Chris Chittell
Christopher John Chittell (born 19 May 1948) is an English actor, known for his role as Eric Pollard in the ITV soap opera Emmerdale. He has portrayed the role since 1986, making him the longest-serving cast member in the soap's history.
Also recorded as Christopher John Chittell
Chris Chittell
- Name
- Chris Chittell
- Birth Name
- Christopher John Chittell
- Born
- 19 May 1948
- Birthplace
- Aldershot, Hampshire, England
- Occupation
- Actor
- Known for
- Role of Eric Pollard in Emmerdale
- Nationality
- United Kingdom
- Fields
- pornographic film
- Honours
- British Empire Medal
- Languages
- English
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wikidata · Q5106151 · wikipedia · Chris Chittell
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Chris Chittell • Birth Name — Christopher John Chittell • Born — 19 May 1948 • Birthplace — Aldershot, Hampshire, England • Occupation — Actor • Years Active — 1964–Present • Known for — Role of Eric Pollard in Emmerdale
Early life
Early life
Chittell was born in Aldershot, Hampshire. His father served in the Indian Army, and on leaving school Chittell intended to join the Royal Navy, but instead, he became a model. His first acting stint was in 1964, with the National Theatre, at Chichester Festival Theatre, in Peter Shaffer's The Royal Hunt of the Sun.
Career
Career
He appeared as Potter in the 1967 film To Sir, with Love. In 1968 he appeared as a Trooper in The Charge of the Light Brigade, and made an uncredited appearance in If..... This was followed by a starring role as one of the Freewheelers, made as an action/adventure children's serial by Southern Television between 1968 and 1973. Chittell acted for two seasons in the 1970s science fiction TV drama The Tomorrow People. His other film appearances included roles in The Beast in the Cellar (1970), The Weekend Murders (1971), The Raging Moon (1971), The Last Valley (1971), Erotic Inferno (1975), Golden Rendezvous (1977), Zulu Dawn (1979) and Game for Vultures (1979). He also appeared in a number of Swedish sex films in the 1970s including Swedish Sex Games (aka The Intruders and Let Us Play Sex) in 1975 (which also featured a young Stellan Skarsgård). He performed on stage at the Old Vic in Macbeth with Peter O'Toole. In 1972, Chittell appeared in the untransmitted Doomwatch episode "Sex and Violence", playing Dick Burns, widely believed to be a parody of Cliff Richard and Richard's part in the Nationwide Festival of Light. The "Sex and Violence" episode was included as part of the Doomwatch DVD box set release in April 2016.
Filmography
Filmography
• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1967 — To Sir, with Love — Potter • 1968 — The Charge of the Light Brigade — Trooper • 1968 — The Avengers — Bassin • 1968 — If.... — Senior — Uncredited • 1970 — The Breaking of Bumbo — The Prisoner • 1970 — The Weekend Murders — Georgie Kemple • 1971 — The Raging Moon — Terry • 1971 — The Last Valley — Svenson • 1971 — The Beast in the Cellar — Baker • 1971 — They Call Him Cemetery — John McIntire • 1972 — Doomwatch — Dick Burns — 1 episode • 1974 — The Intruders — Richard • 1974 — Man About The House — Alan • 1975 — Erotic Inferno — Martin Barnard • 1977 — Molly — Peter • 1977 — Ta mej i dalen — Richard • 1977 — Golden Rendezvous — Rogers • 1978 — The Wild Geese — Philips — Uncredited • 1978 — Night Ride — TV movie • 1979 — Zulu Dawn — Lt. Milne • 1979 — Game for Vultures — McAllister • 1980 — Les Visiteurs (The Visitors) — L'interprète (The Interpreter) — TV Mini Series. Episode entitled: Pirvii • 1982 — Triangle — Lorry Driver — TV series. Series 2. Episode 17 • 1984 — Tucker's Luck — Junior — TV series. Recurring role • 1986–present — Emmerdale — Eric Pollard — ITV Soap Opera. Series regular
Honours
He was awarded the British Empire Medal (BEM) in the 2019 Birthday Honours for services to drama and charity.
Text attribution
Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Chris Chittell, revision 1369833217 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Dainty, Sophie. Emmerdale star Chris Chittell would leave if Eric Pollard stopped getting decent storylines. Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK. 3 August 2017.
- 2.Christopher Chittell | Theatricalia. theatricalia.com.
- 3.To Sir, with Love – review | cast and crew, movie star rating and where to watch film on TV and online. Radio Times.
- 4.Chris Chittell. www.aveleyman.com.
- 5.A Rift in Time[11/03/74] (1974). BFI.
- 6.Secret Weapon[19/03/75] (1975). BFI.
- 7.Christopher Chittell. BFI.
- 8.Hayward, Anthony The Emmerdale Companion Published by Orion Publishing Co. (1997)
- 9.http://www.emmerdale.org/emmerdale/profiles/eric/chris.htm Chittell on the Emmerdale website
- 10.Sex and Violence (1972). BFI.
- 11.Doomwatch box set review: vintage 70s apocalypse drama still has the power to chill. the Guardian. 7 April 2016.
- 12.62666. B25. 8 June 2019.
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1- AldershotPlace
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 20 August 2026.
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