Steve McFadden

McFadden was born in Maida Vale, London on 20 March 1959, the only child of Barbara (née Mallet) and Robert Reid. His parents separated soon afterwards and his mother later married a man called John McFadden, from whom Steve took his surname.

He left school in 1975 and over the next few years had short stints in jobs including labouring, carrot picking, plumbing and working at a builder's merchant. None of these occupations gave him much satisfaction, so he decided to sell his motorbike and hitch-hike around Europe. He spent several months camping out in Montpellier, France, on land earmarked for development as a football stadium. He then returned to London and felt that the city was too repressive for his liking, so he went to a job centre and asked for a job "with a meaning".

McFadden's first job after his return to London was on the "Acorn Project", a scheme for blind people which involved attending college. He gained 'O' and 'A' Level passes in sociology and politics before enrolling at the Polytechnic of North London on an economics course. Just seven weeks after starting, he decided that the course was not for him, and withdrew himself from university. He decided that he wanted to become an actor and was accepted into the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in 1984, and in his first year there won a prize for creating his own drama piece called "Best Fight" - which included many characters who were based on his own friends from school.

After graduating from RADA in 1987,[2] he made his acting debut playing a small role in the 1988 television film The Firm. That same year, he had an uncredited brief appearance in the film Buster as a gang member. This was followed by appearances in the television series The Bill, Minder and Bergerac.

McFadden then rose to fame for portraying the role of Phil Mitchell in the BBC soap opera EastEnders. He joined EastEnders at the beginning of 1990, at the same time as Ross Kemp, who played Phil's younger brother Grant Mitchell. During that time, his character was involved in numerous storylines, such as Sharongate (where it was revealed that he had an affair with his brother's wife Sharon) in 1994, and the Who Shot Phil? storyline in March 2001; where his character was shot and wounded by a mystery attacker. The identity of the attacker was revealed weeks later as Phil's girlfriend Lisa, played by Lucy Benjamin.

McFadden then made an appearance in the film Kevin & Perry Go Large in 2000,[3] and starred in an episode of the BBC anthology series Murder in Mind in 2001. He left EastEnders in late 2003 for a one-year break to concentrate on pantomimes. His character was written out of the series after being framed for an armed robbery by Den Watts (played by Leslie Grantham), and going on the run after breaking out of prison. During his break from EastEnders, he presented the reality fighting series Britain's Hardest which was an underground competition broadcast on Sky One. He returned to EastEnders for two episodes in April 2005. In the story, Phil returned to Walford in need of financial help, only to be arrested and returned to prison. In October 2005, he returned on a permanent basis, after his character was cleared of armed robbery.

In 2007, he appeared in the film Provoked. He has also appeared as Captain Hook in a pantomime production of Peter Pan from 2010 to 2011 at The Swan. From 2012 to 2013, he appeared in Aladdin, playing Abanazar, at the Orchard Theatre.

McFadden has five children. His son Matt McFadden's mother is Sue Marshall, and Angela Bostock is the mother of his daughters Teona and Mollie Jane. Rachel Sidwell gave birth to his daughter Amelie Tinkerbell on 29 June 2009.[4][5] At the time she was his partner, but the couple split two months later.[6] A fifth child, a daughter named Frankie, was born to his girlfriend Karen Cairns in June 2016.[7]

McFadden supports Manchester United FC. He is an active sailor,[8] and took part in the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant in his motorboat 'Barbara'.[9]

In 2014, he successfully sued the Metropolitan Police and News of the World after a police officer sold details about him to the newspaper. He sued News of the World after one of their journalists admitted trying to intercept his voicemail messages. McFadden stated "I am particularly concerned that a police officer sold my privacy to a tabloid newspaper for profit. I consider the payment of damages and public apology will go some way to ensuring respect for my and others' privacy in future. I am glad to have been vindicated and to be able to put this matter behind me."[10]

Television and film

• Steve McFadden on IMDb