John Bardon (born John Michael Jones, 25 August 1939 – 12 September 2014), was an English stage and screen actor. He was awarded the Laurence Olivier Award in 1988 (1987 season) as 'Best Actor in a Musical' for Kiss Me, Kate, sharing the award with co-star Emil Wolk. He was best known for playing the patriarch Jim Branning on EastEnders for 13 years. On 12 September 2014 the BBC announced that Bardon had died at age 75.