Adam Woodyatt

Adam Woodyatt
Woodyatt in 2009 at Wendy Richard's funeral service
Born	Adam Brinley Woodyatt (1968-06-28) 28 June 1968 (age 48) Walthamstow, London, England, United Kingdom
Occupation	Actor, media personality
Years active	1983–present
Known for	Ian Beale in EastEnders (1985-present)
Height	5ft 9in (1.75m)
Spouse(s)	Beverley Sharp (m. 1998)
Children	3

Adam Brinley Woodyatt (born 28 June 1968) is an English actor and media personality, best known for his role as Ian Beale in the long-running BBC soap opera EastEnders. He is the longest-serving and only actor to have been in the show continuously since its inception in February 1985. Alongside Letitia Dean and Gillian Taylforth, who play Sharon Watts and Kathy Beale respectively, Woodyatt is one of only three members of the original cast currently in EastEnders. He is a recipient of 5 British Soap Awards including one for Best Actor as well as a recipient of 1 TRIC Award.

A native of Walthamstow, Woodyatt was raised in the East End of London, where EastEnders is set.

Woodyatt was educated at two independent schools: at Forest School, on the edge of Epping Forest, in Walthamstow in north east London, where he shared classes with comedy writer Sharat Sardana and cricket captain Nasser Hussain, followed by the Sylvia Young Theatre School, at the time based in Marylebone in west London. He also attended Llanidloes High School, Llanidloes in Wales.

Following the completion of his studies at the Sylvia Young Theatre School, Woodyatt took a small part in children's drama The Baker Street Boys. He then put his acting career on hiatus and worked as a butcher in Wales for a brief period, before joining the cast of the then fledgling soap opera EastEnders. Not expecting to stay much beyond the first year, Woodyatt has gone on to be the longest serving cast member in EastEnders; he is the only character from the first episode to appear in the soap without officially leaving. His longevity was honoured at the 2013 British Soap Awards when he received a Lifetime Achievement Award for his role of Ian Beale. Woodyatt has also appeared as a guest personality on several BBC game shows and charity fundraisers, including A Question of Sport, Robot Wars (Winning the show's Celebrity Special with the robot Pussycat) and Children in Need.