John Altman

John Altman (born 2 March 1952) is an English actor, perhaps best known for playing "Nasty" Nick Cotton in the popular BBC soap opera EastEnders. Altman was born in Reading, Berkshire. He made his acting debut in the 1979 film The First Great Train Robbery where he played a minor role. Later that same year he played musician George Harrison in the biopic TV film Birth of the Beatles. He made brief appearances in several other popular films includ... more

John Altman (born 2 March 1952) is an English actor, perhaps best known for playing "Nasty" Nick Cotton in the popular BBC soap opera EastEnders. Altman was born in Reading, Berkshire. He made his acting debut in the 1979 film The First Great Train Robbery where he played a minor role. Later that same year he played musician George Harrison in the biopic TV film Birth of the Beatles. He made brief appearances in several other popular films including Quadrophenia and An American Werewolf in London. Altman also featured in a 1982 short public information film, "Stupid Git", part of the British government's campaign against drink-driving. He then became famous for playing Nick Cotton in the BBC television soap opera EastEnders. He appeared in the first ever episode of the soap in 1985 and has played the role intermittently from 1985 to 2001. He reappeared in EastEnders at Christmas 2008 for the first time in 7 years. He last appeared on 4 June 2009, but the door has been left open to... less