| Eddie Moon | |||||||||||||||||
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| EastEnders character | |||||||||||||||||
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| Portrayed by | David Essex | ||||||||||||||||
| First appearance | Episode 4223 3 June 2011 | ||||||||||||||||
| Last appearance | Episode 4295 6 October 2011 | ||||||||||||||||
| Classification | Former; regular | ||||||||||||||||
| Introduced by | Bryan Kirkwood | ||||||||||||||||
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Eddie Moon is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by David Essex. Eddie is the father of Michael Moon (Steve John Shepherd), Tyler Moon (Tony Discipline) and Anthony Moon (Matt Lapinskas). Along with his children, Eddie was introduced to bring a "new generation" of the Moon family to the programme. Essex began filming in April 2011 and first appeared on screen on 3 June 2011. His initial contract ended in August, and Essex hoped he would be able to return to the role. The character has been described as cheeky, likeable and charismatic, and has a dark past. Through the series' narrative, it is revealed that there is a rift between Michael and Eddie, because Michael blames his father for the death of his mother, who killed herself when Michael was left alone with her. Eddie is also a love interest for Carol Jackson (Lindsey Coulson) and Vanessa Gold (Zöe Lucker).
Critics have responded mostly positively to the character. Tony Stewart from the Daily Mirror praised his "grand entrance" to the series, and a reporter from the Evening Chronicle said Eddie would bring a "breath of fresh air" to the soap. However, Jim Shelley from the Daily Mirror branded the character a "cliche". The character was written out in September 2011 and departed on 6 October 2011.