Tom Watt (actor)

Born in Wanstead, Watt studied drama at the University of Manchester where he directed several stage productions. One of his first television roles was in the comedy series Never the Twain in 1981, but his big break came in 1985 when he was cast as one of the original characters in the BBC One soap opera, EastEnders. Watt played Lofty Holloway, the barman of the Queen Vic pub, from the show's inception until 1988. Other acting credits include roles in the BBC drama South of the Border, a South London detective show; the role of Norman in the 1990 film for ITV called And the Nightingale Sang, a love story set during the war; Boon 1992, with Michael Elphick; as well as a minor role in the 1992 film Patriot Games. As well as television and film he has had many theatre and stage roles. Most notably, he starred in the one-man show Fever Pitch, based on the Nick Hornby novel of the same name. Watt appeared in an episode of the BBC TV series New Tricks, had a minor role in Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes and appeared in a production of Madness in Valencia. In 2019 and 2022, Watt reprised his role as Lofty Holloway in EastEnders for two episodes, for the funerals of Dr. Harold Legg and Dot Cotton.