Emmerdale fans stunned as they discover legend’s real-life son is Hollywood superstar
Emmerdale star Freddie Jones who played Sandy Thomas on the ITV soap has a very famous son who has starred in Hollywood and is one of the UK's most beloved actors
Emmerdale fans stunned as they discover legend’s real-life son is Hollywood superstar(Image: ITV )
Emmerdale viewers were taken aback upon discovering that the actor who portrayed Sandy Thomas, Freddie Jones, is the father of a highly successful actor.
Freddie first graced the ITV soap in 2005 as the dad of vicar Ashley Thomas (John Middleton). Already a household name, Freddie had previously showcased his talents in The Elephant Man and Dune, among other TV roles.
It’s safe to say that the larger-than-life pensioner Sandy quickly won over viewers, playing a key role in several major storylines.
From his strained relationship with son Ashley to becoming an unlikely victim of domestic abuse at Ashley’s hands, Sandy’s stint in the Dales was anything but dull.
Freddie played Sandy on Emmerdale(Image: ITV)
However, after 13 years on the show, Sandy decided to bid farewell to the village in 2018, marking Freddie’s departure from Emmerdale, reports Belfast Live.
Tragically, Freddie passed away in July 2019 at the age of 91. A year later, Emmerdale wrote out the character Sandy, paying a fitting tribute to both the character and the actor who brought him to life.
Off-screen, Freddie tied the knot with fellow actress Jennifer Heslewood in 1965. They had three sons, one of whom is the much-loved UK actor Toby Jones.
His son is a mega famous actor too(Image: ITV)
Toby has enjoyed a successful acting career, featuring in films such as Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Les Misérables and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. He also lent his voice to the character Dobby in the Harry Potter series.
More recently, he starred as Alan Bates in the highly praised ITV drama ‘Mr Bates vs The Post Office’, which delves into the notorious Horizon Post Office scandal.
Fans were taken aback to learn that Toby Jones is the son of Freddie, who played Sandy on Emmerdale, with one fan expressing their surprise on an Emmerdale Facebook fan page: “Didn’t know that Toby Jones’ father is Sandy from Emmerdale! Did anyone else?”
The actor sadly died(Image: ITV)
Another admirer added: “How sweet, talent runs in the family!” While a different viewer exclaimed: “I didn’t know that either! He was such a good character.”
Toby opened up about his acting lineage back in 2012, telling Scotsman: “I grew up without any sense of romance about the job.”
Speaking of his father, who was still active in the profession at the time, Toby said: “He’s 84, still acting away and without any jealousy between us – which there can be in acting families.”
He amusingly recounted his father’s mild form of critique: “The closest he gets to critique is going, ‘Oh, really – do people close doors like that?’ And he doesn’t even do that anymore.”
