Steve McFadden

Steve Robert McFadden (né Reid; born 20 March 1959) is an English actor. He is best known for his role as Phil Mitchell in the BBC One soap opera EastEnders, which he has played since 1990. He was also the presenter of the game show Britain's Hardest. Early life McFadden was born in Maida Vale, London, on 20 March 1959. He left school in 1975, and had short stints in jobs including labouring, carrot picking, plumbing and working at a builder's merchant. After attending university, McFadden decided that he wanted to become an actor, and was accepted into the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in 1984, graduating in 1987. Career McFadden made his acting debut playing a small role in the 1989 BBC 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 began 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 iconic storylines, such as Sharongate (in which 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, when his character was shot and wounded by a mystery attacker.