From Wikipedia the free encyclopedia Michael John Elphick 19 September 1946 7 September 2002 was an English actor Elphick was known in the UK for his trademark croaky voice and his work on British television in particular his roles as the eponymous private investigator in the ITV series Boon and later Harry Slater in BBCs EastEnders Elphick struggled with a highly publicised addiction to alcohol at the height of his problem he admitted to consuming two litres of spirits a day which contributed towards his death from a heart attack in 2002 Description above from the Wikipedia article Michael Elphick licensed under CCBYSA full list of contributors on Wikipedia