Buster Merryfield
| Buster Merryfield | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Harry Merryfield 27 November 1920 Battersea, London, England |
| Died | 23 June 1999 (aged 78) Poole, Dorset, England |
| Cause of death | Brain tumour |
| Occupation | Actor, bank manager |
| Years active | 1966–1997 (retirement) |
| Known for | Only Fools and Horses (1985-1996) |
| Spouse(s) | Iris M. Mountford (1942–1999; his death) |
| Children | Karen Merryfield (born 1947) |
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.
Born in Battersea, 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. His sister Irene Merryfield died when she was eight years old. 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. In contrast to Albert's pipe-smoking and rum drinking character, Merryfield was a teetotal non-smoker his entire life. 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 fan and regularly attended games at The Den.
Before turning professional as an actor Merryfield was a keen amateur actor and director. His productions of John Osborne'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.
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