He rose to fame playing Simon Wicks in EastEnders and Sergeant Nick Rowan in Heartbeat in the 1980s and 1990s.
Yet Nick Berry seemed worlds away from his heyday when he stepped out for a cup of coffee on Sunday with silver hair and a thick bushy beard.
The star, 60, who made his last TV appearance in 2012 at the funeral of his on-screen EastEnders mother Pat Butcher, made a very demure figure during the outing.
Dressed in a loose-fitting T-shirt, baggy jeans and dark sneakers, the star shielded his eyes from the penetrating sun with trendy sunglasses.
Nick had a stellar acting career in British television, but stepped away from the screen at the age of 39 to raise his two sons.
Changing look: Nick Berry looked worlds away from his EastEnders and Heartbeat heyday as he went for a coffee on Sunday when he emerged sporting silver hair and a thick bushy beard
Out and about: Dressed in a loose-fitting T-shirt, baggy jeans and dark sneakers, the star shielded his eyes from the piercing sun with a pair of trendy sunglasses
In the square: The star, 60, who made his last TV appearance in 2012 at the funeral of his on-screen mother Pat Butcher, EastEnders, played a very calm figure during the outing (pictured as Simon Wicks in 1985)
After rising to fame as Simon Wicks in EastEnders in 1985, Berry left in 1990 and headed to the Yorkshire Dales for a six-year stint as Heartbeat’s Sergeant Nick Rowan, before taking on the role of Harbor Master Mike Nicholls in Harbor Lights.
He achieved heartbreaking status with hordes of screaming fans besieging the BBC studios where the soap was filmed.
There was even a brief pop career: in 1986, Berry released a single, Every Loser Wins, which became the second best-selling record in the UK that year.
Except for filming police drama In Deep as Detective Liam Ketman alongside Stephen Tompkinson, which ran from 2001-2003, Berry disappeared from view.
He turned his back on acting to become a stay-at-home dad to his two sons Louis, now 27, and 24-year-old Finley.
Out and about: Nick had a great acting career on British television but stepped away from the screen at the age of 39 to raise his two sons
Mega dollars! He is said to have amassed an estimated £5 million from his time in the spotlight – enough to fund a rambling house in Epping, Essex, and a beach house in Hove.
At one point it was rumored that he had been offered a £2 million gold handcuffs deal by EastEnders executives when he stepped down in the late 1980s.
He is said to have amassed an estimated £5 million from his time in the spotlight – enough to fund a rambling house in Epping, Essex, and a beach house in Hove.
Speaking to the Daily Mail in 2011 about his decision to step out of the spotlight, he said: “I chose to be a stay-at-home dad and loved it…
“I always said I could go back when the boys were teenagers, but the longer you don’t do something, the harder it gets to do it, and I haven’t really missed it. Although I would never say never, I’m really happy the way I am.’
Signed: At one point, he was rumored to have been offered a £2 million gold handcuffs deal by EastEnders executives when he stepped down in the late 1980s
Out and about: He looked calm when he emerged ten years after his screen success
“The track was great. You are driven everywhere, fed every five minutes and told what to do and where to go. What I struggled with was that the boys were very young and I felt like I was filming all the time…
“I was blessed with these little people and yet I wasn’t really there. I realized I wanted to be home.’
Despite his spectacular screen success, East London-born Berry said he was not a natural actor.
He said: ‘I’ve never felt so comfortable in the spotlight. Some of the egos you can do without. A lot of actors take themselves so seriously, but generally you get paid to show off.’
Getting out: Despite his spectacular screen success, East London-born Berry said he wasn’t a natural actor