Steve Robert McFadden (né Reid; born 20 March 1959) is an English actor. He is best known for his role as Phil Mitchell in the BBC One soap opera EastEnders, which he has played since 1990. He was also the presenter of the game show, Britain's Hardest. Early life McFadden was born in Maida Vale, London, on 20 March 1959. He left school in 1975, and had short stints in jobs including labouring, carrot picking, plumbing and working at a builder's merchant. After attending university, McFadden decided that he wanted to become an actor and was accepted into the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in 1984, graduating in 1987. Career McFadden made his acting debut playing a small role in the 1989 BBC television film The Firm. That same year, he had an uncredited brief appearance in the film Buster as a gang member. This was followed by appearances in the television series The Bill, Minder and Bergerac. McFadden then began portraying the role of Phil Mitchell in the BBC soap opera EastEnders. He joined EastEnders at the beginning of 1990, at the same time as Ross Kemp, who played Phil's younger brother Grant Mitchell. During that time, his character was involved in numerous iconic storylines, such as Sharongate (where it was revealed that he had an affair with his brother's wife Sharon) in 1994, and the Who Shot Phil? storyline in March 2001; where his character was shot and wounded by a mystery attacker. McFadden then made an appearance in the film Kevin & Perry Go Large in 2000, and starred in an episode of the BBC anthology series Murder in Mind in 2001. He left EastEnders in late 2003 for a one-year break to concentrate on pantomimes. His character was written out of the series after being framed for an armed robbery by Den Watts (played by Leslie Grantham), and going on the run after breaking out of prison. During his break from EastEnders, he presented the reality television series Britain's Hardest which was an underground competition broadcast on Sky One. He returned to EastEnders for two episodes in April 2005. In the story, Phil returned to Walford in need of financial help, only to be arrested and returned to prison. In October 2005, he returned on a permanent basis, after his character was cleared of armed robbery. In 2007, he appeared in the film Provoked. He has