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View Full Version : Ex-EastEnders actor Mike Reid dies



Kirsty
29-07-2007, 10:08 PM
The actor Mike Reid has died, his agent David Hahn told BBC News 24.



Reid, most famous for his role as EastEnders' Frank Butcher, was 67. He died of a heart attack

He first appeared on the soap in September 1987 and gave his last turn in December 2005.

Mr Hahn told the BBC: "Mike was a very, very, very funny man. He would see the funny side of every situation no matter how black it was. Even now I am sure he is laughing."

Close friend of the actor and fellow comedian Frank Carson, speaking from Spain, had only just heard of his death and told BBC 24 it was "absolutely devastating".

Clearly emotional, Mr Carson said: "Goodness me, this is absolutely devastating. We have just lost our friend Bernard Manning a fortnight ago. I just can't realise... this is devastating news."

Reid, who played wheeler and dealer Frank Butcher in the BBC1 soap, rose to fame on London's comedy circuit.

In the 1960s he worked as a stand-up comedian in clubs and aboard cruise liners. He was one of the original stars of The Comedians, a popular TV series of the 1970s that was produced by Johnnie Hamp for Granada Television.

It was not until the 1980s that his big break came when he secured the part of EastEnder Frank Butcher. He joined the show in 1987 and quickly turning Frank into one of the show's most popular characters.

After taking a couple of lengthy breaks from the show due to stress, he finally left in 2000 when he announced he was leaving permanently. He made his last appearance as Frank in December 2005 when his long-standing relationship with ex-wife Pat Evans finally came to an end. He went on to appear in Guy Ritchie's gangster movie Snatch.



Ex-EastEnders actor Mike Reid dies - Yahoo! News UK (http://uk.news.yahoo.com/pressass/20070729/tuk-ex-eastenders-actor-mike-reid-dies-6323e80.html)

Lainie
29-07-2007, 10:54 PM
seen it earlier shame so it is seemed a nice guy

notanotherone
30-07-2007, 11:14 AM
sad to have read this i seen the guy live a couple of times and he was a vefy funny man and his "blue act" was really worth watching yep a shame to see him go didnt watch him the soap thingy cause i dont like it but sad to see him go

Magnu420
31-07-2007, 11:53 PM
the first time i saw or heard him was when he was on the comedians which me dad used to watch when i was a sprog,other time when he had a childrens tv programme called runaround in the 80s
i think lol now im showing me age,funny man he was....r.i.p