Chris Chittell

BEM
Born
Christopher John Chittell

(1948-05-19) 19 May 1948
Aldershot, Hampshire, England
OccupationActor
Years active1964–present
Known forRole of Eric Pollard in Emmerdale
Spouses
Caroline Hunt
​
​
(m. 1979; div. 2005)​
    ​
    (m. 2016)​
    Children2

    Christopher John Chittell BEM (born 19 May 1948) is an English actor, known for his role as Eric Pollard in the ITV soap opera Emmerdale. He has portrayed the role since 1986, making him the longest-serving cast member in the soap's history.[1]

    Biography

    Early life

    Chittell was born in Aldershot, Hampshire. His father served in the Indian Army, and on leaving school Chittell intended to join the Royal Navy, but instead, he became a model.[2] His first acting stint was in 1964, with the National Theatre, at Chichester Festival Theatre, in Peter Shaffer's The Royal Hunt of the Sun.[3]

    Career

    He appeared as Potter in the 1967 film To Sir, with Love.[4] In 1968 he appeared as a Trooper in The Charge of the Light Brigade, and made an uncredited appearance in If.... .[5] This was followed by a starring role as one of the Freewheelers, made as an action/adventure children's serial by Southern Television between 1968 and 1973.[6]

    Chittal acted for two seasons in the 1970s science fiction TV drama The Tomorrow People.[7][8] His other film appearances included roles in The Beast in the Cellar (1970), The Weekend Murders (1971), The Raging Moon (1971), The Last Valley (1971), Erotic Inferno (1975), Golden Rendezvous (1977), Zulu Dawn (1979) and Game for Vultures (1979).[5] He also appeared in a number of Swedish sex films in the 1970s including Swedish Sex Games (aka The Intruders and Let Us Play Sex) in 1975 (which also featured a young Stellan Skarsgård).

    He performed on stage at the Old Vic in Macbeth with Peter O'Toole.[2][9] In 1972, Chittell appeared in the untransmitted Doomwatch episode "Sex and Violence", playing Dick Burns, widely believed to be a parody of Cliff Richard and Richard's part in the Nationwide Festival of Light.[10] The "Sex and Violence" episode was included as part of the Doomwatch DVD box set release in April 2016.[11]

    Personal life

    Chittell is married to his Emmerdale co-star Lesley Dunlop, who plays Brenda Walker.

    Honours

    He was awarded the British Empire Medal (BEM) in the 2019 Queen's Birthday Honours List for services to drama and charity.[12]

    Filmography

    Year Title Role Notes
    1967To Sir, with LovePotter
    1968The Charge of the Light BrigadeTrooper
    1968The AvengersBassin
    1968If....SeniorUncredited
    1970The Breaking of BumboThe Prisoner
    1970The Weekend MurdersGeorgie Kemple
    1971The Raging MoonTerry
    1971The Last ValleySvenson
    1971The Beast in the CellarBaker
    1971They Call Him CemeteryJohn McIntire
    1974The IntrudersRichard
    1974Man About The HouseAlan
    1975Erotic InfernoMartin Barnard
    1977MollyPeter
    1977Ta mej i dalenRichard
    1977Golden RendezvousRogers
    1978The Wild GeesePhilipsUncredited
    1978Night RideTV movie
    1979Zulu DawnLt. Milne
    1979Game for VulturesMcAllister
    1980Les Visiteurs (The Visitors)L'interprète (The Interpreter)TV Mini Series. Episode entitled: Pirvii
    1982TriangleLorry DriverTV series. Series 2. Episode 17
    1984Tucker's LuckJuniorTV series. Recurring role
    1986–presentEmmerdaleEric PollardITV Soap Opera. Series regular
    2016DoomwatchDick Burns1 episode

    References

    1. ↑ Dainty, Sophie (3 August 2017). "Emmerdale star Chris Chittell would leave if Eric Pollard stopped getting decent storylines". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
    2. 1 2 Hayward, Anthony The Emmerdale Companion Published by Orion Publishing Co. (1997) ISBN 0-7528-1043-X
    3. ↑ "Christopher Chittell | Theatricalia". theatricalia.com.
    4. ↑ "To Sir, with Love – review | cast and crew, movie star rating and where to watch film on TV and online". Radio Times.
    5. 1 2 "Christopher Chittell". BFI. Archived from the original on 29 September 2017.
    6. ↑ "Chris Chittell". www.aveleyman.com.
    7. ↑ "A Rift in Time[11/03/74] (1974)". BFI. Archived from the original on 20 September 2020.
    8. ↑ "Secret Weapon[19/03/75] (1975)". BFI. Archived from the original on 22 January 2021.
    9. ↑ Archived 20 June 2010 at the Wayback Machine Chittell on the Emmerdale website
    10. ↑ "Sex and Violence (1972)". BFI. Archived from the original on 6 April 2019.
    11. ↑ "Doomwatch box set review: vintage 70s apocalypse drama still has the power to chill". the Guardian. 7 April 2016.
    12. ↑ "No. 62666". The London Gazette (Supplement). 8 June 2019. p. B25.
    This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.