William has been playing the role of Caleb Miligan in Emmerdale since 2022
Emmerdale actor William Ash has captivated ITV soap viewers with his portrayal of the cunning Caleb Milligan since 2022.
Recently, Caleb swindled £100k from his terminally ill mother-in-law Helen Fox (played by Sharon Maughan) in exchange for reuniting her with her estranged daughter Ruby (Beth Cordingly) after a 30-year separation.
Ruby, Caleb’s devoted wife, is oblivious to his betrayal as her mother died in hospital before she could bid farewell. Will he confess his deceit?
The entrepreneur is also scheming to acquire Will Taylor’s (Dean Andrews) haulage company as he plots a new venture to compete with Home Farm, owned by his adversary Kim Tate (Claire King). However, off-screen, William’s life is vastly different from that of his soap character, reports the Mirror.
Born in Chadderton near Oldham to an engineer father and a police civilian mother, 47-year-old William spent much of his early life there before developing a passion for acting.
Despite demonstrating a clear interest in drama at school, acting wasn’t always William’s dream job – he had initially wanted to be a footballer during his younger years.
“My dad played a lot of football and played semi-professionally and that is what I wanted to do, be a footballer, until I was 16/17,” he disclosed to Inkpellet in 2012.
During his school days, Will befriended his future Emmerdale co-star Jeff Hordley, who is well-known for his role as Cain Dingle. They both attended North Chadderton Comprehensive in Oldham and were inspired by the same drama teacher, Colin Snell, who also mentored other actors like Nicola Stephenson and later Jonas Armstrong and Jenna Coleman.
He shared with the Daily Star, “We both went to the same school, North Chadderton Comprehensive in Oldham, and had a really inspirational drama teacher called Colin Snell who not only inspired us but the likes of Nicola Stephenson and then went on to another school with Jonas Armstrong and Jenna Coleman.”
The actors, despite an age difference, acted together in a play during their school years, marking the beginning of a lasting friendship that has continued for decades.
Will’s acting career kicked off at the tender age of 10 when he appeared in Coronation Street as a character named Spike for one episode in 1987 marking his television debut.
He went on to appear in various dramas throughout the ’90s, such as ‘Heartbeat,’ and secured a regular spot on the show ‘Children’s Ward’ between 1989-1991.
Will’s career trajectory spanned numerous television series’Beck’, ‘Where the Heart Is’, ‘Soldier Soldier’, ‘Burn It’, and ‘Clocking Off’. By the 2000s, he had carved out a solid reputation as an actor marked by frequent appearances in high-profile TV shows including the BBC hit ‘Doctor Who’.
William enjoyed a three-year stint in the popular BBC drama Waterloo Road from 2009 to 2011, where he portrayed Chris Mead, the troubled school’s deputy head teacher who had an affair with his boss’ daughter.
He has also featured in ITV’s serial killer drama ‘The Loch’ and played Marvin in the British TV drama series ‘Wanderlust’.
Acting talents seem to be a family trait as William’s cousin is none other than ‘Coronation Street’ star Peter Ash, known for his role as Paul Foreman on the ITV soap.
Peter first made his mark in Weatherfield in 2018, but his character Paul met a tragic end on September 9, following an 18-month battle with motor neurone disease
Peter also gained recognition for his portrayal of Darius Fry in ‘Footballer’s Wives’ from 2003 to 2006.
Last year, when asked about his cousin stepping into the world of soaps, Peter told The Metro: “He’s doing great work. I’m loving it. I’m loving it, go on the Ash’s”.
Away from the limelight of ‘Emmerdale’, William keeps his private life under wraps and off social media. Nonetheless, he is a devoted father to two children and is said to reside in Greater Manchester with his family.
Emmerdale airs weekdays at 7:30pm on ITV1 and ITVX, with an hour long episode every Thursday
