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EastEnders spoilers: Who is Danny actor Paul Usher and who did he play in Brookside?
17 March 2020, 15:17
What do we know about EastEnders' Danny Hardcastle actor Paul Usher? And how long did he play Barry Grant on Brookside?
Danny Hardcastle is back on Albert Square to terrorise the EastEnders residents.
But what do we know about actor Paul Usher and his former character Barry Grant on Brookside? Find out everything…
Who is Danny from EastEnders?
Danny Hardcastle is an acquaintance of Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) who he met in Spain.
He first appeared in Walford in March 2019, with some unfinished business to sort with Phil, and starred in a number of episodes.
Who is Paul Usher and what character did he play in Brookside?
Paul Usher, 58, is best known for his role as original Brookside character, Barry Grant.
As one of the soap’s most iconic villains, Barry was the only character to appear in the first ever episode in November 1982 and the final episode in November 2003.
Some of his biggest storylines include being expelled from school aged 15 and getting involved with dodgy gangsters.
He famously killed Terry’s wife, Sue, and her young child Danny, before starting a long-running on/off romance with step-cousin Lindsay Corkhill (Claire Sweeney).
The pair had a tumultuous relationship before they both married other people. In another twist, the last episode revealed they planned to marry and live happily ever after in a huge mansion in Newcastle.
The actor previously admitted to the Liverpool Echo that he never liked being 'famous', saying: “I enjoyed acting but not the fame side of it. I don’t want to play that game. I never really do any interviews. I’m proud of my acting work, but I get really annoyed about celebrity culture”.
As well as his role in Brookside, Paul began appearing in The Bill in 2001 as PC Des Taviner. He stayed on The Bill until 2004, appearing in a total of 135 episodes.
The actor met his wife Charlotte while working on The Bill. They married in Rhodes and went on to have son Lucas.
Paul also had another son, James, from a previous relationship but he tragically died aged 25 from an undiagnosed heart condition while working on an oil ship near Scotland.
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