A beloved Emmerdale star who tragically died last year has left £63,000 in his will.
Steve Halliwell, who played Zak Dingle, in the soap, died in December aged 77.
The soap star had played his character for almost 30 years and was a well-known face on screen.
In his will it was revealed that he left the proceeds of his acting career to his family.
Stars of the show can get up to £2,000 per episode but official documents reveal that the star only had £63,000 to his name.
The actor was also living at the St Helenas Caravan Park in Horsforth, near Leeds, before his death last year.
In Steve's will he left all the proceeds from his acting career including future royalties to his second wife and widow Valerie and his daughter Charlotte, 40.
Steve married Valerie in 1984 before he found fame on Emmerdale and after splitting briefly in the 1990s, reconciled and had a long marriage.
The soap actor battled alcoholism and depression during his life and believed he could be suffering with bipolar disorder but admitted he had never been officially diagnosed.
He gave a candid confession about this in his autobiography If the Cap Fits: My Rocky Road to Emmerdale.
The star entered rehab in 2003 to combat his alcohol addiction.
He also fell in trouble with the law and at one point he was arrested for sleeping rough in an empty government building in London.
Steve shared: 'I was sent to Ashford remand prison for two weeks and then I was put on probation and sent home.'
Speaking to The Mirror in 2014, he opened about his demons, saying: 'There's depression, drinking and having to fight your way out of situations. I've lived all those things – and more.'
Steve told the TV Times: 'I can see a pattern to me leading to playing Zak. I went on a journey and it seemed to be my destiny to play this man who I understood.
'Everything the Dingles had been through, I had too – trouble with the police, fighting, being evicted. And if there were any aspects of Zak's life I hadn't lived, I knew people who had.'
Before launching his acting career, Steve was an apprentice at the cotton and paper mills in Bury, Lancashire, where he was born.
He later honed his craft at the Mountview Theatre School in Peckham, South London, of which Dame Judi Dench is the president.
Before landing his role in Emmerdale, Steve starred on shows such as Here I Stand, Heartbeat and Coronation Street.
Steve's role on Emmerdale as Zak Dingle was only meant to be temporary but he quickly became an integral character and was loved by fans of the show.
The iconic character was known for his flat cap, wellies and wax jacket and he featured in a number of dramatic storylines, including divorcing his first wife Nellie, played by Sandra Gough, and marrying Lisa, portrayed by Jane Cox.
Emmerdale bosses are set to honour the actor with a touching on-screen send-off later this year.
“It will be very difficult for a lot of people who work on the show and obviously a lot of our viewers who have grown and love Zak for many, many years - but it will be a hugely fitting tribute for a great character.”
In a statement released in December 2023, Emmerdale expressed its profound sorrow over Steve’s death.
An Emmerdale spokesperson stated: “It is with deep sadness and a heavy heart that Emmerdale can confirm that Steve Halliwell, our beloved Zak Dingle, has peacefully passed away.”
“All our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends and loved ones through this very difficult time, and we’d request that their privacy is respected as they grieve for his loss. Steve will forever be synonymous with Emmerdale. The proud defender and head of the Dingle family. Heart and humour in all he did, it has been and always will be impossible not to smile when you think of him.”
John Whiston, Managing Director of Continuing Drama, added to the tributes: “Steve Halliwell was one of those rare human beings who was as wonderful off screen as on. To millions of Emmerdale viewers, he was the brawny but crafty Dingle patriarch who led the clan with a strong fist and a warm heart.”
“To everyone who worked on Emmerdale, he was a much-loved friend and colleague, the undoubted father of the show, but also its fun mischievous uncle. We will miss him enormously.”
