Michael Elphick

Biography

Michael Elphick was a fantastic and very popular actor. He will be best remembered for his role as Ken Boon in the hit series Boon (1986). He died tragically at the early age of 55. He had been in ill-health for some years, caused by a long-running battle with alcohol, which was exacerbated by the early death of his partner of many years. Best remembered for 'Boon', his career was no one-hit wonder. Elphick had been working in television for the past 33 years and his many excellent performances included Dennis Potter's Play for Today: Blue Remembered Hills (1979), as the bully, Peter; The Knowledge (1979), when he played a would-be London cab driver driven almost to despair by the sadistic examiner (played by Nigel Hawthorne); Private Schulz (1981), Auf Wiedersehen, Pet (1983) and Three Up Two Down (1985). His film career was arguably less successful, but none-the-less featured a rich and varied vein of characterisations. His final roles proved to be the film Dead in the Water (2002), in which he unfortunately had quite a small role, and millions saw his final television role, in EastEnders (1985), where he excelled in a very different role, showing just what a fine actor he was.