Who does Colin Salmon play in EastEnders and what else has he been in?

2023-05-26

EastEnders fans will already know there’s a new family – the Knights – set to take over the Queen Vic.

And one of the newbies will be played by a very well known actor: Colin Salmon.

You’ll probably recognise Colin from his prominent role in several classic James Bond films, or perhaps his other Hollywood flicks and TV work in the States and at home in the UK.

So, who is Colin’s EastEnders character, and where else might you have seen him before?

Here’s all you need to know.

Who does Colin Salmon play in EastEnders?

Colin, 60, will play George Knight – the lover of Linda Carter’s (Kellie Bright) mum Elaine Peacock (Harriet Thorpe).

The character has been described as ‘a tough-talking and fiercely protective doting dad who heads up the Knight family’ – including two daughters Anna (Molly Rainford) and Gina (Francesca Henry).

Colin himself has spoken about George – sharing that he’s a ‘big’ family man with plenty of ‘strong women’ around him.

He reveals: ‘As an ex-boxer, [George] doesn’t have to be hard or prove himself because he’s a warrior. He’s been through some things like many people have.

‘When you are a big man, you have the power to hold people down or to lift them up, and George Knight is strong enough to lift people up. He’s also a single parent, and he’s had to get real.’

Many might be wondering what drew Colin to EastEnders – given that he’s such a familiar face.

Well, the London actor was actually born in the East End, and has shared that he has ‘a great affinity and love for the show and I look forward to being part of the great legacy’.

What has Colin Salmon been in? TV and films you might know him from

Colin’s IMDB page is packed with credits, from UK TV parts to Hollywood hits.

Fans will likely recognise Colin as MI6 Deputy Chief of Staff Charles Robinson in the James Bond films Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), The World Is Not Enough (1999) and Die Another Day (2002).

He also appeared as character One in Resident Evil (2000) and Resident Evil: Retribution (2012).

Colin’s film credits don’t end there – you may have seen him as Maxwell Stafford in Alien vs Predator (2004), Ian in Match Point (2005), in Gerard Butler action movie London Has Fallen (2016), or as Chudleigh Pomeroy in sci-fi flick Mortal Engines (2018), among others.

On UK TV screens, Colin has popped up in an episode of Diary Of A Call Girl (2007), two episodes of Doctor Who (2008), an episode of Merlin (2009) and one of Death In Paradise (2011).

He was also a contestant on BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing in 2012, partnered up with Kristina Rihanoff.

Colin made it to week five of Strictly before losing out in the dance-off – but thankfully fans got to watch a smooth Argentine Tango to Goldeneye before he left the competition.

Other notable TV projects include a longer stint on US series Arrow (2012 to 2014) as Walter Steele, playing General Coburn on 24: Live Another Day (2014), Jarrod Sands on CBS show Limitless (2015 to 2016), and General Zod on SyFy series Krypton (2018 to 2019).

His most recent project was a TV show, too, co-starring with Friends icon David Schwimmer and Ted Lasso’s Nick Mohammed in Sky comedy Intelligence (2020 to 2023).

Colin plays Rupert Fleming, one of the show’s main characters.

Phew! That’s just a handful of Colin’s past roles, but will any of these parts be able to top the drama we’re sure to see from George and the Knight family on EastEnders?