Steve McFadden

 ( 1959 Births ) 

McFadden then began portraying the role of Phil Mitchell in the BBC One 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 several popular storylines, such as Sharongate (in which it was revealed that he had an affair with his brother's wife Sharon Watts) in 1994, and the Who Shot Phil? storyline in March 2001, when his character was shot and wounded by a mystery attacker.

McFadden then made a brief appearance in the film Kevin & Perry Go Large (2000), and starred in an episode of the BBC anthology series Murder in Mind in 2001. He left EastEnders in late 2003 for a one-year break to concentrate on . His character was written out of the series after being framed for an armed robbery by Den Watts (played by Leslie Grantham), and going on the run after breaking out of prison.

During his break from EastEnders, he presented the reality television series Britain's Hardest, which was an underground competition broadcast on Sky One in 2004. In 2005, he filmed a small part as a detective sergeant in the film Provoked which released in 2006.

He returned to EastEnders for two episodes in April 2005. In the story, Phil returned to Walford in need of financial help, only to be arrested and returned to prison. In October 2005, he returned on a permanent basis, after his character was cleared of armed robbery. As of 2025, he is one of the longest running characters in the series.

He has also appeared as Captain Hook in a pantomime production of Peter Pan from 2010 to 2011 at the Wycombe Swan.

In 1996, McFadden was banned from driving for 18 months and fined £1000 plus £350 in costs after pleading guilty to drink-driving after attending a party at a London nightclub.

McFadden is a sailor, and took part in the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant in his motorboat, Barbara. In 2014, he sued the Metropolitan Police and News of the World after a police officer sold details about him to the newspaper. He sued News of the World after one of their journalists admitted trying to intercept his voicemail messages in the News International phone hacking scandal. McFadden stated "I am particularly concerned that a police officer sold my privacy to a tabloid newspaper for profit. I consider the payment of damages and public apology will go some way to ensuring respect for my and others' privacy in future. I am glad to have been vindicated and to be able to put this matter behind me".