Douglas John Malin (14 February 1928 – 1 January 2021), known professionally as Mark Eden, was an English actor. He was best known for his portrayal of villainous Alan Bradley in ''

Coronation Street ''Coronation Street'' is an English soap opera created by Granada Television and shown on ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres around a cobbled, terraced street in Weatherfield, a fictional town based on inner-city Salford. Orig ...

'' from 1986 to 1989.

Early life

Mark Eden was born Douglas John Malin in

St Pancras, London St Pancras () is a district in north London. It was originally a medieval ancient parish and subsequently became a metropolitan borough. The metropolitan borough then merged with neighbouring boroughs and the area it covered now forms around ...

, England on 14 February 1928.

Career

As Mark Eden, he appeared at the

Royal Court Theatre The Royal Court Theatre, at different times known as the Court Theatre, the New Chelsea Theatre, and the Belgravia Theatre, is a non-commercial West End theatre in Sloane Square, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England ...

and in repertory theatre in England and Wales. His television and film roles include the ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the ...

'' serial ''

Marco Polo Marco Polo (, , ; 8 January 1324) was a Venetian merchant, explorer and writer who travelled through Asia along the Silk Road between 1271 and 1295. His travels are recorded in '' The Travels of Marco Polo'' (also known as ''Book of the Marv ...

'' (1964) in which he played

, a reporter in ''

Quatermass and the Pit ''Quatermass and the Pit'' is a British television science-fiction serial transmitted live by BBC Television in December 1958 and January 1959. It was the third and last of the BBC's ''Quatermass'' serials, although the chief character, Prof ...

'' in 1958, Number 100 in ''

The Prisoner ''The Prisoner'' is a 1967 British television series about an unnamed British intelligence agent who is abducted and imprisoned in a mysterious coastal village, where his captors designate him as Number Six and try to find out why he abruptl ...

'' in 1967, and Inspector Parker in the TV adaptations of several

Lord Peter Wimsey Lord Peter Death Bredon Wimsey (later 17th Duke of Denver) is the fictional protagonist in a series of detective novels and short stories by Dorothy L. Sayers (and their continuation by Jill Paton Walsh). A dilettante who solves mysteries fo ...

stories in the 1970s. Having briefly played a short lived character named Wally Randle in 1981, he returned for a long-running role in ''

'', in which he played Alan Bradley. Eden's time in ''Coronation Street'' came to an end in December 1989 after Bradley was killed by a Blackpool tram. In 2009, Eden unveiled a plaque at the tram stop where the scene was filmed. After leaving ''Coronation Street'', Eden said he received many casting offers for "psycho" roles. Before the show, Eden had often been cast in the role of an upper-class gentleman. Eden worked on the stage and in radio plays. He also worked with

the Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American rock band that formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Distinguished by the ...

and wrote a musical about them. His television appearances included playing Boucher in an episode of ''Poirot''. His autobiography ''Who's Going to Look at You?'' was published in 2010.

Personal life

Eden was married three times. His first wife was

Joan Long Joan Long (born Joan Dorothy Boundy; 20 July 1925 – 2 January 1999) was an Australian producer, writer and director best known for ''Caddie'' (1976). She was awarded as a Member of the Order of Australia in 1980 for her services to the film ...

, whom he married in 1953. Their son, David (1957–2017), also became an actor; and David's daughter (Eden's granddaughter) Emma Griffiths Malin (born 1980) is also an actress. Eden and Joan divorced in 1959, and Joan later married the actor

John Le Mesurier John Le Mesurier (, born John Elton Le Mesurier Halliley; 5 April 191215 November 1983) was an English actor. He is perhaps best remembered for his comedic role as Sergeant Arthur Wilson in the BBC television situation c ...

. In 1971, he married Diana W. Smith, whom he had met that year; she later acted under the name Diana Eden. She was eighteen years his junior. They had a daughter named Polly. In 1993, Eden married Sue Nicholls, his co-star in ''Coronation Street'' and the daughter of Lord Harmar-Nicholls. They remained married until Eden's death. Eden suffered from

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and progressively worsens. It is the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As ...

in later life, and was admitted to hospital with the disease in November 2020. He died on 1 January 2021, aged 92.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Eden, Mark 1928 births 2021 deaths 20th-century English male actors 21st-century English male actors Deaths from dementia in England Deaths from Alzheimer's disease English male film actors English male soap opera actors Male actors from London