Clive Hornby

Published Friday 18 July 2008 at 16:00 by Patrick Newley

Actor Clive Hornby was known to millions of TV viewers for his role as loveable farmer Jack Sugden in Emmerdale.

He was a fixture in the soap for nearly 30 years, making him the longest serving character in the show. The trademark cap he wore on the screen was the same one he was handed when he arrived on a three month contract in 1980.

Jack was the son of Jacob and Annie, who owned the farm. He was a ladies’ man, marrying teenage sweetheart Pat in 1982 - played by Helen Weir. Pat died in a crash and second wife Sarah in a barn arson, which saw him held for murder. He was shot by his son and his third screen wife Diane cheated on him with killer Billy Hopwood.

Two years after their screen wedding, Hornby married Weir. The marriage ended in divorce eight years ago. They had a son.

Hornby famously starred in the show’s 35th anniversary last October with a dramatic storyline that saw him trapped in a blazing inferno.

He was born in Liverpool on October 29, 1944, and began his career as an accounts clerk. In the sixties he played drums in the Dennisons. The band appeared on the same bill as the Beatles in Liverpool’s Cavern Club. When the group disbanded Hornby decided to become an actor and trained for the theatre at LAMDA.

Spells in repertory followed at Northampton, Dundee, Salisbury, Newbury and Greenwich. His many stage credits included Oh! What a Lovely War, The Philanthropist, The Threepenny Opera and Macbeth. He appeared in numerous TV productions prior to Emmerdale including Get Some In, Gerry Anderson’s Space 1999 and Minder.

The actor was taken seriously ill in January this year, forcing Emmerdale scriptwriters to write him out of scenes. Despite suffering from cancer, Hornby insisted he would be back. The last scenes he filmed were in January, although he maintained his absence from the show was temporary.

He died on July 3, 2008, aged 63.

Anita Turner, series producer for Emmerdale, said: “This is a devastating loss and we’re all deeply saddened. Clive will be greatly missed by everyone who worked with him on Emmerdale during the past 28 years. He was a hugely popular and well-respected member of the cast and a terrific actor.”

Former co-star Lisa Riley. who played Mandy Dingle, said: “Clive had this amazing ability just to care for people. Whenever there was a new cast member joining Emmerdale, he used to taken them under his wing and tell them how much their life was going to change. I just loved him.”

Chris Chittell, who plays Eric Pollard, said: “Clive had a wicked sense of humour. He was not only a great contributor to the show but also to all our lives.”