EastEnders' George Knight star Colin Salmon looks fresh-faced in James Bond role and he has a famous wife

Actor Colin Salmon has captured the hearts of EastEnders fans since bursting onto screens as George Knight last year. Since arriving on the square with his two daughters, George's world has completely fallen apart - twice.

The former pro boxer was left dumbfounded when his estranged wife Rose turned up in Walford nine years after her sudden disappearance. Only the mother of George's kids wasn't even called Rose, she is actually Cindy Beale (Michelle Collins), who revealed she had been in witness protection after faking her death 25 years before.

Poor George was also dealt another bombshell when his parents Gloria (Elizabeth Counsell) and Eddie (Christopher Fairbank) turned up in Walford and explained that he was adopted via a process known as farming. George was later told how Eddie had killed his biological dad and is now facing a historical murder charge.

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Colin Salmon has made a huge impact on the BBC show as George in only a small amount of time, but given the soap actor is also a huge movie star - it's unsurprising.

The 62-year-old is a real East End boy as he hails from Bethnal Green. He launched an acting career in the early 1990s and played DS Robert Oswalde for two episodes of Prime Suspect 2 in 1992, before appearing in Lovejoy.

Following his success playing Sargeant Dennis Ryan in Soldier Soldier, Colin made the transition to feature films.

He appeared in no fewer than three Bond movies, Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), The World is Not Enough (1999), and Die Another Day (2002). In the popular movies, Colin played Deputy Chief of Staff at MI6, Charles Robinson.

Over the past three decades, Colin has carved out a very successful acting career starring in a very long list of popular TV series, including Midsomer Murders, Silent Witness, 24: Live Another Day, Law & Order UK, Death in Paradise, Doctor Who, Secret Diary of a Call Girl, Judge John Deed, and more. His film roles have included: London Has Fallen, Resident Evil, and Blood: The Last Vampire - to name a few.

Colin also starred on the tenth series of Strictly Come Dancing, partnered with professional dancer Kristina Rihanoff. He was eliminated as a result of the "dance-off" in Week 5, in which he competed against Richard Arnold.

Family life

Colin has been married to artist Fiona Hawthorne since 1988, and the couple have four children, Sasha, Rudi, Eden and Ben. Fiona was born in Northern Ireland, grew up in Hong Kong, and lives and works between London and New York, according to her professional website.

Fiona's delicate drawings have graced the pages of Tatler, the tearooms at Harrods, and she has even had a solo exhibition at The Royal Festival Hall. Her digital portrait of Barack Obama hangs in the Library of Congress.

However, last year Colin opened up about his motivation behind joining EastEnders, revealing that he "can't be far from home" due to his wife's illness. Speaking to OK! at an EastEnders event, Colin said his wife's health problems were a factor in taking on the soap role.

When asked what drew him to the soap, Colin said that it was executive producer Chris Clenshaw before adding: "My wife's not well so I can't be far from home and so the universe has brought something quite extraordinary and my agent said, I think you should talk to Chris.

"Chris was passionate, he was clear, he was progressive, had a vision, and a clear and clear love for the show. And the people who watch it. So I find that to be the requisite for any job. I just like to work with people who are passionate because we give 100% When we jump, we jump That's the rule. So to have somebody like guiding us. It's really important."

Colin's wife Fiona was diagnosed with interstitial lung disease — a rare lung condition — two years prior, leaving her dependent on an oxygen tank.

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