William Charles Treacher (4 June 1930 – 5 November 2022) was an English actor. He was best known for portraying the role of Arthur Fowler in the BBC One soap opera EastEnders from 1985 to 1996, having been the first person to be cast for the show. Early life Treacher was born in Dagenham, one of eight children (six boys and two girls) of roofer and tiler William Perks Treacher and Minnie (née Chappell). He grew up in Hackney, Bethnal Green, Mile End, and Waltham Cross, and was evacuated to Gloucestershire during the Second World War. He attended Kings Road JMI School in Waltham Cross and worked as a porter at Waltham Cross station. After his national service in the Royal Air Force, he worked for four years as a steward with P&O, where he saved enough money to attend drama school. Career Theatre After graduating from the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art, he made his West End debut in 1963 with the comedy Shout for Life at The Vaudeville Theatre. Several successful West End roles followed. Television Treacher then moved into television drama, making appearances in a number of classic series of the 1970s including Grange Hill, Bless This House, Minder, The Professionals, Dixon of Dock Green, Z-Cars and The Agatha Christie Hour. Treacher appeared in bit-part television roles several times during the 1970s, including in the police drama The Sweeney episode "Selected Target", as a sailor in the Dad's Army episode "Menace from the Deep" and in 1975 as Arnold in an episode of the comedy series Bless This House entitled "The Phantom Pools Winner". In 2006, Treacher had a guest-starring role in the ITV police drama The Bill. He also appeared as a security guard in an episode of Casualty in December 2007. EastEnders In late 1984, Treacher was the first actor to be cast in the BBC soap opera EastEnders, appearing in the first episode on 19 February 1985, as Arthur Fowler, a role he played for the next eleven years. The co-creators, Tony Holland and Julia Smith, had scripted the character with Treacher in mind. Treacher said in 2015 that he was initially reluctant to sign up for the show as it meant long hours and a sizeable commute from his family home in Suffolk, but that he relented due to the chance of a steady income. He received much critical acclaim for the