Joseph William Gilgun (born 9 March 1984) is an English actor known for several roles, including that of Eli Dingle in ITV\'s Emmerdale, Woody in the film and TV spin-offs This Is England (2006–15), and Rudy Wade in E4\'s Misfits. He appears as a main character in the AMC television adaptation of the Vertigo comic Preacher, the charismatic Irish vampire Cassidy.\n', '

Gilgun was born in Chorley, Lancashire, to Judith and Andrew. He has two younger sisters, Jennie and Rosie. He attended Rivington VA Primary School and Southlands High School. He also trained at the Laine Johnson Theatre School and the Oldham Theatre Workshop. He has dyslexia and ADHD, which he describes as the "biggest pain of [his] life" and in interviews has openly discussed depression and anxiety. He started drama workshops at the age of eight, following advice from an educational psychologist, and was described as having "exceptional talent". When he was 10, he got his first TV acting role in Coronation Street. He stayed until he was 13. Gilgun studied art at Runshaw College. He started a degree in fashion design, but found it too academic. He was a plasterer, until returning to acting full-time with Emmerdale.\n', '

As a child actor, Gilgun played little tearaway Jamie Armstrong in Coronation Street between 1994 and 1997. He left the soap when the actress playing his on-screen mother left the show. Gilgun revisited the set in an ITV special The Kids from Coronation Street in 2004. In 1998, when he was 14 years old, he presented a feature on Wish You Were Here...? where he visited Phantasialand, one of Germany\'s largest theme parks.\n', '

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