Who was Johnny Allen in EastEnders and who did he kill?

9 June 2021, 08:40

What happened to Johnny Allen in EastEnders and how did he die?

A name from the past has cropped up time and time again on EastEnders - and that’s Ruby Allen’s dad Johnny.

Viewers will notice Ruby (Louisa Lytton) keeps a picture of her father on her desk following his death more than ten years ago.

But who was Johnny Allen and how did he die? Here’s what we know…

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Who was Johnny Allen in EastEnders?

Johnny Allen was a character played by actor Bill Murray who made his debut on EastEnders all the way back in 2005.

During his time in Walford, Johnny was best known for the murder of Sharon’s husband Dennis Rickman after he ordered Danny Moon to kill him on New Years Eve in 2006.

He also killed mob boss Andy Hunter by throwing him off a motorway bridge during the show's 20th anniversary episode.

Other storylines include his tumultuous relationship with daughter Ruby and revenge campaign by Grant (Ross Kemp) and Phil (Steve McFadden).

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What happened to Johnny Allen in EastEnders?

Johnny died from a heart attack in prison in 2006.

After just eight month on the soap, actor Bill revealed he was leaving and that his character would be killed off.

Towards the end of March 2006, Johnny was part of ‘Get Johnny Week’ in which Phil and Grant wanted to get revenge for Dennis' murder.

The storyline ended with Johnny surrendering himself to the police at Ruby's request.

Johnny wasn’t seen again until October 2006, when Ruby's new boyfriend Sean Slater (Robert Kazinsky) visited him in prison to taunt him.

Furious, Johnny tried to arrange Sean's murder with Jake Moon (Joel Beckett) but dies of a heart attack soon after.

Where is actor Bill Murray now?

Aside from his role in EastEnders, Bill has appeared in a string of movies including Rollin’ With The Nines, Rise of The Footsoldier, Dead Cert and Doghouse.

He’s also the voice of Captain John Price in the Call Of Duty game series and played notorious villain Don Beech in The Bill from 1995 to 2004.

The actor has recently opened up about coming back from the dead in EastEnders.

He told Radio Times: “I keep getting asked on social media when I’m going back, people are adamant it’s happening because they show my picture on Ruby’s desk all the time.

“He can’t be alive. I have to refute it each time. He could maybe come back as a twin brother, or step out of the shower like Bobby Ewing in Dallas if his death turned out to be a dream.

“Though I don’t look good in the shower any more so I’m ruling that one out!”