British stuntman turned actor Derek Martin, 92, died on Jan. 10. Martin is best known for playing patriarch Charley Slater on EastEnders, till he was axed in 2016, in an attempt to bring more youth to the show (“youthanizing it?”). Born in London and possessing a marketable cockney accent, Martin worked as a stuntman till a broken collarbone convinced him to seque into acting. He appeared in over 100 movies and TV shows, including recurring roles in It’s Square World, Adam Adamant Lives!, The Borderers, Jackanory, Paul Temple, Spy Trap, Dr. Who, The Chinese Detective, Angels, The Bright Side, King & Castle, Eldorado, and The Governor. He also showed up in small roles in my two favorite British series, Upstairs Downstairs and The Duchess of Duke Street. After being canned from EastEnders after 16 years, Martin said, “You get used to a certain standard of living. You get cast in the best job in the world but when it stops you’re told you’re too well-known as that character to be able to play someone else. No one wanted to give me a job. You just have to tighten your belt and realise you can’t do the things you used to.”
