Buster merryfield biography
•
After Lennard Pearce died of a heart attack just 10 days into the filming of Only Fools and Horses’ fourth series, the show's producer, Ray Butt, knew he would have to find a replacement for the show’s beloved Grandad.
As Butt sat in his office, wading through piles of letters from actors desperate to join the cast of one of the jewels in the BBC’s crown, there was one that stood out. This letter didn’t have the stench of cold opportunism about it.
Instead, it was a handwritten note, businesslike in tone, and without much obvious knowledge of the show. There was also a photo attached, showing a man that, to Butt, looked like a cross between Father Christmas and Captain Birdseye. Even the name — ‘Buster Merryfield’ — was intriguing.
Little did Butt know quite how unusual this letter-writer’s story was. Aged 64 at the time, Merryfield had been a professional actor for just seven years. For much of the previous four decades he’d worked in banks, rising steadily through the ranks
•
Buster Merryfield
English actor (1920–1999)
Harry "Buster" Merryfield[2] (27 November 1920[1] – 23 June 1999) was an English actor best known for starring as Uncle Albert in the BBC comedy Only Fools and Horses.
Early life
[edit]Merryfield was born and raised in Battersea, London, England.[3] His father, also called Harry,[4] was a fitter, and his mother Lily (née Stone) was a part-time waitress.[4] His sister Irene died when she was eight years old. He was given the name "Buster" by his grandfather,[4] as he weighed nine pounds at birth,[4] and it stuck throughout his entire life. He refused to divulge his real name, which only became known after his death.[4]
He followed a strict fitness regime of daily press-ups and swimming sessions.[5] As a boxer, he was a British schoolboy champion in 1936[5] and Southern Command army champion in 1945.[5] He was also
•
| Buster Merryfield | ||
| Born | Harry Merryfield | |
| 27 November 1920(1920-11-27) | ||
| Battersea, London, England | ||
| Died | 23 June 1999(1999-06-23) (aged 78) | |
| Poole, Dorset, England | ||
| Occupation | Actor, finansinstitut manager | |
| Years active | 1966–1997 (retirement) | |
| Spouse(s) | Iris Myrtle Mountford (1942–1999) (his death) | |
| Children | 1 | |
Harry "Buster" Merryfield (27 November 1920 – 23 June 1999) was an English actor best known for starring as Uncle Albert in the BBC comedy Only Fools and Horses.
Career[]
Merryfield joined Only Fools and Horses in January 1985, as the former seafaring Albert Gladstone Trotter, known as Uncle Albert, who was Grandad Trotter's long-lost younger brother and was known for his catchphrase of "During the war..." The character took over the role of senior citizen member of the Trotter family from Lennard Pearce, who played Grandad, after Pearce died in månad 1984. Coincidentally, nine months earlier, in March 1984, Me