Emmerdale star Andy Devine dies

Emmerdale actor Andy Devine has passed away at the age of 79.

His death, confirmed today (May 30), was dated back to January 27, according to public records.

Devine, whose real name was Peter, played the character of Shadrach Dingle, the husband of Faith Dingle and father of Chas Dingle, on the ITV soap on and off for ten years during the early 2000s.

andy devine as shadrach dingle in emmerdale

Shutterstock//ITV

The actor joined the Dingle family in 2000 before taking his final bow in July 2010, when his character was killed off during a devastating alcohol abuse plotline.

But Shadrach hadn't been the only role he played in the soap. Two years before he joined the Dingle family, Devine had played a different character for two episodes – Baz Bradstone.

He was also known for his roles as Bernard in Channel 4's Queer as Folk and a Draconian Guard in the Doctor Who story, 'Frontier in Space'.

andy devine at the 2010 british soap awards

Chris Jackson///Getty Images

The actor's long career dates back to 1973, when he made his first appearances on Doctor Who.

He then went on to appear in such TV shows as Cardiac Arrest, Where The Heart Is, The Seven Eleven, and, more recently, the BBC dramedy Linda Green in 2007.

"I never wanted to be an actor – I always wanted to be a pirate. In fact, I still live on a boat now, moored up in West Yorkshire," he had told the Manchester Evening News back in 2010.

"I think the only thing you need to be an actor is a vivid imagination and an ability to put that into action. If you can cry at a movie, you can act."

Emmerdale airs at the earlier time of 7pm this week on ITV and streams on the ITV Hub.