BBC Colin Bennett, who is known for his work on TV, has passed away, and it has been confirmed that his son, Tom Bennett, is an actor on EastEnders.
Bennett died last month, his son shared as he uploaded an emotional tribute to social media.
Tom posted a photo of his late father and told his followers that he was his ‘hero’.
‘My Dad (Mr Bennett) sadly passed away 2 weeks ago today. I still don’t quite have the words’, he penned.
‘He was my hero.
‘I will miss him more than he will ever know.’
Tom – who has also starred in After Life – signed off: ‘I love you, Dad.’
Following his sweet tribute, fans flooded the replies with messages of condolences as they remembered the soap star’s father.
In a follow up, Tom expressed his shock at the outpouring of love.
‘He wouldn’t have believed the amount of love he’s getting right now! The number of amazing replies is testament to who he was as a man & make me so very proud he was my dad!’, he said.’
‘He’d be so honoured, humbled and pleased he played even a tiny part in many of your childhoods! Thank you’.
He added in another post that he ‘had no idea the outpouring of love would be so huge’, saying he was ‘truly overwhelmed in the most joyously emotional way possible’.
Tom described Bennett as ‘a special man’, noting: ‘It’s bringing me so much joy he meant so much to so many of you.’
Bennett was best known for playing caretaker Mr Bennett in the children’s programme Take Hart.
The show ran from 1977 to 1983.
Bennett also appeared alongside late TV star Tony Hart in the art show, which also featured the animated character Morph.
In 1984, Bennett reprised his role in the spin-off Hartbeat, which ran until 1989.
His other acting credits included You Should Be So Lucky, the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, and Luna.
As for his more recent work, he appeared in the 2020 film Rebecca and he appeared in The Full Monty last year.
Bennett initially retired from acting in 2002, reportedly due to poor health, before returning to the screen later on.
He also worked behind the camera, running a production company called An Acquired Taste TV Corp for 17 years.
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