The first EastEnder of them all, Arthur Fowler, dies at 92
HE gained huge fame playing downtrodden Arthur Fowler in EastEnders for 11 years.
And stars of the BBC1 soap paid tribute last night after actor Bill Treacher died aged 92. He was the first actor to be cast in EastEnders before its launch in 1985 and his character Arthur faced a series of misfortunes – being sent to prison, suffering from a mental disorder and dying of a brain haemhorrage.
He also famously cheated on his wife Pauline Fowler, played by Wendy Richard who died in 2009.
The family of Mr Treacher, who previously starred in Z-Cars, Grange Hill and Dad’s Army, said he died on Saturday evening. The father-of-two had been retired for 18 years. His relatives said: ‘Bill was a brilliant actor and a wonderful husband and father, plus a very fine human being. He will be hugely missed.’ Todd Carty, who played Arthur’s son Mark, said: ‘I’m so sorry to hear about Bill passing, I absolutely loved working with him. He was not only an amazing actor but a kind and sincere man.
‘My thoughts are with his family at this time. He’ll be sadly missed, I will never forget him.’ Letitia Dean, who plays Sharon Watts, said: ‘Bill really was the life and soul of the set. As an actor, he was meticulous and he went to great lengths to portray Arthur, from the smallest scenes to the heartbreaking stories. Bill was an utter professional, a wonderful man.’
An EastEnders spokesman said: ‘Bill will forever be held in great affection by everyone at EastEnders and all those who loved watching him.’