Buster Merryfield
Encyclopedia
Harry "Buster" Merryfield (27 November 1920 – 23 June 1999) was an English
actor
best known for starring in the BBC
comedy
Only Fools and Horses
.
, South London
, England
, Merryfield was from a working-class background. His father, also called Harry Merryfield, was a packer, and his mother Lily Merryfield (née Stone), was a part-time waitress. He was given the name "Buster" by his grandfather, as he weighed nine pounds at birth, and it stuck throughout his entire life, not least because he refused to divulge his real name to anyone during his lifetime and it only became open knowledge after his death
He always prided himself on his fitness, following a strict fitness regime of daily press-ups and swimming sessions. Unlike his TV character, forever replenishing his mariner's pipe, Merryfield never smoked. His efforts to stay fit could be traced back to his time as a child Boxing
star in the 1930s. He was British schoolboy champion in 1936 and Southern Command army champion in 1945. Merryfield was also a keen amateur football player.
Buster was a keen Millwall Football Club fan and regularly attended games at The Den
.
's The Entertainer
, The World-My Canvas by Ruth Dixon and A View from the Bridge
by Arthur Miller
, for the now defunct amateur theatre group The Characters, won Best Play at the Woking Drama Festival
in 1966, 1968 and 1969 respectively. He also won the Best Actor trophy for his roles in The Entertainer and The World-My Canvas.
Merryfield finally became a professional actor at the age of 57, after working for the Westminster Bank (later the National Westminster Bank
) for nearly 40 years, interrupted by his war service. In contrast to his most famous character, Merryfield spent the war in the army, where his fine physique resulted in him being made a PT and jungle warfare instructor. It was during the war that he first discovered his love of acting when he served as an entertainments officer, putting on shows for the other troops. However, upon the end of the war, married and with his wife expecting a daughter, he opted to return to his job at the bank. At Natwest he rose through the ranks, and by the time of his early retirement, in 1978, he was a bank manager at the Thames Ditton
branch in Surrey
.
When he retired, Merryfield persuaded a repertory company to take him on. He performed at the Connaught theatre in London, in plays such as "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat", and in "Equus" alongside Bernard Bresslaw. Also, small parts on Television came his way. Merryfield appeared in "Hannah" in 1980, as Professor Challis in "The Citadel" in 1983 and as a Bishop in "Strangers and Brothers" in 1984.
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 globetrotting long-lost brother, and who was known for Uncle Albert's catchphrase of "During the war..."
The character took over the role of senior citizen member of the irrepressible Trotter family from Lennard Pearce
who played Grandad
, after Pearce died suddenly and unexpectedly in December 1984. Coincidentally, nine months earlier, in March 1984, Merryfield appeared in two episodes of a Shroud for a Nightingale
alongside Lennard Pearce
.
Merryfield also did a lot of work for various charities, notably the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. He wrote his autobiography, "During the War and Other Encounters" in 1996.
In December 1997, he fell over at the British Comedy Awards
whilst walking up to the stage to collect an award for David Jason
for his part in Only Fools and Horses. Despite cutting his forehead, he continued on and collected the award. Even after Only Fools and Horses finished at the end of 1996, Merryfield appeared in Pantomime at Christmas 1997 and 1998.
, Dorset. His Wife, Iris, died three years later from natural causes.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
best known for starring in the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
comedy
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
Only Fools and Horses
Only Fools and Horses
Only Fools and Horses is a British sitcom, created and written by John Sullivan. Seven series were originally broadcast on BBC One in the United Kingdom between 1981 and 1991, with sporadic Christmas specials until 2003...
.
Early life
Born in BatterseaBattersea
Battersea is an area of the London Borough of Wandsworth, England. It is an inner-city district of South London, situated on the south side of the River Thames, 2.9 miles south-west of Charing Cross. Battersea spans from Fairfield in the west to Queenstown in the east...
, South London
South London
South London is the southern part of London, England, United Kingdom.According to the 2011 official Boundary Commission for England definition, South London includes the London boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Croydon, Greenwich, Kingston, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Southwark, Sutton and...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Merryfield was from a working-class background. His father, also called Harry Merryfield, was a packer, and his mother Lily Merryfield (née Stone), was a part-time waitress. He was given the name "Buster" by his grandfather, as he weighed nine pounds at birth, and it stuck throughout his entire life, not least because he refused to divulge his real name to anyone during his lifetime and it only became open knowledge after his death
He always prided himself on his fitness, following a strict fitness regime of daily press-ups and swimming sessions. Unlike his TV character, forever replenishing his mariner's pipe, Merryfield never smoked. His efforts to stay fit could be traced back to his time as a child Boxing
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
star in the 1930s. He was British schoolboy champion in 1936 and Southern Command army champion in 1945. Merryfield was also a keen amateur football player.
Buster was a keen Millwall Football Club fan and regularly attended games at The Den
The Den
*Football stadiums:**The Den, formerly known as The New Den and the current home of Millwall FC, located in Bermondsey, London, SE16**The Den , a football stadium once the home of Millwall FC, located in New Cross, London, SE14...
.
Career
Before turning professional as an actor Merryfield was a keen amateur actor and director. His productions of John OsborneJohn Osborne
John James Osborne was an English playwright, screenwriter, actor and critic of the Establishment. The success of his 1956 play Look Back in Anger transformed English theatre....
's The Entertainer
The Entertainer (play)
The Entertainer is a three act play by John Osborne, first produced in 1957. His first play, Look Back in Anger, had attracted mixed notices but a great deal of publicity. Having depicted an "angry young man" in the earlier play, Osborne wrote, at Laurence Olivier's request,about an angry middle...
, The World-My Canvas by Ruth Dixon and A View from the Bridge
A View from the Bridge
A View from the Bridge is a play by American playwright Arthur Miller that was first staged on September 29, 1955 as a one-act verse drama with A Memory of Two Mondays at the Coronet Theatre on Broadway. The play was unsuccessful and Miller subsequently revised the play to contain two acts; this...
by Arthur Miller
Arthur Miller
Arthur Asher Miller was an American playwright and essayist. He was a prominent figure in American theatre, writing dramas that include plays such as All My Sons , Death of a Salesman , The Crucible , and A View from the Bridge .Miller was often in the public eye,...
, for the now defunct amateur theatre group The Characters, won Best Play at the Woking Drama Festival
Woking Drama Festival
The Woking Drama Festival is one of the largest drama competitions in the British Isles for amateur dramatics focussing on one act plays with a dedicated Youth Section...
in 1966, 1968 and 1969 respectively. He also won the Best Actor trophy for his roles in The Entertainer and The World-My Canvas.
Merryfield finally became a professional actor at the age of 57, after working for the Westminster Bank (later the National Westminster Bank
National Westminster Bank
National Westminster Bank Plc, commonly known as NatWest, is the largest retail and commercial bank in the United Kingdom and has been part of The Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc since 2000. The Royal Bank of Scotland Group is ranked as the second largest bank in the world by assets...
) for nearly 40 years, interrupted by his war service. In contrast to his most famous character, Merryfield spent the war in the army, where his fine physique resulted in him being made a PT and jungle warfare instructor. It was during the war that he first discovered his love of acting when he served as an entertainments officer, putting on shows for the other troops. However, upon the end of the war, married and with his wife expecting a daughter, he opted to return to his job at the bank. At Natwest he rose through the ranks, and by the time of his early retirement, in 1978, he was a bank manager at the Thames Ditton
Thames Ditton
Thames Ditton is a village in Surrey, England, bordering Greater London. It is situated 12.2 miles south-west of Charing Cross between the towns of Kingston upon Thames, Surbiton, Esher and East Molesey...
branch in Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
.
When he retired, Merryfield persuaded a repertory company to take him on. He performed at the Connaught theatre in London, in plays such as "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat", and in "Equus" alongside Bernard Bresslaw. Also, small parts on Television came his way. Merryfield appeared in "Hannah" in 1980, as Professor Challis in "The Citadel" in 1983 and as a Bishop in "Strangers and Brothers" in 1984.
Merryfield joined Only Fools and Horses
Only Fools and Horses
Only Fools and Horses is a British sitcom, created and written by John Sullivan. Seven series were originally broadcast on BBC One in the United Kingdom between 1981 and 1991, with sporadic Christmas specials until 2003...
in January 1985, as the former seafaring Albert Gladstone Trotter, known as Uncle Albert
Uncle Albert
Albert Gladstone Trotter is a fictional character from the popular BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses. He was introduced during the fourth season as a replacement for the character of Grandad due to the death of actor Lennard Pearce...
, who was Grandad Trotter's globetrotting long-lost brother, and who was known for Uncle Albert's catchphrase of "During the war..."
The character took over the role of senior citizen member of the irrepressible Trotter family from Lennard Pearce
Lennard Pearce
Lennard Pearce was an English actor who worked mostly in the theatre, but also appeared in a number of British television programmes. He landed his most notable TV role during the final few years of his life, starring as Edward "Grandad" Trotter in the popular sitcom, Only Fools and Horses from...
who played Grandad
Grandad (Only Fools and Horses)
Edward Kitchener "Ted" Trotter better known simply as Grandad, was a character in the popular BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses from 1981-1984...
, after Pearce died suddenly and unexpectedly in December 1984. Coincidentally, nine months earlier, in March 1984, Merryfield appeared in two episodes of a Shroud for a Nightingale
Shroud for a Nightingale
Shroud for a Nightingale is a 1971 detective novel written by PD James in her Adam Dalgliesh series. Chief Superintendent Adam Dalgliesh of Scotland Yard is called in to investigate the death of two student nurses at the hospital nursing school of Nightingale House...
alongside Lennard Pearce
Lennard Pearce
Lennard Pearce was an English actor who worked mostly in the theatre, but also appeared in a number of British television programmes. He landed his most notable TV role during the final few years of his life, starring as Edward "Grandad" Trotter in the popular sitcom, Only Fools and Horses from...
.
Merryfield also did a lot of work for various charities, notably the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. He wrote his autobiography, "During the War and Other Encounters" in 1996.
In December 1997, he fell over at the British Comedy Awards
British Comedy Awards
The British Comedy Awards is an annual awards ceremony in the United Kingdom celebrating notable comedians and entertainment performances of the previous year.-History:...
whilst walking up to the stage to collect an award for David Jason
David Jason
Sir David John White, OBE , better known by his stage name David Jason, is an English BAFTA award-winning actor. He is best known as the main character Derek "Del Boy" Trotter on the BBC sit-com Only Fools and Horses from 1981, the voice of Mr Toad in The Wind In The Willows and as detective Jack...
for his part in Only Fools and Horses. Despite cutting his forehead, he continued on and collected the award. Even after Only Fools and Horses finished at the end of 1996, Merryfield appeared in Pantomime at Christmas 1997 and 1998.
Death
Buster Merryfield died in Poole General Hospital on 23 June 1999, as a result of a brain tumour. He was survived by his wife Iris, whom he married in April 1942, his daughter, Karen, and two grandchildren. His body was buried in VerwoodVerwood
Verwood is a town and civil parish in Dorset, England. The town lies north of Bournemouth and north of Poole. The town has a population of 14,820 according to latest figures from Dorset County Council, making it the largest town in Dorset without an upper school in terms of population.-Early...
, Dorset. His Wife, Iris, died three years later from natural causes.
Appeared in
- Only Fools and Hores
- Shroud for a NightingaleShroud for a NightingaleShroud for a Nightingale is a 1971 detective novel written by PD James in her Adam Dalgliesh series. Chief Superintendent Adam Dalgliesh of Scotland Yard is called in to investigate the death of two student nurses at the hospital nursing school of Nightingale House...
- Strangers and BrothersStrangers and BrothersStrangers and Brothers is a series of novels by C. P. Snow, published between 1940 and 1974. They deal with – amongst other things – questions of political and personal integrity, and the mechanics of exercising power....
- The CitadelThe Citadel (TV series)The Citadel is a 1983 BBC television adaptation written by Don Shaw from A. J. Cronin's novel The Citadel, which was originally published in 1937. It was produced by Ken Riddington. Other television versions include a British and two Italian adaptations.The BBC dramatisation stars Ben Cross as...
- The EntertainerThe Entertainer (film)The Entertainer is a 1960 film adaptation of the stage play of the same name by John Osborne, which told the story of a failing third-rate music hall stage performer who tried to keep his career going even as his personal life fell apart....