A POPULAR actor who starred in Emmerdale has tragically died aged 85.
Eric Allan played blacksmith Frank Blakey in the early days of the show in 1972.
He acted in Emmerdale Farm before it was reinvented as the primetime show Emmerdale.
Notably, he married Janie Harker in the show’s first ever wedding.
Allan then left the series in January 1974.
He became a soap opera veteran, having played farmer Bert Fry on BBC Radio 4’s The Archers for quarter of a century.
Allan was also known for Bleak Moments and The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.
He began his career acting in Leicester and Nottingham theatres, before spending several years with the Royal Shakespeare Company.
There he worked with director Mike Leigh and played the lead in his controversial first feature film, Bleak Moments.
He is survived by his wife Susan, their son and their daughter.
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