Buster Merryfield facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Buster Merryfield
Merryfield as Uncle Albert in Only Fools and Horses
Born	Harry Merryfield (1920-11-27)27 November 1920 Battersea, London, England
Died	23 June 1999(1999-06-23) (aged 78) Poole, Dorset, England
Occupation	Actor, bank manager
Years active	1966–1998
Known for	Only Fools and Horses (1985–1996)
Spouse(s)	Iris Mountford ​ (m. 1942)​
Children	1

Harry "Buster" Merryfield (born November 27, 1920 – died June 23, 1999) was an English actor. He is most famous for playing Uncle Albert in the popular BBC comedy show Only Fools and Horses.

Early Life and Hobbies

Buster Merryfield was born and grew up in Battersea, London, England. His father, also named Harry, worked as a fitter, which means he put together or fixed machines. His mother, Lily, worked part-time as a waitress.

Buster got his nickname from his grandfather. He was a big baby, weighing nine pounds when he was born, and the name "Buster" stuck with him his whole life. He kept his real first name a secret until after he passed away.

Merryfield was very fit. He did daily press-ups and went swimming often. He was a talented boxer, winning a British schoolboy championship in 1936. He also won an army championship in 1945. He loved football and was a big fan of Millwall F.C.. He often went to their games. Unlike his character Uncle Albert, who smoked a pipe and drank rum, Buster Merryfield never drank alcohol or smoked in his entire life.

Becoming an Actor

Before he became a professional actor, Buster Merryfield was a very keen amateur actor and director. He directed several plays that won awards at the Woking Drama Festival. He also won "Best Actor" awards for his roles in some of these plays.

Merryfield started acting professionally when he was 57 years old. Before that, he worked for the Westminster Bank for almost 40 years. He began his banking career in 1938 and passed his banking exams in 1939. He became a senior manager at the bank.

His banking work was paused when he joined the army during World War II. Because he was so fit, he became an instructor for physical training and jungle warfare. He also discovered his love for acting during the war. He would put on shows to entertain the troops.

After the war, Merryfield got married and went back to the bank. He continued to do well and became a bank manager in Thames Ditton, Surrey. He retired early from the bank in 1978.

After retiring, he joined a professional theatre group. He performed in plays like Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Equus. He also had small parts in TV shows. These included Hannah in 1980, The Citadel in 1983, and Strangers and Brothers in 1984.

Uncle Albert in Only Fools and Horses

In January 1985, Merryfield joined the cast of Only Fools and Horses. He played Albert Gladstone Trotter, known as Uncle Albert. Uncle Albert was Grandad Trotter's younger brother. He was famous for his catchphrase, "During the war...". This character was added to the show after the actor who played Grandad, Lennard Pearce, passed away in 1984.

Buster Merryfield also did a lot of work for charities, like the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. In 1996, he wrote his autobiography, which is a book about his own life, called During the War and Other Encounters.

In December 1997, Merryfield had a small fall at the British Comedy Awards. He was walking to the stage to accept an award for David Jason, who also starred in Only Fools and Horses. Even though he cut his forehead, he bravely continued and collected the award. Merryfield also performed in pantomime shows during Christmas in 1997 and 1998. He played the father in Beauty and the Beast at the Pavilion Theatre, Bournemouth.

Personal Life and Death

Buster Merryfield could play the piano by ear, meaning he could play songs just by listening to them, without needing to read music. He also enjoyed disco dancing.

Merryfield passed away on June 23, 1999, at Poole General Hospital. He died because of a brain tumour. He was survived by his wife, Iris, whom he married in 1942, his daughter Karen, and two grandchildren. He was buried in a cemetery near Verwood, Dorset. His wife Iris passed away in 2002 and was buried next to him.

Filmography

See also

In Spanish: Buster Merryfield para niños