Emmerdale’s Bear Wolf burst into the Dales back in 2019 as loveable Paddy’s father.

Played by renowned actor Joshua Richards, Bear appeared on our screens after Paddy managed to track down his father at a wrestling convention in Belfast with Marlon.

Richards spoke about his character after he landed the part: “Having been based in Yorkshire for most of my life, it’s fantastic to now be filming there too. Bear Wolf is a great character and I am looking forward to seeing what’s in store for him."

In recent episodes, Bear has been helping to look after Marlon after his recent stroke.

Read on to check out more about Joshua’s life.

Hollywood fame

Bear is Joshua’s first role in a television soap, but certainly not his first acting part in a critically acclaimed production.

Richards was a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company and was in some of the country's biggest productions, including Henry IV part I and part II.

His high profile repertoire continues to the silver screen, where he has starred opposite Brad Pitt in 2004’s Troy and alongside Hugh Grant in the Amazon Prime series A Very English Scandal.

He has also had roles in Downton Abbey, Heartbeat and Panic Button.

Family tragedy

The actor has spoken about his mother’s passing and admitted that he was disappointed she wouldn’t get to see him in the Dales.

A year before he joined the soap, Joshua’s mother died aged 80-years-old.

He recalled their favourite pastime whilst filming: “My mum Jean was an ardent fan. We watched it when it was Emmerdale Farm and she would have been over the moon that I was doing it, but we lost her last year.”

Richards continued: “It’s really sad that she couldn’t be around to watch me in it. She didn’t know I got the part. I just thought: ‘If only my mum was here to see this!’”

Adjusting to soap stardom

Despite the fact that he is used to brushing shoulders with Hollywood actors, Joshua adjusted to life in Emmerdale quite well.

He admitted that “it’s not as daunting as he thought it would be” and that “everyone is so friendly.”

Joshua continued: “The learning curve is quicker. I’m used to doing large roles in the theatre where you have a long time to learn it. With this, you throw out your short term memory. It’s a new habit to get into.”

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