BANGKOK -- Paul Nicholls, a British actor who starred in the EastEnders soap opera, was stranded for three days on a Thai island after he fell down a waterfall and broke his kneecap, a rescuer said Thursday.

Nicholls was rescued July 13 on the Thai resort island of Koh Samui after villagers noticed his rented motorcycle had been parked near the waterfall for days.

The head of the rescue team on Koh Samui, Chaiyaporn Sapprasert, said the actor could barely move when rescuers found him after an hourslong search. He was taken on a stretcher to a hospital on Koh Samui.