Soap stars who made it to Hollywood - EastEnders' Peter Beale to Game of Thrones actress

dailystar.co.uk:

Emmerdale actress, singer and TV icon Patsy Kensit is 54 years old today.The star, who was born on March 4, 1968, rose to fame as a child actor before going on to star in huge Hollywood films including Absolute Beginners and Lethal Weapon 2.She later went on to play Sadie King in ITV soap Emmerdale for over two years.However, she is not the only soap star to have found fame in Hollywood, with many actors going on to find new levels of fame in smash hit films.To celebrate Patsy Kensit's birthday, Daily Star looks at the soap icons who have made it to Hollywood.Long before Patsy Kensit starred in Emmerdale as Sadie King between 2004-2006, the actress had a long and successful career in Hollywood films.The actress started out as a child star, before landing her breakthrough role in the 1986 film Absolute Beginners, which also starred and featured music by the late music legend David Bowie.Over three years later, she also appeared as Rita Van Den Haas in the blockbuster film Lethal Weapon 2, who falls in love with Detective Martin Riggs.Talking about her career to The Guardian, she said: "Making the transition from child actor to teenage one was a lucky break, and then somehow I’ve continued to get work through my adulthood. "Whatever might have happened, life feels good; I’m truly blessed and grateful."Following award winning roles in films such as Twenty One and Angels & Insects, she has since gone on to appear in TV series such as Holby City - but the silver screen is calling once again, as she is due to move back into films with a role in 2022's Renegades.Ricky Whittle became an instant heart throb when he rose to fame as Calvin Valentine on Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks.His role later led to one of the most shocking story.