Rodney Blackstock has been a staple of Emmerdale for many years now, with the character having been a regular fixture in the Dales since 2000.
Recently viewers have seen him become involved with helping fellow Emmerdale icon Mary Goskirk (Louise Jameson) in her search for Mrs Right, by helping her with a dating app she has joined – even if the path of true love doesn’t run completely smooth.
The character is played by a veteran star – but just who stars as Rodney in the soap and how old is he?
Here’s what you need to know…
Who plays Rodney Blackstock in Emmerdale?
The character of Rodney Blackstock in Emmerdale is played by actor Patrick Mower.
Patrick, the youngest of three children born to his Welsh father and English mother, has been a familiar face on British TV since the 1960s, making his debut in the 1964 comedy-drama Swizzlewick – while his other early small screen appearances include Haunted, UFO and The Avengers.
He first sprang to prominence playing a government assassin alongside Edward Woodward in the series Callan, whicn ran from 1970-1972, going on to star in other series including Special Branch, Target, and as a panellist in the game show Whodunnit from 1973-1978.
On the big screen he’s been seen in the likes of The Devil Rides Out, Black Beauty, To Catch A Spy and Carry On England.
Mower also auditioned for the role of James Bond on several occasions, the first time in the 1960s after Sean Connery decided to step down from the part.
“I was the first person to be told Sean wasn’t returning to the role.
‘Sean was a super, superstar. Back then he was God, I couldn’t believe it when the producers called me in and asked if I’d like to do it, I was 28,’ he previously told the Daily Record.
Despite coming close to the role he lost out to Roger Moore, as he recalls: ‘They thought he was too old to do another three films and he hadn’t signed his contract, so they tested me again but then Roger signed his contract.
‘I also tested when Timothy Dalton got it and then they went with Pierce [Brosnan] because they’d wanted him for a while.’
How old is Patrick Mower and is he married?
Patrick Mower is 84 years old, making him the oldest serving member of the Emmerdale cast.
However, he had thought himself to be younger, having believed for many years that he was born in 1940.
He later discovered that his birth had not been registered, and he had in fact been born on September 12 1938.
Away from the screen Patrick has been married to wife Anya Pope since 1996.
The couple have one son together, while the actor also has two older children from his first marriage to Audrey Giles.
Emmerdale continues on ITV on Monday night at 7pm.
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