Johnnie Clayton

Johnnie Clayton (died in 1992) was an actor who appeared as Reg Cox in the very first episode of EastEnders.

Although his role in EastEnders was only a minor role, it's possibly his most famous role to date, Clayton never got to utter a single word before drawing his last breath, but duly took his place in television history by appearing in the very first scene of the BBC1 soap and the first ever character to be dead.

Before EastEnders, Clayton had a fair few roles in television shows under his belt; his first known television debut was in Dixon of Dock Green in 1960. He then went on to appear in Sykes and A..., The Indian Tales of Rudyard Kipling, Armchair Theatre, The Benny Hill Show, Comedy Playhouse, The Wayne and Shuster Show, Doctor Who, Seven Deadly Sins, The Dickie Henderson Show, Doctor in the House, The Edwardians, Beryl's Lot, Microbes and Men, Rentaghost and Lucky Feller as well as appearing as himself in the 1965 TV series ''Hey Presto! It's Rolf''. His last known contribution to television was in Little Dorrit in 1987.