and his work on British television, in particular his roles as the eponymous private investigator in the ITV
series Boon
and later Harry Slater in BBC
's EastEnders
.
Robust and ruggedly good-looking in his prime, Elphick always looked older than he was, and with his gruff Cockney accent and splendid lip-curling sneer he often played menacing hard men.
Elphick struggled with a highly publicised addiction to alcohol
; at the height of his problem he admitted to consuming two litres of spirits a day, which contributed towards his death from a heart attack
in 2002.
, West Sussex
, where his family had a butcher's shop. He was educated at Lancastrian Secondary Modern Boys School in Chichester where he took part in several school productions including Noah and A Midsummer Night's Dream. He initially considered joining the Merchant Navy and helped out in his local boatyard during school holidays.
It has been reported that he stumbled upon acting by chance when, at the age of 15, he took a job as an apprentice electrician
at the Chichester Festival Theatre
while it was being built. He gained an interest in acting whilst watching stars such as Laurence Olivier
, Michael Redgrave
and Sybil Thorndyke. Olivier advised Elphick to go to drama school and gave him two speeches to use at auditions. Elphick was offered a number of places but decided to train at the Central School of Speech and Drama
in Swiss Cottage
(aged 18), because Olivier had attended there.
's version of Hamlet
(1969); landed parts in cult movies such as The First Great Train Robbery
and The Elephant Man
and appeared in Lindsay Anderson
's allegorical O Lucky Man!
(1973). In 1983 he played the role of Pasha in the film Gorky Park
, for which he received a 1985 Best Supporting Actor BAFTA Award nomination. He was also seen as Phil Daniels
' father in the cult film Quadrophenia
(1979) and as the poacher, Jake, in Withnail & I (1987). In 1984 he played the lead, Fisher, a British Detective recalling under hypnosis a dystopian, crumbling Europe and his hunt for a serial killer in Lars von Trier's Palme D'Or
nominated debut film, The Element of Crime
.
On stage, Elphick played Marcellus and the Player King in Tony Richardson's stage version of Hamlet
at the Roundhouse Theatre and on Broadway and he later played Claudius to Jonathan Pryce
's Hamlet at the Royal Court Theatre
, directed by Richard Eyre
. He was also seen in The Changing Room
, directed by Lindsay Anderson, at the Royal Court Theatre. His last West End stage appearance was in 1997 was as Doolittle in Pygmalion
directed by Ray Cooney
at the Albery Theatre.
However it was for his television roles that Elphick became best known. He briefly appeared in Coronation Street
(1974) as Douglas Wormold, son of the landlord Edward, who for many years owned most of the properties in the road. Douglas unsuccessfully tried to buy The Kabin newsagents from Len Fairclough.
He played one of the main roles in the film Black Island in 1978 for the Children's Film Foundation, played a villain in The Sweeney
episode "One of Your Own" (1978) and played a policeman in The Professionals
episode "Backtrack" (1979) and had a minor role in Hazell
(1979), and appeared in the Dennis Potter
play Blue Remembered Hills
(1979). Elphick took the title role in Jack Pulman
's drama Private Schulz
(1981). Here he played Gerhard Schulz, a German soldier conscripted into SS Counter Espionage during the Second World War to destroy the British economy by flooding it with forged money.
He appeared as the Irish labourer Magowan during the first series of Auf Wiedersehen, Pet
(1983) and starred as Sidney Mundy in the ITV sitcom Pull the Other One (1984), before playing Sam Tyler in four series of Three Up, Two Down
(1985–89). In 1986 Elphick landed his biggest television success, Boon
(1986–92, 1995). He played Ken Boon, a retired fireman who opened a motorbike despatch business and later became a private investigator. Boon was very successful and ran for seven series, attracting audiences of 11 million at its peak. There was also a one-off episode screened in 1995, two years after it had been made. During breaks from Boon, Elphick continued to act in film with cameo roles in The Krays
(1990) and Let Him Have It
(1991).
In 1993 Elphick took the role of a former Fleet Street
journalist running a Darlington
news agency in Harry (1993, 1995). He played the alcoholic and ruthless Harry Salter, who frequently used exploitation and underhand tactics to get a story. This series however was less successful and it was soon cancelled. Elphick went on to play Billy Bones in Ken Russell
's televised version of Treasure Island
(1995) and Barkis in David Copperfield (1999).
In 2001 he joined the cast of EastEnders
, where he played Harry Slater, a romantic interest for Peggy Mitchell
(Barbara Windsor
). The plotline indicated that Slater had sexually abused his niece, Kat Slater (Jessie Wallace
), at the age of 13 and her "sister" Zoe
(Michelle Ryan
) was the daughter born to her when she became pregnant by him. Elphick's heavy drinking began to affect his performances, so the character promptly left the series, and news of his death in Spain
reached Walford four months later.
in 1996. The couple had a daughter, Kate.
For many years Elphick struggled with alcoholism
. He made the first of many attempts to stop drinking in 1988, after doctors warned him he could die within a year if he continued. He sought help from Alcoholics Anonymous
in the early 1990s, although he admitted he was still drinking in 1993. In 1996 he admitted that he had begun drinking heavily again and also contemplated suicide after the death of his partner of 33 years. However he rallied and returned to the stage in "Loot". The actor also confessed to having taken cocaine
and once, while high on drugs, grabbing a shotgun and chasing a gang of thugs after he had been carjacked
near his villa in Portugal
. But despite numerous drunken episodes and more than the occasional sexual indiscretion, Elphick was rarely out of work.
In 1998 Elphick was admitted to the Priory Clinic
in Roehampton
, in an attempt to beat his addictions. Reports of his alcohol abuse persisted, however, and during his brief spell on EastEnders during 2001 it was reported that the BBC
was considering dropping his character if his drinking wasn't curtailed.
His interment was located in Chichester Crematorium.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
actor. Elphick was known in the UK for his trademark croaky voice and his work on British television, in particular his roles as the eponymous private investigator in the 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...
series Boon
Boon (TV series)
Boon is a British television drama and modern-day western series starring Michael Elphick, David Daker, and later Neil Morrissey. It was created by Jim Hill and Bill Stair and filmed by Central Television for ITV...
and later Harry Slater in BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's EastEnders
EastEnders
EastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...
.
Robust and ruggedly good-looking in his prime, Elphick always looked older than he was, and with his gruff Cockney accent and splendid lip-curling sneer he often played menacing hard men.
Elphick struggled with a highly publicised addiction to alcohol
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
; at the height of his problem he admitted to consuming two litres of spirits a day, which contributed towards his death from a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
in 2002.
Early life
Elphick grew up in ChichesterChichester
Chichester is a cathedral city in West Sussex, within the historic County of Sussex, South-East England. It has a long history as a settlement; its Roman past and its subsequent importance in Anglo-Saxon times are only its beginnings...
, West Sussex
West Sussex
West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex , Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming...
, where his family had a butcher's shop. He was educated at Lancastrian Secondary Modern Boys School in Chichester where he took part in several school productions including Noah and A Midsummer Night's Dream. He initially considered joining the Merchant Navy and helped out in his local boatyard during school holidays.
It has been reported that he stumbled upon acting by chance when, at the age of 15, he took a job as an apprentice electrician
Electrician
An electrician is a tradesman specializing in electrical wiring of buildings, stationary machines and related equipment. Electricians may be employed in the installation of new electrical components or the maintenance and repair of existing electrical infrastructure. Electricians may also...
at the Chichester Festival Theatre
Chichester Festival Theatre
Chichester Festival Theatre, located in Chichester, England, was designed by Philip Powell and Hidalgo Moya, and opened by its founder Leslie Evershed-Martin in 1962. Subsequently the smaller and more intimate Minerva Theatre was built nearby in 1989....
while it was being built. He gained an interest in acting whilst watching stars such as Laurence Olivier
Laurence Olivier
Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier, OM was an English actor, director, and producer. He was one of the most famous and revered actors of the 20th century. He married three times, to fellow actors Jill Esmond, Vivien Leigh, and Joan Plowright...
, Michael Redgrave
Michael Redgrave
Sir Michael Scudamore Redgrave, CBE was an English stage and film actor, director, manager and author.-Youth and education:...
and Sybil Thorndyke. Olivier advised Elphick to go to drama school and gave him two speeches to use at auditions. Elphick was offered a number of places but decided to train at the Central School of Speech and Drama
Central School of Speech and Drama
The Central School of Speech and Drama was founded in London in 1906 by Elsie Fogerty to offer a new form of training in speech and drama for young actors and other students...
in Swiss Cottage
Swiss Cottage
Swiss Cottage is a district of the London Borough of Camden in London, England. Thedistrict is located north-west of Charing Cross. It is centred on the junction of Avenue Road and Finchley Road and is the location of Swiss Cottage tube station.-Etymology:...
(aged 18), because Olivier had attended there.
Career
Upon graduating from drama school Elphick was offered roles primarily as menacing heavies. He made his debut in Fraulein Doktor (an Italian-made First World War film circa 1968). He went on to play the Captain in Tony RichardsonTony Richardson
Cecil Antonio "Tony" Richardson was an English theatre and film director and producer.-Early life:Richardson was born in Shipley, Yorkshire in 1928, the son of Elsie Evans and Clarence Albert Richardson, a chemist...
's version of Hamlet
Hamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
(1969); landed parts in cult movies such as The First Great Train Robbery
The First Great Train Robbery
The First Great Train Robbery — known in the U.S. as The Great Train Robbery — is a 1979 film directed by Michael Crichton, who also wrote the screenplay based on his novel The Great Train Robbery...
and The Elephant Man
The Elephant Man (film)
The Elephant Man is a 1980 American drama film based on the true story of Joseph Merrick , a severely deformed man in 19th century London...
and appeared in Lindsay Anderson
Lindsay Anderson
Lindsay Gordon Anderson was an Indian-born, British feature film, theatre and documentary director, film critic, and leading light of the Free Cinema movement and the British New Wave...
's allegorical O Lucky Man!
O Lucky Man!
O Lucky Man! is a 1973 British comedy-drama fantasy film, intended as an allegory on life in a capitalist society. Directed by Lindsay Anderson, it stars Malcolm McDowell as Mick Travis, whom McDowell had first played as a disaffected public schoolboy in his first film performance in Anderson's...
(1973). In 1983 he played the role of Pasha in the film Gorky Park
Gorky Park (film)
Gorky Park is a 1983 film based on the novel Gorky Park by Martin Cruz Smith. It was directed by Michael Apted from a screenplay by Dennis Potter ....
, for which he received a 1985 Best Supporting Actor BAFTA Award nomination. He was also seen as Phil Daniels
Phil Daniels
Philip W. "Phil" Daniels is an English actor, most noted for film and television roles as "cockneys" such as Jimmy in Quadrophenia, Richards in Scum, Stewart in The Class of Miss MacMichael, Mark in Meantime, Kevin Wicks in EastEnders, DCS Frank Patterson in New Tricks and Edward Kitchener "Ted"...
' father in the cult film Quadrophenia
Quadrophenia (film)
Quadrophenia is a 1979 British film, loosely based around the 1973 rock opera of the same name by The Who. The film stars Phil Daniels as a Mod named Jimmy. It was directed by Franc Roddam in his feature directing debut...
(1979) and as the poacher, Jake, in Withnail & I (1987). In 1984 he played the lead, Fisher, a British Detective recalling under hypnosis a dystopian, crumbling Europe and his hunt for a serial killer in Lars von Trier's Palme D'Or
Palme d'Or
The Palme d'Or is the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival and is presented to the director of the best feature film of the official competition. It was introduced in 1955 by the organising committee. From 1939 to 1954, the highest prize was the Grand Prix du Festival International du...
nominated debut film, The Element of Crime
The Element of Crime
The Element of Crime is the first feature film directed by noted Danish filmmaker Lars von Trier. The film, released in 1984, is also the first in the director's Europa trilogy...
.
On stage, Elphick played Marcellus and the Player King in Tony Richardson's stage version of Hamlet
Hamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
at the Roundhouse Theatre and on Broadway and he later played Claudius to Jonathan Pryce
Jonathan Pryce
Jonathan Pryce, CBE is a Welsh stage and film actor and singer. After studying at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and meeting his longtime partner English actress Kate Fahy in 1974, he began his career as a stage actor in the 1970s...
's Hamlet at the Royal Court Theatre
Royal Court Theatre
The Royal Court Theatre is a non-commercial theatre on Sloane Square, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is noted for its contributions to modern theatre...
, directed by Richard Eyre
Richard Eyre
Sir Richard Charles Hastings Eyre CBE is an English director of film, theatre, television, and opera.-Biography:Eyre was educated at Sherborne School, an independent school for boys in the market town of Sherborne in north-west Dorset in south-west England, followed by Peterhouse at the University...
. He was also seen in The Changing Room
The Changing Room
The Changing Room is a 1971 play by David Storey, set in a men's changing room before, during and after a rugby game. It premiered at the Royal Court Theatre on 9 November 1971, directed by Lindsay Anderson...
, directed by Lindsay Anderson, at the Royal Court Theatre. His last West End stage appearance was in 1997 was as Doolittle in Pygmalion
Pygmalion (play)
Pygmalion: A Romance in Five Acts is a play by Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw. Professor of phonetics Henry Higgins makes a bet that he can train a bedraggled Cockney flower girl, Eliza Doolittle, to pass for a duchess at an ambassador's garden party by teaching her to assume a veneer of...
directed by Ray Cooney
Ray Cooney
Raymond George Alfred Cooney, OBE is an English playwright and actor. His biggest success, Run for Your Wife, lasted nine years in London's West End and is its longest-running comedy. He has had 17 of his plays performed there....
at the Albery Theatre.
However it was for his television roles that Elphick became best known. He briefly appeared in Coronation Street
Coronation Street
Coronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960...
(1974) as Douglas Wormold, son of the landlord Edward, who for many years owned most of the properties in the road. Douglas unsuccessfully tried to buy The Kabin newsagents from Len Fairclough.
He played one of the main roles in the film Black Island in 1978 for the Children's Film Foundation, played a villain in The Sweeney
The Sweeney
The Sweeney is a 1970s British television police drama focusing on two members of the Flying Squad, a branch of the Metropolitan Police specialising in tackling armed robbery and violent crime in London...
episode "One of Your Own" (1978) and played a policeman in The Professionals
The Professionals (TV series)
The Professionals was a British crime-action television drama series produced by Avengers Mk1 Productions and London Weekend Television that aired on the ITV network from 1977 to 1983. In all, 57 episodes were produced, filmed between 1977 and 1981. It starred Martin Shaw, Lewis Collins and Gordon...
episode "Backtrack" (1979) and had a minor role in Hazell
Hazell (TV series)
Hazell is a British television series that ran from 1978–1979, about a fictional private detective named James Hazell.-Overview:James Hazell was a cockney private detective character created by journalist and novelist Gordon Williams and footballer-turned-manager Terry Venables...
(1979), and appeared in the Dennis Potter
Dennis Potter
Dennis Christopher George Potter was an English dramatist, best known for The Singing Detective. His widely acclaimed television dramas mixed fantasy and reality, the personal and the social. He was particularly fond of using themes and images from popular culture.-Biography:Dennis Potter was born...
play Blue Remembered Hills
Blue Remembered Hills
Blue Remembered Hills is a television play by Dennis Potter, originally broadcast on January 30, 1979 as part of the BBC's Play for Today series....
(1979). Elphick took the title role in Jack Pulman
Jack Pulman
Jack Pulman was an award-winning British television screenwriter, most famous for the critically acclaimed 1976 BBC television series, I, Claudius, based on the novel of the same name by Robert Graves....
's drama Private Schulz
Private Schulz (TV series)
Private Schulz was a BBC television comedy drama mini-series starring Michael Elphick in the title role and Ian Richardson playing various parts...
(1981). Here he played Gerhard Schulz, a German soldier conscripted into SS Counter Espionage during the Second World War to destroy the British economy by flooding it with forged money.
He appeared as the Irish labourer Magowan during the first series of Auf Wiedersehen, Pet
Auf Wiedersehen, Pet
Auf Wiedersehen, Pet is a British comedy-drama television programme about seven English migrant construction workers. In the first series, the men live and work on a building site in Düsseldorf....
(1983) and starred as Sidney Mundy in the ITV sitcom Pull the Other One (1984), before playing Sam Tyler in four series of Three Up, Two Down
Three Up, Two Down
Three Up, Two Down is a British sitcom starring Michael Elphick and Angela Thorne that ran from 1985 to 1989. It was written by Richard Ommanney.-Cast:*Michael Elphick - Sam Tyler*Angela Thorne - Daphne Trenchard...
(1985–89). In 1986 Elphick landed his biggest television success, Boon
Boon (TV series)
Boon is a British television drama and modern-day western series starring Michael Elphick, David Daker, and later Neil Morrissey. It was created by Jim Hill and Bill Stair and filmed by Central Television for ITV...
(1986–92, 1995). He played Ken Boon, a retired fireman who opened a motorbike despatch business and later became a private investigator. Boon was very successful and ran for seven series, attracting audiences of 11 million at its peak. There was also a one-off episode screened in 1995, two years after it had been made. During breaks from Boon, Elphick continued to act in film with cameo roles in The Krays
The Krays (film)
The Krays is a 1990 film based on the lives and crimes of the British gangsters Ronald and Reginald Kray, twins who are often referred to as The Krays...
(1990) and Let Him Have It
Let Him Have It
Let Him Have It is a 1991 British film, which was based on the true story of the case against Derek Bentley, who was hanged for murder under controversial circumstances on 28 January 1953. While Bentley did not directly play a role in the murder of PC Sidney Miles, he received the greater...
(1991).
In 1993 Elphick took the role of a former Fleet Street
Fleet Street
Fleet Street is a street in central London, United Kingdom, named after the River Fleet, a stream that now flows underground. It was the home of the British press until the 1980s...
journalist running a Darlington
Darlington
Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, part of the ceremonial county of County Durham, England. It lies on the small River Skerne, a tributary of the River Tees, not far from the main river. It is the main population centre in the borough, with a population of 97,838 as of 2001...
news agency in Harry (1993, 1995). He played the alcoholic and ruthless Harry Salter, who frequently used exploitation and underhand tactics to get a story. This series however was less successful and it was soon cancelled. Elphick went on to play Billy Bones in Ken Russell
Ken Russell
Henry Kenneth Alfred "Ken" Russell was an English film director, known for his pioneering work in television and film and for his flamboyant and controversial style. He attracted criticism as being obsessed with sexuality and the church...
's televised version of Treasure Island
Treasure Island
Treasure Island is an adventure novel by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson, narrating a tale of "pirates and buried gold". First published as a book on May 23, 1883, it was originally serialized in the children's magazine Young Folks between 1881–82 under the title Treasure Island; or, the...
(1995) and Barkis in David Copperfield (1999).
In 2001 he joined the cast of EastEnders
EastEnders
EastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...
, where he played Harry Slater, a romantic interest for Peggy Mitchell
Peggy Mitchell
Margaret Ann "Peggy" Mitchell is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders. Peggy was initially played by Jo Warne when she first appeared on 30 April 1991, featuring in the series on a recurring basis over several weeks. Peggy was reintroduced in 1994, recast and was then played by...
(Barbara Windsor
Barbara Windsor
Barbara Ann Windsor, MBE , better known by her stage name Barbara Windsor, is an English actress. Her best known roles are in the Carry On films and as Peggy Mitchell in the BBC soap opera EastEnders....
). The plotline indicated that Slater had sexually abused his niece, Kat Slater (Jessie Wallace
Jessie Wallace
Jessie Wallace is an English actress best known for her portrayal as Kat Moon in the BBC soap opera EastEnders.-Early life:...
), at the age of 13 and her "sister" Zoe
Zoe Slater
Zoe Slater is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Michelle Ryan. She made her first appearance on the 18 September 2000...
(Michelle Ryan
Michelle Ryan
Michelle Claire Ryan is an English actress.She is best known for portraying the role of Zoe Slater on BBC soap opera EastEnders. In 2007, she starred in the short lived American television series Bionic Woman...
) was the daughter born to her when she became pregnant by him. Elphick's heavy drinking began to affect his performances, so the character promptly left the series, and news of his death in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
reached Walford four months later.
Personal life
Elphick met his long-term partner, school teacher Julia Alexander, in 1963 and remained with her until her death from cancerCancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
in 1996. The couple had a daughter, Kate.
For many years Elphick struggled with alcoholism
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
. He made the first of many attempts to stop drinking in 1988, after doctors warned him he could die within a year if he continued. He sought help from Alcoholics Anonymous
Alcoholics Anonymous
Alcoholics Anonymous is an international mutual aid movement which says its "primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics achieve sobriety." Now claiming more than 2 million members, AA was founded in 1935 by Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith in Akron, Ohio...
in the early 1990s, although he admitted he was still drinking in 1993. In 1996 he admitted that he had begun drinking heavily again and also contemplated suicide after the death of his partner of 33 years. However he rallied and returned to the stage in "Loot". The actor also confessed to having taken cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
and once, while high on drugs, grabbing a shotgun and chasing a gang of thugs after he had been carjacked
Carjacking
Carjacking is a form of hijacking, where the crime is of stealing a motor vehicle and so also armed assault when the vehicle is occupied. Historically, such as in the rash of semi-trailer truck hijackings during the 1960s, the general term hijacking was used for that type of vehicle abduction,...
near his villa in Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
. But despite numerous drunken episodes and more than the occasional sexual indiscretion, Elphick was rarely out of work.
In 1998 Elphick was admitted to the Priory Clinic
Priory Group
The Priory Group is an independent provider of mental health care facilities in the United Kingdom. They also manage schools, some for students with Asperger syndrome or high-functioning autism...
in Roehampton
Roehampton
Roehampton is a district in south-west London, forming the western end of the London Borough of Wandsworth. It lies between the town of Barnes to the north, Putney to the east and Wimbledon Common to the south. The Richmond Park golf courses are west of the neighbourhood, and just south of these is...
, in an attempt to beat his addictions. Reports of his alcohol abuse persisted, however, and during his brief spell on EastEnders during 2001 it was reported that the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
was considering dropping his character if his drinking wasn't curtailed.
Death
Elphick died in 2002 from a heart attack complicated by his drink problem. He had collapsed at his home in Willesden Green, London, after complaining of pains. He was rushed to hospital where he later died.His interment was located in Chichester Crematorium.
Filmography
- Fräulein DoktorFräulein DoktorFräulein Doktor is a First World War drama filmed in 1968 and released in 1969. It was a European co-production, starring Suzy Kendall, Kenneth More, Capucine, James Booth, Giancarlo Giannini and Nigel Green. It was produced by Dino De Laurentiis and directed by Alberto Lattuada, with a music...
(1968)...as Tom - Where's Jack?Where's Jack?Where's Jack? is a 1969 film based around the exploits of notorious 18th century criminal Jack Sheppard and London "thieftaker" Jonathan Wild....
(1969)...as Hogarth - HamletHamlet (1969 film)Hamlet is a 1969 British film adaptation of Shakespeare's play Hamlet, starring Nicol Williamson as Prince Hamlet. It was directed by Tony Richardson and based on his own stage production at the Roundhouse theatre in London...
(1969)...as Captain - Parkin's PatchParkin's PatchParkin's Patch is a Yorkshire Television production that aired on ITV from 1969 to 1970. PC Moss Parkin played the lead role of a police constable in the North York Moors. The series was filmed in the North York Moors as well as certain scenes being shot in Leeds, including parts around the Farm...
(1970)...as Thomas - The Best Things in Life (1970)...as Jed Lucas
- Cry of the BansheeCry Of The BansheeCry of the Banshee is a 1970 horror film directed by Gordon Hessler, starring Vincent Price as an evil witchhunter. The film was released by American International Pictures. The film co stars Elizabeth Bergner, Hilary Dwyer, and Hugh Griffith...
(1970)...as Burke - The Buttercup ChainThe Buttercup ChainThe Buttercup Chain is a 1970 British drama film directed by Robert Ellis Miller. It was entered into the 1970 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:* Hywel Bennett - France* Leigh Taylor-Young - Manny* Jane Asher - Margaret* Sven-Bertil Taube - Fred...
(1970)...as The Driver - Armchair TheatreArmchair TheatreArmchair Theatre is a British television drama anthology series, which ran on the ITV network from 1956 to 1974. It was originally produced by Associated British Corporation, and later by Thames Television after 1968....
(1971)...as Robert Delmonds - The Misfit (1971)...as Mike Halloran
- Blind TerrorBlind TerrorBlind Terror is a suspense thriller starring Nastassja Kinski, Stewart Bick and Gordon Pinsent. Written by Douglas Soesbe, Directed by Giles Walker.-Plot:...
(1971)...as Gypsy Tom - Albert and VictoriaAlbert and VictoriaAlbert and Victoria is a British sitcom that aired on ITV from 1970 to 1971. Starring Alfred Marks, it was written by Reuben Ship. It was made for the ITV network by Yorkshire Television....
(1971)...as Nigel Godfrey - Adult Fun (1972)...as Himself
- Country Matters (1973)...as Jack
- Adam SmithAdam SmithAdam Smith was a Scottish social philosopher and a pioneer of political economy. One of the key figures of the Scottish Enlightenment, Smith is the author of The Theory of Moral Sentiments and An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations...
(1973)...as Ben Davies - And Now the Screaming Starts!And Now the Screaming Starts!And Now the Screaming Starts! is a 1973 British gothic horror film. It is one of the few feature-length horror stories by Amicus, a company best-known for anthology or "portmanteau" films....
(1973)...as Drunk - JusticeJustice (TV series)Justice is an American legal drama produced by Jerry Bruckheimer that aired on Fox in the USA and CTV in Canada. The series also aired on Warner Channel in Latin America, Nine Network in Australia, and on TV2 In New Zealand....
(1973)...as Peter Rodwell - O Lucky Man!O Lucky Man!O Lucky Man! is a 1973 British comedy-drama fantasy film, intended as an allegory on life in a capitalist society. Directed by Lindsay Anderson, it stars Malcolm McDowell as Mick Travis, whom McDowell had first played as a disaffected public schoolboy in his first film performance in Anderson's...
(1973)...as Bill - Great Mysteries (1973)...as Gorenflot
- Amchair Theatre (1973)...as Chopper/Best Man
- New Scotland Yard (1973)...as Al Farmer
- Crown CourtCrown Court (TV series)Crown Court was an afternoon television courtroom drama produced by Granada Television for the ITV network that ran from 1972, when the Crown Court system replaced Assize courts and Quarter sessions in the legal system of England and Wales, to 1984....
(1973)...as Simon Chase - New Scotland Yard (1974)...as Joss Adrian
- ITV PlayhouseITV PlayhouseITV Playhouse was a UK comedy-drama TV series that ran from 1967 to 1983, which featured contributions from playwrights such as Dennis Potter, Rhys Adrian and Alan Sharp. The series began in black and white, but was later shot in colour and was produced by various companies for the ITV network, a...
(1974)...as Norma's Friend - The Nearly Man (1974)...as Ron Hibbert
- The Brothers (1974)...as Patrolman
- Coronation StreetCoronation StreetCoronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960...
(1974)...as Douglas Wormold - Crown CourtCrown Court (TV series)Crown Court was an afternoon television courtroom drama produced by Granada Television for the ITV network that ran from 1972, when the Crown Court system replaced Assize courts and Quarter sessions in the legal system of England and Wales, to 1984....
(1975–83)...as Neville Griffiths QC - Crown CourtCrown Court (TV series)Crown Court was an afternoon television courtroom drama produced by Granada Television for the ITV network that ran from 1972, when the Crown Court system replaced Assize courts and Quarter sessions in the legal system of England and Wales, to 1984....
(1975)...as Frank Hollins - The Nearly ManThe Nearly ManThe Nearly Man was a UK TV series from the mid-1970s created by Arthur Hopcraft about a middle-class Labour MP. Originally screened on ITV on 4 August 1974, the series won the Broadcasting Press Guild award for the best single play on British television in 1974. The series was filmed in London by...
(1975)...as Ron Hibbert - Three Men in a BoatThree Men in a BoatThree Men in a Boat ,The Penguin edition punctuates the title differently: Three Men in a Boat: To Say Nothing of the Dog! published in 1889, is a humorous account by Jerome K...
(1975)...as 2nd Porter - HadleighHadleigh (TV series)Hadleigh was a British television series made by Yorkshire Television which originally ran from 1969 to 1976. Developed by Robert Barr, it was a sequel to the writer's earlier Gazette for the same company...
(1976)...as Brian Ainsworth - BBC2 Playhouse (1976)...as Frank
- Holding On (1977)...as Charlie Wheelright
- ITV PlayhouseITV PlayhouseITV Playhouse was a UK comedy-drama TV series that ran from 1967 to 1983, which featured contributions from playwrights such as Dennis Potter, Rhys Adrian and Alan Sharp. The series began in black and white, but was later shot in colour and was produced by various companies for the ITV network, a...
(1977)...as Oscar - This Year Next Year (1977)...as Jack Shaw
- Last SummerLast SummerLast Summer is a 1969 coming-of-age movie about adolescent sexuality. Director Frank Perry filmed at Fire Island locations: the stars of the film are Catherine Burns, Barbara Hershey, Bruce Davison and Richard Thomas. The memorable performance by Burns brought her an Academy Award nomination for...
(1977)...as Oscar - ITV Sunday Night Drama (1977)...as Himself
- Saturday, Sunday, Monday (1978)...as Michel
- HazellHazell (TV series)Hazell is a British television series that ran from 1978–1979, about a fictional private detective named James Hazell.-Overview:James Hazell was a cockney private detective character created by journalist and novelist Gordon Williams and footballer-turned-manager Terry Venables...
(1978)...as Griffiths - Send in the Girls (1978)...as Jimmy
- ITV PlayhouseITV PlayhouseITV Playhouse was a UK comedy-drama TV series that ran from 1967 to 1983, which featured contributions from playwrights such as Dennis Potter, Rhys Adrian and Alan Sharp. The series began in black and white, but was later shot in colour and was produced by various companies for the ITV network, a...
(1978)...as Barrister at Partyzs - The Odd JobThe Odd JobThe Odd Job is a 1978 British comedy film starring Graham Chapman . It tells the story of a man named Arthur Harris who is recently abandoned by his wife. He becomes so depressed that he hires an "odd job man" to kill him...
(1978)...as Raymonde - The One and Only Phyllis Dizey (1978)...as Wallace Parnell
- The SweeneyThe SweeneyThe Sweeney is a 1970s British television police drama focusing on two members of the Flying Squad, a branch of the Metropolitan Police specialising in tackling armed robbery and violent crime in London...
(1978)...as Jimmy Fleet - Play for TodayPlay for TodayPlay for Today is a British television anthology drama series, produced by the BBC and transmitted on BBC1 from 1970 to 1984. During the run, more than three hundred programmes, featuring original television plays, and adaptations of stage plays and novels, were transmitted...
(1978)...as Thomas Venables - The Ghosts of Motley HallThe Ghosts of Motley HallThe Ghosts of Motley Hall was a British children's television series written by Richard Carpenter, produced and directed by Quentin Lawrence, and shown in 1976 by Granada Television.The series relates the adventures of 5 ghosts who haunt Motley Hall...
(1978)...as Captain Narcissus Bullock - The Quiz Kid (1979)...as Jack
- Black Island (1979)...as Jack Daker
- The Knowledge (1979)...as Gordon Weller
- Play for TodayPlay for TodayPlay for Today is a British television anthology drama series, produced by the BBC and transmitted on BBC1 from 1970 to 1984. During the run, more than three hundred programmes, featuring original television plays, and adaptations of stage plays and novels, were transmitted...
(1979)...as Peter - The First Great Train RobberyThe First Great Train RobberyThe First Great Train Robbery — known in the U.S. as The Great Train Robbery — is a 1979 film directed by Michael Crichton, who also wrote the screenplay based on his novel The Great Train Robbery...
(1979)...as Burgess - QuadropheniaQuadrophenia (film)Quadrophenia is a 1979 British film, loosely based around the 1973 rock opera of the same name by The Who. The film stars Phil Daniels as a Mod named Jimmy. It was directed by Franc Roddam in his feature directing debut...
(1979)...as Father - The ProfessionalsThe Professionals (TV series)The Professionals was a British crime-action television drama series produced by Avengers Mk1 Productions and London Weekend Television that aired on the ITV network from 1977 to 1983. In all, 57 episodes were produced, filmed between 1977 and 1981. It starred Martin Shaw, Lewis Collins and Gordon...
(1979)...as Sergeant Garbett - Cribb (1980)...as Sol Herriott
- BBC2 Playhouse (1980)...as Charlie
- The Elephant ManThe Elephant Man (film)The Elephant Man is a 1980 American drama film based on the true story of Joseph Merrick , a severely deformed man in 19th century London...
(1980)...as Night Porter - Shoestring (1980)...as Pete Johnson
- The AntagonistsThe AntagonistsThe Antagonists is an historical novel by Ernest K. Gann about the siege of Masada. The novel explores the themes of leadership and patriotism by comparing and contrasting the two protagonists/antagonists of the story...
(1981)...as Vettius - Private Schulz (1981)...as Private Schulz
- Roger Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1981)...as Stanley
- Tony (1981–88)...as Johnny Magowan
- Privates on ParadePrivates on ParadePrivates on Parade: A Play with Songs in Two Acts is a 1977 farce by English playwright Peter Nichols , with music by Denis King.-Plot:...
(1982)...as Sergeant Major Reg Drummond - BBC2 Playhouse (1982)...as Eddie
- Andy RobsonAndy RobsonAndy Robson is a 1982 British children's television series produced by Tyne Tees Television and which was aired on the ITV network for two series in 1982 and 1983. It was based on Frederick Grice's novel The Courage of Andy Robson, published in 1969...
(1982)...as Jake Carnaby - Smiley's PeopleSmiley's PeopleSmiley's People is a spy novel by John le Carré, published in 1979. Featuring British master-spy George Smiley, it is the third and final novel of the "Karla Trilogy", following Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and The Honourable Schoolboy...
(1982)...as Detective Chief Superintendent - Timeslip (1982)... as Osri
- Bird Fancier (1983)...as Darville
- Bloomfield (1983)...as Billy Gibbs
- KrullKrull (film)Krull is a 1983 heroic fantasy film directed by Peter Yates and produced by Ron Silverman. Released by Columbia Pictures, it stars Ken Marshall as Prince Colwyn and Lysette Anthony as Princess Lyssa....
(1983)...as the voice of Rell - Curse of the Pink PantherCurse of the Pink PantherCurse of the Pink Panther is a 1983 comedy film, the eighth installment of the The Pink Panther series of films started by Blake Edwards in the early 1960s....
(1983)...as Valencia Police Chief - Gorky ParkGorky Park (film)Gorky Park is a 1983 film based on the novel Gorky Park by Martin Cruz Smith. It was directed by Michael Apted from a screenplay by Dennis Potter ....
(1983)...as Pasha - Auf Wiedersehen, PetAuf Wiedersehen, PetAuf Wiedersehen, Pet is a British comedy-drama television programme about seven English migrant construction workers. In the first series, the men live and work on a building site in Düsseldorf....
(1983–84)...as Magowan - The Element of CrimeThe Element of CrimeThe Element of Crime is the first feature film directed by noted Danish filmmaker Lars von Trier. The film, released in 1984, is also the first in the director's Europa trilogy...
(1984)...as Fisher - Memed My Hawk (1984)...as Jabbar
- Pull the Other One (1984)...as Sidney Mundy
- Arthur's Hallowed Ground (1984)...Len
- Oxbridge BluesOxbridge BluesOxbridge Blues is a British television mini-series, produced by the BBC and first shown in 1984. It is an anthology of seven 75-minute teleplays, most of which focus on relationships of one kind or another...
(1984)...as Curly Bonaventura - Much Ado About NothingMuch Ado About NothingMuch Ado About Nothing is a comedy written by William Shakespeare about two pairs of lovers, Benedick and Beatrice, and Claudio and Hero....
(1984)...as Dogberry - Three Up, Two DownThree Up, Two DownThree Up, Two Down is a British sitcom starring Michael Elphick and Angela Thorne that ran from 1985 to 1989. It was written by Richard Ommanney.-Cast:*Michael Elphick - Sam Tyler*Angela Thorne - Daphne Trenchard...
(1985–89)...as Sam TylerSam TylerDCI/DI Sam Tyler is a fictional character in BBC One's science fiction/police procedural drama, Life on Mars.In the original British version of Life on Mars, Tyler is played by John Simm and in the American version he is played by Jason O'Mara.... - Super Gran (1985)...as Roly Roofless
- Ordeal by Innocent (1985)...as Inspector Huish
- Hitler's S.S.: Portrait of Evil (1985)...as Ernst RohmErnst RöhmErnst Julius Röhm, was a German officer in the Bavarian Army and later an early Nazi leader. He was a co-founder of the Sturmabteilung , the Nazi Party militia, and later was its commander...
- Lake Starter (1985)...as Jack Owen
- Jenny's WarJenny's War.Jenny's War is a 1985 war telelvision serial set during World War II, made by HTV in association with Columbia Pictures. It is directed by and written by Steve Gethers. The screenplay is based on the novel with the same name of Jack Stoneley...
(1985)...as Schumann - Tony (1985)...as Johnny Magowan
- The SupergrassThe SupergrassThe Supergrass is a 1985 British comedy film written and directed by Peter Richardson. Film starred Richardson, Adrian Edmondson, Jennifer Saunders, Dawn French, Keith Allen, Nigel Planer, Alexei Sayle, Ronald Allen and Robbie Coltrane. After returning from a holiday in the West Country he...
(1985)...as Constable Collins - BoonBoon (TV series)Boon is a British television drama and modern-day western series starring Michael Elphick, David Daker, and later Neil Morrissey. It was created by Jim Hill and Bill Stair and filmed by Central Television for ITV...
(1986–95)...as Ken Boon - Pirates (1986)...as Sentry
- Valhalla (1986)...as Voice of Udgaardsloki
- Fellows and Magowan (1987–91)...as Johnny Magowan
- Withnail & I (1987)...as Jake
- Little DorritLittle DorritLittle Dorrit is a serial novel by Charles Dickens published originally between 1855 and 1857. It is a work of satire on the shortcomings of the government and society of the period....
(1988)...as Mr Merdle - Asterix and the Big FightAsterix and the Big FightAsterix and the Big Fight is a French comic book, the seventh in the Asterix comic book series. It was written by René Goscinny and illustrated by Albert Uderzo. Its original French title is Le Combat des chefs and it was first published in serial form in Pilote magazines, issues 261-302, in 1964...
(1989)...as Voice of Crysus - The KraysThe Krays (film)The Krays is a 1990 film based on the lives and crimes of the British gangsters Ronald and Reginald Kray, twins who are often referred to as The Krays...
(1990)...as George in Prison (unaccredited) - I Bought a Vampire MotorcycleI Bought a Vampire MotorcycleI Bought a Vampire Motorcycle is a 1990 low-budget horror spoof about a motorcycle possessed by an evil spirit.Set in a Birmingham, England suburb, the film is about a man named Noddy and his girlfriend Kim who operate a motorcycle courier business. One day Noddy bought a classic motorbike, a 750cc...
(1990)...as Inspector Cleaver - Buddy's Song (1991)...as Des King
- Let Him Have ItLet Him Have ItLet Him Have It is a 1991 British film, which was based on the true story of the case against Derek Bentley, who was hanged for murder under controversial circumstances on 28 January 1953. While Bentley did not directly play a role in the murder of PC Sidney Miles, he received the greater...
(1991)...as Prison Officer Jack - Stanley and the Women (1991)...as Bert Hutchinson
- The Ballad of Kid Divine: The Cockney Cowboy (1992)...as Dr. Nathaniel Bonner
- HarryHarry (TV series)Harry is a television drama series that was made by Union Pictures for the BBC, and shown on BBC One between 1993 and 1995. The programme concerned a journalist called Harry Salter who ran a news agency in the town of Darlington in England.- Cast :* Harry Salter - Michael Elphick* Jonathan - Tom...
(1993–95)...as Harry Salter - Murder Most HorridMurder Most HorridMurder Most Horrid is a BBC dark comedy anthology series starring comedian Dawn French. It ran for four series runs, in 1991, 1994, 1996 and 1999....
(1994)...as Bill Todd - Treasure Island (1995)...as Billy BonesBilly BonesBilly Bones or Captain William Bones is a fictional character, a pirate in the first section of Robert Louis Stevenson's novel Treasure Island....
- DangerfieldDangerfield (TV series)Dangerfield is a British drama series about a small town doctor / police surgeon, which ran for 6 series, between 1995 and 1999. Originally Nigel Le Vaillant played the central role , but this character later left the series, the focus switching to his replacement, played by Nigel Havers.The BBC...
(1997)...as Brian Taylor - The FixThe Fix (TV film)The Fix is a 1997 television film first shown on BBC One and directed by Paul Greengrass.It tells the story of the British betting scandal of 1964, following which a number of British professional footballers were jailed and banned from football for life for conspiring to fix the results of...
(1997)...as Peter Campling - David CopperfieldDavid Copperfield (1999 film)David Copperfield is a two part BBC television drama adaptation of Charles Dickens' novel David Copperfield, adapted by Adrian Hodges. The first part was shown on Christmas Day and the second on Boxing Day in 1999...
(1999)...as Barkis - MetropolisMetropolisA metropolis is a very large city or urban area which is a significant economic, political and cultural center for a country or region, and an important hub for regional or international connections and communications...
(2000)...as Brickhill - The BillThe BillThe Bill is a police procedural television series that ran from October 1984 to August 2010. It focused on the lives and work of one shift of police officers, rather than on any particular aspect of police work...
(2001)...as George Stubbs - Baddiel's SyndromeBaddiel's SyndromeBaddiel's Syndrome is a British television comedy series that originally aired on Sky One in 2001. It centered around a therapy-attending architect played by David Baddiel.-Cast:*David Baddiel as David...
(2001)...as Drugs tsar - EastEndersEastEndersEastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...
(2001)...as Harry Slater - Out of BoundsOut of BoundsOut of Bounds is a 1986 American action-thriller feature film directed by Richard Tuggle and starring Anthony Michael Hall. It is currently not available on DVD.-Plot:...
(2003)...as Lionel Stubbs