Freddie Jones

Frederick Charles Jones[1][2] (born 12 September 1927) is a retired English actor, perhaps best known for playing Sandy Thomas in Emmerdale from 2005 until 2018.

Life and career
Jones was born in the town of Longton, Stoke-on-Trent,[3] the son of Ida Elizabeth (née Goodwin) and Charles Edward Jones.[2] He became an actor after 10 years of working as a laboratory assistant with the British Ceramic Research Association in Penkhull, leaving (according to him) because of a 'ban on beards'.[citation needed] He then pursued his hobby of acting on a full-time basis. He was trained at the Rose Bruford College and amongst other roles played Stanley in the Pinter-directed revival of The Birthday Party in 1963.[4] He became famous for his award-winning role as Claudius in the 1968 British TV series The Caesars.[citation needed]

He appeared in David Lynch's films The Elephant Man (1980), Dune (1984) and Wild at Heart (1990), as well as the short-lived TV series On the Air (1992) and the short film Hotel Room (1993).

Jones created the part of Sir in the original production of The Dresser by Ronald Harwood at the Royal Exchange, Manchester.

He narrated the award-winning video Sexual Encounters of the Floral Kind: Pollination.[5]

He played the character Sandy Thomas in ITV's Emmerdale. On 6 February 2018 it was confirmed that Jones had filmed his final episode, due to air in the same month February 2018. Jones reported that he had been given a contract expansion but declined as he felt his character had reached the end since John Middleton left and that he had also opted to retire from acting.

Actor Toby Jones is the eldest of the three sons of Freddie Jones and his wife Jennifer (née Heslewood).[6]