He played Dr Harold Legg and appeared in the first episode of the long-running BBC soap.
Image source, PA Media
Actor Leonard Fenton, who played Dr Harold Legg in EastEnders, has died at the age of 95, his family have announced.
Fenton appeared in the first episode of EastEnders in February 1985 and his last scene came in 2019.
He left the soap but returned in 2018 to help his character’s close friend Dot Cotton, played by June Brown.
A statement from his family said he would be “missed beyond words” and that they were “heartbroken.”
“He worked in TV and film and his long stage career included time at the National Theatre and most recently the Royal Shakespeare Company,” the family statement noted.
“He felt privileged to have worked with some of the greats of the theatre, including Samuel Beckett, Orson Welles and Jonathan Miller.”
Adding: “His passion for painting and singing pre-dated his acting career and was equally as important to him. He will be missed beyond words by his family. We feel incredibly lucky to have been able to be with him as his health worsened towards the end – a privilege denied to so many during these tough times.”
Leonard Fenton’s family have shared a statement with us, announcing that he has very sadly passed away, at the age of 95. To read the full statement, please visit our official EastEnders Facebook or Instagram pages. Our love and thoughts are with Leonard’s family and friends. pic.twitter.com/jjd6A8Fchx
— BBC EastEnders (@bbceastenders)
‘A charming man’
Dr Harold Legg was one of the original characters in the long-running BBC One soap, created by Tony Holland and Julia Smith, and he served as Walford’s local GP until 1997.
He made sporadic appearances after that, with his character bowing out of the Walford soap in 2019 in emotional fashion, when he died of cancer.
He became good friends with the much-loved hypochondriac, Dot Cotton, due to his many visits to check on her.
June Brown paid tribute to the man who played him on Monday. “He was a charming man in all ways, first as a person and then as an actor, extremely polite and kind,” she said.
“I enjoyed working with him enormously for many years and missed him when he retired. I was glad that I’d been with him for his last scene with Dot at his bedside and my thoughts are with his devoted family.”
Fellow EastEnder Natalie Cassidy said she felt “honoured that our paths crossed”.
“I had the pleasure to work with Leonard,” she said. “He was utterly charming, continuously joked with me and loved talking about his past.”
Another, Gillian Taylforth, also paid tribute, describing him as “a lovely, charming man who was so kind and always told the most wonderful stories”.
An EastEnders spokesman said the soap team was “deeply saddened” to hear the news of his death.
“Since appearing in the very first episode of EastEnders, Leonard created a truly iconic character in Doctor Legg who will always be remembered,” he said.
“Our love and thoughts are with Leonard’s family and friends.”
Fenton appeared in a total of 267 episodes of EastEnders.