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To many, Michael Elphick's death at just 55 was the loss of "that bloke from Boon." But the career of this admirably versatile actor, capable of both tenderness and menace, always coupled with a common touch, was no one-hit wonder. Elphick's story is the classic tale of a jobbing actor, his 40-year career experiencing triumph, tragedy, celebrity and anonymity.

In the late 1960s, Elphick shared a house with fellow drama students, a saga later epitomised in Withnail and I in which he played a small role. Unlike his housemates though, Elphick was able to combine his fondness for a drink with a promising career from the start. His early roles tended to be as stock thugs, but he was fast building a reputation in stage roles, until TV finally rewarded his talents with Holding On in 1977. He was soon busy as the schoolboy bully in Blue Remembered Hills, the hectoring father in Quadrophenia, and the repugnant freakshow owner in The Elephant Man.

The marvellous Private Schulz came hot on the heels, the witty story of a Nazi plot to sabotage the British economy. He was terrorised by Nigel Hawthorne's sadistic examiner in The Knowledge, terrorising in Auf Wiedershen, Pet and charming in Three Up, Two Down in the 1980s, before motorbike mad gumshoe Boon made him a true TV star in 1986. An unpretentious mixture of crime and comedy, it fitted Elphick like a glove, but also fatally typecast him.

While drinking may not have affected his performances, it certainly took its toll on his health and appearance. His long-term partner Julia died in 1996 and when he stepped into the limelight for the last time in EastEnders, viewers were shocked to see the handsome and dynamic actor transformed into a troubled, unhealthy and haunted ghost of his former self.

But like any successful actor, Elphick has left behind him many performances for future generations to enjoy, allowing one to hope that one day he will finally received the accolades he always deserved.

Simon Farquhar