An American directed One True Thing.
Patrick Francis `` Paddy '' Joyce -LRB- 31 May 1923 -- 27 July 2000 -RRB- was an Irish actor of film and television productions .. Irish. Irish people. He was born in Trieste , Italy to Irish parents , and grew up in Ireland .. Trieste. Trieste. Italy. Italy. Irish. Irish people. Ireland. Ireland. He appeared in nearly 90 film and television productions , and played Tommy Deakin on the British soap opera Coronation Street -LRB- 1968 -- 74 -RRB- .. soap opera. soap opera. Coronation Street. Coronation Street. In his later years he also played John Royle in another long-running British soap opera , EastEnders -LRB- 1990 -- 91 , 1993 -RRB- .. soap opera. soap opera. John Royle. John Royle ( EastEnders ). EastEnders. EastEnders. However , his various other credits date back to the 1950s , with his screen debut being in the 1953 film The Cruel Sea , although his role in the film was unaccredited .. The Cruel Sea. The Cruel Sea ( 1953 film ). Throughout the 1950s he appeared in various cinematic films including The Girl in the Picture , The Steel Bayonet , Dublin Nightmare and Cover Girl Killer .. The Girl in the Picture. The Girl in the Picture ( 1957 film ). The Steel Bayonet. The Steel Bayonet. Dublin Nightmare. Dublin Nightmare. Cover Girl Killer. Cover Girl Killer. It was in the 1960s however that his television credits began to become more and more frequent with appearances in shows including The Adventures of Robin Hood , No Hiding Place and The Revenue Men .. The Adventures of Robin Hood. The Adventures of Robin Hood ( TV series ). No Hiding Place. No Hiding Place. The Revenue Men. The Revenue Men. After he had completed his role in Coronation Street , Joyce had become widely recognized within the United Kingdom .. Coronation Street. Coronation Street. United Kingdom. United Kingdom. In 1973 , he appeared in two episodes of Crown Court and the film version of Never Mind the Quality Feel the Width ; and between 1964 and 1976 he appeared in many different roles in the police procedural drama Z-Cars .. Crown Court. Crown Court ( TV series ). Never Mind the Quality Feel the Width. Never Mind the Quality Feel the Width ( film ). police procedural. police procedural. Z-Cars. Z-Cars. In the 1980s he appeared in television shows including Minder , Auf Wiedersehen , Pet and The Bill , before being landed in the role of John Royle on EastEnders .. John Royle. John Royle ( EastEnders ). EastEnders. EastEnders. Minder. Minder ( TV series ). The Bill. The Bill. His final credited performance was in the 1999 film Alice in Wonderland .. Alice in Wonderland. Alice in Wonderland ( 1999 film ). Joyce died of a stroke in London on 27 July 2000 , aged 77 years .. London. London