Christopher John Chittell BEM is an English actor, known for his role
as Eric Pollard in the ITV soap opera, Emmerdale, since 1986. He is
the longest-serving character in the show's history, having played
Eric for nearly 34 years.Chittell was born in Aldershot, Hampshire.
His father served in the Indian Army, and on leaving school Chittell
intended to join the Royal Navy, but instead, he became a model. His
first acting stint was in 1964, with the National Theatre, at
Chichester Festival Theatre, in Peter Shaffer's The Royal Hunt of the
Sun. He appeared as Potter in the 1967 film To Sir, with Love. In 1968
he appeared as a Trooper in The Charge of the Light Brigade, and made
an uncredited appearance in If.... . This was followed by a starring
role as one of the Freewheelers, made as an action/adventure
children's serial by Southern Television between 1968 and 1973. He
also acted for two seasons in the 1970s science fiction TV drama The
Tomorrow People. His other film appearances included roles in The
Beast in the Cellar (1970), The Weekend Murders (1971), The Raging
Moon (1971), The Last Valley (1971), Erotic Inferno (1975), Golden
Rendezvous (1977), Zulu Dawn (1979) and Game for Vultures (1979). He
also appeared in a number of Swedish sex films in the 1970s including
Swedish Sex Games (aka The Intruders and Let Us Play Sex) in 1975
(which also featured a young Stellan Skarsgård), and Sex in Sweden
and Practice Makes Perfect (aka Girl on Her Knees) in 1977.He
performed on stage at the Old Vic in Macbeth with Peter O'Toole. In
1972, Chittell appeared in the untransmitted Doomwatch episode "Sex
and Violence", playing Dick Burns, widely believed to be a parody of
Cliff Richard and Richard's part in the Nationwide Festival of Light.
The "Sex and Violence" episode was included as part of the Doomwatch
DVD box set release in April 2016.
as Eric Pollard in the ITV soap opera, Emmerdale, since 1986. He is
the longest-serving character in the show's history, having played
Eric for nearly 34 years.Chittell was born in Aldershot, Hampshire.
His father served in the Indian Army, and on leaving school Chittell
intended to join the Royal Navy, but instead, he became a model. His
first acting stint was in 1964, with the National Theatre, at
Chichester Festival Theatre, in Peter Shaffer's The Royal Hunt of the
Sun. He appeared as Potter in the 1967 film To Sir, with Love. In 1968
he appeared as a Trooper in The Charge of the Light Brigade, and made
an uncredited appearance in If.... . This was followed by a starring
role as one of the Freewheelers, made as an action/adventure
children's serial by Southern Television between 1968 and 1973. He
also acted for two seasons in the 1970s science fiction TV drama The
Tomorrow People. His other film appearances included roles in The
Beast in the Cellar (1970), The Weekend Murders (1971), The Raging
Moon (1971), The Last Valley (1971), Erotic Inferno (1975), Golden
Rendezvous (1977), Zulu Dawn (1979) and Game for Vultures (1979). He
also appeared in a number of Swedish sex films in the 1970s including
Swedish Sex Games (aka The Intruders and Let Us Play Sex) in 1975
(which also featured a young Stellan Skarsgård), and Sex in Sweden
and Practice Makes Perfect (aka Girl on Her Knees) in 1977.He
performed on stage at the Old Vic in Macbeth with Peter O'Toole. In
1972, Chittell appeared in the untransmitted Doomwatch episode "Sex
and Violence", playing Dick Burns, widely believed to be a parody of
Cliff Richard and Richard's part in the Nationwide Festival of Light.
The "Sex and Violence" episode was included as part of the Doomwatch
DVD box set release in April 2016.
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