William Russell "Ross" Davidson (25 August 1949 – 16 October 2006) was a British actor best known for his role as Andy O'Brien in the BBC soap opera EastEnders.

Biography

Davidson's first marriage was to a primary school teacher, but this ended within three years. He took his ex-wife's maiden name, Ross, as his stage name.

While working on EastEnders, Davidson famously dated his co-star Shirley Cheriton, who played his on-screen girlfriend Debbie Wilkins. She broke up with Davidson after five years. He married Barbara Black in 2005 and the couple already had a son together; Drew Davidson. They lived together in the Essex resort of Frinton-on-Sea. Barbara Black Davidson had three children from her previous marriage.

In February 2005, Davidson was diagnosed with brain cancer, and swiftly underwent surgery. It was unsuccessful, and a month later he was re-admitted to the Oldchurch Hospital in Romford, where he was told that he had a glioblastoma Grade 4 - the fastest growing, most invasive form of brain cancer.

In July 2005, Davidson went public with the news that his tumour was inoperable and that his life expectancy was 12–18 months. He died 15 months later from the illness, aged 57.