Derek Martin, the actor best known for playing taxi driver Charlie Slater in EastEnders, has died at age 92.
“I get called, ‘Oi, Charrrrrlie!’,” Martin bellowed humorously to Doctor Who Magazine. “It’s lovely to think I’m still in people’s minds. It’s an honour.”
Martin was born Derek William Rapp on 11 April 1933 in Bow, London. Before becoming an actor, he worked as a professional gambler, motor racer, meat‑market porter, and debt collector. He began as an actor playing bit roles then became a stuntman before appearing in a range of prominent British television roles. He also served in the Royal Air Force.
In an interview in Doctor Who Magazine, he recounted being recruited Derek Ware, the founder and stunt arranger of HAVOC, after filming a pub fight scene.
“He said, ‘Can you drive?’ I said, ‘Yeah.’ He said, ‘Can you run, walk, ride a horse?’ I said, ‘Yeah.’ He said, ‘Well, come and see me. ‘So, I went and saw him — and joined his agency, became a stuntman.”
Martin was also known for playing multiple roles in Doctor Who, acting alongside William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton and Jon Pertwee.
He was credited for the role of David Mitchell in Image of the Fendahl (1977). He also played a crowd member in The Romans (1965), a Parisian in The Massacre of St. Bartholomew’s Eve (1966), an English sailor and Scotsman in The Highlanders (1966-67), an army soldier in The Web of Fear (1968), Reegan’s Heavy in The Ambassadors of Death (1970), a UNIT/RSF soldier in Inferno (1970), a prisoner in The Mind of Evil (1971), and a UNIT Soldier in The Claws of Axos (1971).
“I have all good memories — some painful. Falling, getting shot, getting killed. It was enjoyable.”, Martin reflected on his 60-plus years in television to Doctor Who Magazine. “…you’re talking to a very, very lucky man.”