Jeff Hordley (born 7 March 1970) is an English actor, best known for portraying the role of Cain Dingle in the ITV soap opera ''

Emmerdale ''Emmerdale'' (known as ''Emmerdale Farm'' until 1989) is a British television soap opera that is broadcast on ITV (TV network), ITV. The show is set in Emmerdale (known as Beckindale until 1994), a List of fictional towns and villages, fict ...

''. For his portrayal of Cain, he has been nominated for the British Soap Award for Best Actor at three ceremonies.

Early life

Hordley grew up in

Oldham Oldham is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amongst the Pennines on elevated ground between the rivers River Irk, Irk and River Medlock, Medlock, southeast of Rochdale, and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative cent ...

Greater Manchester Greater Manchester is a ceremonial county in North West England. It borders Lancashire to the north, Derbyshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Cheshire to the south, and Merseyside to the west. Its largest settlement is the city of Manchester. ...

where he attended North Chadderton Comprehensive, before he went on to gain a BA (Hons) Theatre Arts (Acting) degree from

Manchester Metropolitan University Manchester Metropolitan University is located in the centre of Manchester, England. The university has 40,000 students and over 4,000 members of staff. It is home to four faculties (Arts and Humanities, Business and Law, Health and Education ...

School of Theatre in 1997.

Career

After making minor appearances in British soap operas, including ''

Coronation Street ''Coronation Street'' (colloquially referred to as ''Corrie'') is a British television soap opera created by ITV Granada, Granada Television and shown on ITV (TV network), ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres on a cobbled, terraced ...

'', Hordley was cast as Cain Dingle in the ITV soap opera ''

'' in 2000. In 2006, he announced his decision to leave the soap in order to pursue other projects; the chance of a return was kept open by the producers. Later that year, he starred in a production of ''

Mother Goose Mother Goose is a character that originated in children's fiction, as the imaginary author of a collection of French fairy tales and later of English nursery rhymes. She also appeared in a song, the first stanza of which often functions now as ...

'' at the Churchill Theatre in

Bromley Bromley is a large town in Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. It is southeast of Charing Cross, and had an estimated population of 88,000 as of 2023. Originally part of Kent, Bromley became a market town, charte ...

. He later played Napoleon in the

George Orwell Eric Arthur Blair (25 June 1903 – 21 January 1950) was an English novelist, poet, essayist, journalist, and critic who wrote under the pen name of George Orwell. His work is characterised by lucid prose, social criticism, opposition to a ...

classic ''

Animal Farm ''Animal Farm'' (originally ''Animal Farm: A Fairy Story'') is a satirical allegorical novella, in the form of a beast fable, by George Orwell, first published in England on 17 August 1945. It tells the story of a group of anthropomorphic far ...

'' at Leeds' West Yorkshire Playhouse in 2008, as well as the role of Mick in

Harold Pinter Harold Pinter (; 10 October 1930 – 24 December 2008) was a British playwright, screenwriter, director and actor. A List of Nobel laureates in Literature, Nobel Prize winner, Pinter was one of the most influential modern British dramat ...

's play '' The Caretaker'', when staged at

Bolton Bolton ( , locally ) is a town in Greater Manchester in England. In the foothills of the West Pennine Moors, Bolton is between Manchester, Blackburn, Wigan, Bury, Greater Manchester, Bury and Salford. It is surrounded by several towns and vill ...

's Octagon Theatre in 2009. In 2009, his return to ''Emmerdale'' was announced. Since his return, Hordley has been nominated for the British Soap Award for Best Actor three times.

Personal life

In 1996, Hordley was diagnosed with

Crohn's disease Crohn's disease is a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that may affect any segment of the gastrointestinal tract. Symptoms often include abdominal pain, diarrhea, fever, abdominal distension, and weight loss. Complications outside of the ...

. He has experienced symptoms since the age of 20 and has been hospitalised three times from his condition. Hordley married Emmerdale co-star Zoë Henry in 2003; they have two children.

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hordley, Jeff 1970 births 20th-century English male actors 21st-century English male actors English male soap opera actors Alumni of Manchester Metropolitan University People from Crumpsall Male actors from Oldham Living people People educated at North Chadderton School People with Crohn's disease Male actors from Manchester