Jeff Stewart (actor)

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Jeff Stewart
Jeff Stewart October 2012.jpg
Stewart on the set of The Bill
Born
Jeffrey Stewart

(1955-10-28) 28 October 1955 (age 69)
OccupationActor
Years active1964–present

Jeffrey Stewart (born 28 October 1955) is a British actor. He is best known for playing PC Reg Hollis on the ITV drama series The Bill from 1984 to 2008.

Contents

Early life

Stewart was born in Aberdeen. He and his family moved to Southampton, Hampshire, when he was three months old. His father worked in shipyards and then for Fawley Refinery. [1]

Career

Stewart has played numerous roles in television series, including Harry Fellows in Crossroads in 1981 and Dukkha in the 1982 Doctor Who story Kinda . He played a police constable in Hi-de-Hi! in 1983, the same year that "Woodentop" (the pilot episode of The Bill ) aired. His character on The Bill, Reg Hollis, is his best known role to date, regularly appearing opposite Chris Ellison. Reg is mentioned but not seen in "Woodentop", so Stewart's first appearance in the series was in the first regular episode, "Funny Ol' Business - Cops & Robbers". By March 2007, Stewart was the last member of the cast remaining from that first episode.

In 2001, Stewart appeared on Lily Savage's Blankety Blank . [2] In 2009, Stewart appeared in the music video for "Black and Blue" by Miike Snow. The video starred him as a reclusive musician with a penchant for creating animatronic performers in his dingy apartment. In 2011, he portrayed a German-Russian man in a Soviet prison in Under Jakob's Ladder . [3] He won a best actor award at the 2011 Manhattan Film Festival for the role. [4] He is often confused with the storyboard artist who also voices characters such as Mr. Tickle in The Mr. Men Show . [5]

Personal life

On 8 January 2008, Stewart cut his wrists after being told that his contract for The Bill would not be renewed. He survived the suicide attempt after calling for help and being taken to hospital by an ambulance. [6] He later said of the incident: "I love being an actor. My work as an actor is very important to me – it's my life, and the thought of this suddenly changing had an extremely serious effect on me." [7]

Stewart is fond of the Hotel Chelsea in New York City, having stayed there on a number of occasions. He is friends with a number of the building's permanent residents. He was staying at the Chelsea in 2011 when the hotel changed ownership and closed to transient guests, due to renovation plans. He initially refused to leave, even calling in the police to assist him, but was persuaded by hotel staff to leave. [4]

On 23 July 2025, Stewart assisted Hampshire police officers arresting a suspected shoplifter. In bodycam footage, Stewart was thanked by the officers and subsequently identified himself and his career on The Bill. [8]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
1981 The Nightmare Man DrummondTelevision film
1996 The Bill: TargetPC Reg Hollis Television film
2004The Bill Uncovered: Des and RegPC Reg HollisTelevision film
2004The Bill @ 21PC Reg HollisTelevision film
2006A Dogges TaleManShort film
2008Phlegm NoirMan 1Short film
2009Alice & the BearMaître d'Short film
2009 Dead Man Running Tiffany's Client
2010TomorrowThe ChefShort film
2011 Under Jakob's Ladder Jakob Manhattan Film Festival Award for Best Actor [9]
2011Blood on the BorderAgent Martinez
2011Lords of MagicReverend Ayton
2011Billy
20111066 Earl Siward
2012Hot WingsBobby
2012 Lake Placid: The Final Chapter Deputy NermalTelevision film
2013Grey MatterRichardShort film
2013Hot WingsBobby Welsh
2013RubberTommyShort film
2013How to Become a Criminal MastermindFreddie's Boss
2013SupremoSupremoShort film
2013BlueprintAlbertShort film
2013Re-RollShop OwnerShort film
2014Piano and SoulTerryShort film
2014 The Hooligan Factory Inspector Harris
2014Will You Kill Me Now?MarcusShort film
2016Mob HandedThe Ex Husband
2016In the GrassWallaceShort film
2016LongtailsRobbie
2017Carlos GustavoDefence Minister
2017PastoralKevinShort film
2018On the RunAlan
2019Beyond FuryFrankie
2019LexiFrankShort film
2019A Date with ShillelaghHead bodyguard
2022 The Road Dance Skipper

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1981 Crossroads Harry FellowsEpisode: "26 May 1981"
1982 Doctor Who DukkhaSerial: Kinda
1983 Reilly: Ace of Spies JenkinsEpisode: "Endgame"
1983 Angels ZacEpisode: "Episode #9.20"
1983 Hi-de-Hi! Police ConstableEpisode: "Save Our Heritage"
1984 Minder MickEpisode: "The Car Lot Baggers"
1984–2008 The Bill PC Reg Hollis 872 episodes
1985Lytton's DiaryBoxerEpisode: "Come Uppance"
1988Help!Tinsnip EddieEpisode: "The Milk of Human Kindness"
2004 Harry Hill's TV Burp PC Reg HollisEpisode: "#3.1"
2007 The Dame Edna Treatment PC Reg HollisEpisode: "#1.6"
2010Bloody ForeignersBellandEpisode: "Great Fire of London"

Music videos

YearArtistTitleRole
1989 Sam Brown "Can I Get a Witness"Defendant
2009 Miike Snow "Black and Blue"Reclusive Musician

Awards

YearWorkAwardCategoryResult
2011 Under Jakob's Ladder Manhattan Film Festival Award Best ActorWon

References

  1. Liam Rudden (18 August 2010). "Interview: Jeff Stewart, actor, The Bill". Edinburgh Evening News. Retrieved 2 August 2011.
  2. Lily Savage's Blankety Blank. 4 March 2001. ITV.
  3. "Independent Filmmakers". Cubecity.org. Retrieved 30 June 2014.
  4. 1 2 Cara Buckley (1 August 2011). "The Chelsea Guest Who Wouldn't Leave". The New York Times. Retrieved 2 August 2011.
  5. "BIO". Archived from the original on 13 January 2016. Retrieved 7 November 2015.
  6. "Sacked Bill star out of hospital". BBC. 9 January 2008. Retrieved 9 January 2008.
  7. Schmidt, Veronica (11 January 2008). "The Bill's Jeff Stewart explains self-harm incident". London: Times Online. Retrieved 3 February 2008.[ dead link ]
  8. "The Bill's PC Reg Hollis helps arrest thief in Southampton". BBC News. 24 July 2025. Retrieved 24 July 2025.
  9. Zauderer, Alyssa (1 August 2011). "Manhattan Film Festival Concludes With Awards Ceremony". WPIX-TV . Archived from the original on 18 March 2012. Retrieved 3 August 2011.