Colin Salmon movies and TV shows: what has EastEnders newcomer starred in - including James Bond films

Film and TV star Colin Salmon is a huge coup for the EastEnders which has been in need of a famous face to fill the void left by Danny Dyer’s Mick who left Albert Square after he seemingly drowned on Christmas Day.

Salmon will play George Knight on the BBC One soap - he is Elaine’s partner and has come straight from Marbella, where he owns a bar, to help her run the Queen Vic. George was a former boxer and is known by Phil Mitchell and Jack Branning, though it’s not yet known how far they go back.

George comes to Watford with his two daughters, Anna (Molly Rainford) and Gina (Francesca Henry) in tow as the trio look for a fresh start. But some residents don’t trust him and are worried that he’s only come to leech off Elaine.

Salmon will make his debut on the soap on Thursday 1 June - currently he is only slated for four appearances in the show, but it’s likely that he will become a new mainstay in Albert Square.   

Who did Colin Salmon play in the James Bond films?

Salmon appeared in three James Bond films - Tomorrow Never Dies, The World Is Not Enough, and Die Another Day, alongside Pierce Brosnan and Judi Dench. He played Charles Robinson, an MI6 agent and Deputy Chief of Staff in the films.

It was a role very similar to that of Bill Tanner, the MI6 Chief of Staff played by Michael Goodliffe, James Villiers, and Michael Kitchen before Robinson replaced the character. Rory Kinnear took on the role of Tanner in the Daniel Craig Bond films after Salmon left the franchise.

Salmon previously stated that he had hoped to take over the role as James Bond, and that Pierce Brosnan had supported calls for him to be cast, though the role instead went to Daniel Craig, who made an estimated $85 million (£68 million) for his five film appearances.

What other films and shows has Colin Salmon starred in?

Salmon has featured in more than 100 movies and shows over his career to date. He got his start in a string of crime dramas in the early ‘90s, appearing in Prime Suspect 2, Lovejoy, Between the Lines, and Murder Most Horrid.

His first film role came in 1994 when he played Towler in the romantic drama Captives, alongside now household names Tim Roth, Julia Ormond, Keith Alan, Mark Strong and Peter Capaldi.

After his stint in the Bond franchise, Salmon gained more high profile roles, starring in as One in action horror flick Resident Evil and appearing in Alien Vs. Predator and fantasy series Hex.

He took on small roles in Doctor Who, playing Dr. Moon, Merlin, where he appeared as Aglain in one episode, and Spooks, portraying Alton Beecher. He reprised his role as One for the first time in a decade in Resident Evil: Retribution but hasn’t returned to the franchise since.

Salmon’s most well known TV roles are Walter Steel in DC’s Arrow, Jarrod Sands in the Limitless TV series which was based on the 2011 Bradley Cooper film, General Zod in SyFy’s Superman prequel series Krypton, and Rupert in Nick Mohammed and David Schwimmer comedy series Intelligence.

The biggest films in which Salmon has appeared in other than Bond are London Has Fallen, Mortal Engines, Nobody, and last year’s horror thriller Prey for the Devil.