EastEnders’ Phil Mitchell star Steve McFadden looks totally different with full head of hair

EastEnders legend Steve McFadden, who plays Phil Mitchell on the BBC One soap, is barely recognisable with hair.

The now-64 year old star's bald shaven head has become almost synonymous with the character of Phil himself, as the resident hard man on Albert Square.

Over the course of the entire time Phil was in Walford, from Steve's first episode in 1990, the character didn't have a full head of hair.

When he first arrived, as one half of the dynamic Mitchell brothers, Phil rocked a head of dark brown stubble, closely shaved.

Over the years, Steve's hairline receded and he opted for a fully bald look going forward, leaving many fans to forget just what he could have looked like before.

In unearthed snaps from the late 1980s and early 90s, Steve looks totally different, and what's more, his character has changed with his hairstyle over the years too.

When he first arrived in the square with his brother Grant Mitchell, who was a messed-up bad boy who went on to be abusive to both wives Sharon Watts and Tiffany Mitchell, Phil was actually a much quieter and gentler man.

It was due to this kind nature that Sharon ended up having an affair with Phil while she was married to Grant.

But fans of EastEnders will know that the years have been hard on Phil, particularly after his brother left Walford and years later he lost his mum Peggy Mitchell.

Now, the mechanic and Arches owner is an often bitter and angry local.

Over the course of his time on the soap, Steve's character has been married four times.

His longest, most important marriage was to Kathy Beale (Gillian Taylforth), during the late 90s, later walking down the aisle with Kate Morton and original flame Sharon.

Phil then tied the knot to Kat Slater (Jessie Wallace) earlier this year, after a fiery on-off relationship over the last two years.

Steve is departing from the BBC soap for a brief stint in the coming weeks, as he's landed a role in a new pantomime of Jack and the Beanstalk over the Christmas period.

But over the course of the last 33 years, Steve has been a permanent fixture in the square, only taking breaks from the soap twice, in 2004 and during an alcoholism storyline.

EastEnders continues Monday at 7.30pm on BBC One

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