Chris Chittell
Plays Eric Pollard
Chris was born in Aldershot, Hampshire on May 19 1948 and his father was in the Indian Army. He joined the National Theatre Company in London when he was 15 and was auditioned by stage legend Sir Laurence Olivier. He later worked with the likes of Peter O'Toole, Derek Jacobi and Maggie Smith.
His first film was To Sir With Love alongside Sidney Poitier, when he was 19, and he also appeared in movies The Charge Of The Light Brigade and Zulu Dawn. He then spent four years in Rome living with an Italian actress.
Work was sparse when he returned to England and he ended up doing other jobs from cleaning to running an antiques business and restaurant. Chris later moved to South Africa and met his wife, Caroline Hunt. The couple married in 1979, returning to Britain in 1980.
Caroline ran a shop in Devon, while Chris did day trips for tourists around the Devon coast on his boat.
He finally returned to the stage with a role alongside Peter O'Toole in Macbeth, which was quickly followed by his first appearance in Emmerdale as Eric Pollard.
He appeared sporadically in the show for the next three years, before being given a permanent role in 1989. Chris's other TV work has included Tucker's Luck and The Tomorrow People.
Chris has two children, Ben and Rebecca, with Caroline. He is the opposite of his penny-pinching screen character and has raised huge amounts of money for charity over the years.
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Emmerdale Current Cast
- A
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Andy Sugden
played by Kelvin Fletcher
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Alan Turner
played by Richard Thorp
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Adam Barton
played by Adam Thomas
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Alicia Gallagher
played by Natalie Anderson
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Aaron Livesy
played by Danny Miller
- B
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Belle Dingle
played by Eden Taylor-Draper
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Betty Eagleton
played by Paula Tilbrook
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Bob Hope
played by Tony Audenshaw
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Brenda Walker
played by Lesley Dunlop
- C
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Carl King
played by Tom Lister
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Chastity Dingle
played by Lucy Pargeter
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Cain Dingle
played by Jeff Hordley
- D
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Douglas Potts
played by Duncan Preston
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Debbie Dingle
played by Charley Webb
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Diane Sugden
played by Elizabeth Estensen
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David Metcalfe
played by Matthew Wolfenden
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Declan Macey
played by Jason Merrells
- E
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Edna Birch
played by Shirley Stelfox
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Eli Dingle
played by Joseph Gilgun
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Eric Pollard
played by Chris Chittell
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Ella Macey
played by Corrinne Wicks
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Eve Jenson
played by Suzanne Shaw
- F
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Faye Lamb
played by Kim Thomson
- G
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Genesis Walker
played by Sian Reese-Williams
- H
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Hannah Barton
played by Grace Cassidy
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Holly Barton
played by Sophie Powles
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Hazel Rhodes
played by Pauline Quirke
- J
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John Barton
played by James Thornton
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Jamie Hope
played by Alex Carter
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Jimmy King
played by Nick Miles
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Jackson Walsh
played by Marc Silcock
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Jai Sharma
played by Chris Bisson
- K
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Katie Sugden
played by Sammy Winward
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Kelly Windsor
played by Adele Silva
- L
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Laurel Thomas
played by Charlotte Bellamy
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Lexi King
played by Sally Oliver
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Leyla Harding
played by Rokhsaneh Ghawam-Shahidi
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Lisa Dingle
played by Jane Cox
- M
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Maisie Wylde
played by Alice Coulthard
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Mark Wylde
played by Maxwell Caulfield
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Moira Barton
played by Natalie J Robb
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Marlon Dingle
played by Mark Charnock
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Mia Macey
played by Sapphire Elia
- N
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Natasha Wylde
played by Amanda Donohoe
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Nathan Wylde
played by Lyndon Ogbourne
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Nicola King
played by Nicola Wheeler
- P
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Paddy Kirk
played by Dominic Brunt
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Pearl Ladderbanks
played by Meg Johnson
- R
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Rodney Blackstock
played by Patrick Mower
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Ryan Lamb
played by James Sutton
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Rev Ashley Thomas
played by John Middleton
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Rhona Goskirk
played by Zoe Henry
- S
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Sam Dingle
played by James Hooton
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Scarlett Nicholls
played by Kelsey-Beth Crossley
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Shadrach Dingle
played by Andy Devine
- T
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Terry Woods
played by Billy Hartman
- V
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Val Pollard
played by Charlie Hardwick
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Victoria Sugden
played by Isabel Hodgins
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Viv Hope
played by Deena Payne
- Z
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Zak Dingle
played by Steve Halliwell
