Bill Treacher Movies and Career Information

Bill Treacher (born 4 June 1930 in London) is an English actor. Treacher grew up in the East End of London. After his National Service in the Royal Air Force, he worked as a steward with P&O, where he saved enough money to attend drama school. After graduating from the prestigious Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art, he made his West End debut in 1963 with the comedy Shout for Life at The Vaudeville Theatre. Several successful West End roles followed. Treacher then moved into television drama, making guest appearances in a number of classic series of the 1970s including Minder, The Sweeney, The Professionals, Dixon of Dock Green, Z-Cars and The Agatha Christie Hour. In late 1984, he was the first actor to be cast in the BBC soap opera EastEnders, appearing in the first episode on 19 February 1985 as Arthur Fowler, a role he played for the next 11 years. In fact the co-creators, Tony Holland and Julia Smith, had scripted the character with Treacher in mind. He received much critical acclaim for the role, especially for his portrayal of his character's mental decline and subsequent nervous breakdown. The character also endured a succession of misfortunes, not least his wrongful