- Born
- Died
- Birth nameMichael John Elphick
- Height1.78 m
- 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 (1986), 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 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 role proved to be the film Out of Bounds (2003), 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.- IMDb mini biography by: Colin Peppiatt (colinpeppiatt@hotmail.com)
- Children
- RelativesRobin Elphick(Sibling)
- Craggy face and croaky voice.
- Mischievous Villains
- During the 1980s and early 1990s, Michael owned a pub, The White Swan, in the High Street, Henley-in-Arden, Warwickshire. In September 2013, the new owners of the pub found a secret loft space (an old priest hole) where Michael used to go to write letters to his daughter and to learn scripts of programmes such as Boon (1986).
- Friend of actor/writer/director Bruce Robinson. They were at London's Central School of Speech and Drama together. He appeared in Withnail et moi (1987) without fee.
- Lived with Julia Alexander from 1963 until her death in 1996. They had a daughter, Kate, with whom Elphick lived until his own death.
- After the death from cancer of his long-term partner Julia Alexander in 1996, he lived with TV stage manager Liz Summers whom he had met when they both worked on Boon (1986). Until his death in 2002, they lived in his house in north-west London, with his daughter Kate, her partner and their daughter.
- Daughter, Kate Elphick (b. 1976).
- I used to be drunk by 9 pm every night. Going on the wagon has made me a bit grumpy, but I'm a wiser man for it.
- Even when my life has become uncontrollable, as it has at times, it hasn't affected my work. I've goofed on lines, but I've never jeopardized anybody else.
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