John Altman made £25 in royalties from 'EastEnders' re-runs last year.
John Altman
The 68-year-old actor - who starred as 'Nasty' Nick Cotton in the BBC soap - has revealed he still earns money from repeat episodes of the show featuring his villainous character.
John - whose character was killed off in 2015 - said: "Back in the early days, 'EastEnders' used to have an omnibus every Sunday and we'd receive 80 percent of our original fee. Very nice!
"Last year I got about £25 for some old repeated episodes of 'EastEnders'!"
John also revealed that in spite of the coronavirus pandemic, he's still managed to earn a reasonable living over the last year.
The soap star explained that he'd earned "about £24,000 from pantomimes, guest slots on shows such as 'Pointless Celebrities', and celebrity video messaging during the COVID lockdown".
Speaking about his earnings in 2020, John told the Sunday Times newspaper: "I also managed to record my album and an audio version of my autobiography."
John admits that being so synonymous with 'Nasty' Nick and 'EastEnders' has had a major influence on his career.
The actor conceded that his links to the soap have, in some ways, been limiting.
He explained: "Being in a popular soap opens some doors and closes others.
"It's important to have another string to your bow, which is why music has always been a big part of my life ever since I became an actor. Initially I was torn between acting and music."
Despite his 'EastEnders' links, John is actually a huge fan of 'Coronation Street'.
The actor admitted he relished watching the rival soap amid the coronavirus lockdown in 2020.
He told the Daily Star Sunday newspaper: "During the first major lockdown, I was flicking through the channels and I started watching 'Corrie'.
"There are some great performances. It was pretty powerful stuff. It was extraordinary. I was actually hooked on it."
Tagged in John Altman