Emmerdale and The Archers star Eric Allan dies aged 85 after long 48-year career

A POPULAR actor who starred in Emmerdale has tragically died aged 85.

Eric Allan played blacksmith Frank Blakey in the early days of the show in 1972.

He was part of the Emmerdale Farm cast before it was reinvented as the primetime show Emmerdale.

Notably, he married Janie Harker in the show’s first ever wedding.

He left the series in January 1974.

The soap opera veteran went on to play farmer Bert Fry on BBC Radio 4’s The Archers for 25 years.

Eric was also known for Bleak Moments and The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.

The actor was born on March 8, 1940, to a soldier and a drama tutor

He grew up in Yorkshire and Wolverhampton, but his family moved to Canada when he was 15.

Eric returned to the UK when he was 18 to study at RADA.

He began his career acting in Leicester and Nottingham theatres, before spending several years with the Royal Shakespeare Company.

There he worked with director Mike Leigh and played the lead in his controversial first feature film, Bleak Moments.

Eric died just a month before his 86th birthday on February 8.

He is survived by his wife Susan, their son and their daughter.

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