Brian Glover

Brian Glover (2 April 1934 – 24 July 1997) was an English actor and writer. He worked as a teacher and professional wrestler before commencing an acting career which included films, many roles on British television and work on the stage. His film appearances include Kes (1969), An American Werewolf in London (1981) and Alien 3 (1992).

Described by The New York Times as a "robust character actor" who played "gruff but likable roles",<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> he had a "string of roles playing tough guys and criminals".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He once said, "You play to your strengths in this game, and my strength is as a bald-headed, rough-looking Yorkshireman".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Glover was also known as the voice of Gaffer in the Tetley tea commercials.<ref name="independent">Template:Cite web</ref> The Independent described him upon his death as "one of Britain's best-loved actors".<ref name="independent"/>

Early life and wrestling career

Glover was born at the Women's Hospital, Sheffield, West Riding of Yorkshire<ref>Oxford National Biography</ref> and he lived in Sheffield until 1937 when his parents moved to Lundwood, near Barnsley. His father, Charles Glover, was a wrestler, performing as "the Red Devil". He attended Barnsley Grammar School and the University of Sheffield,<ref name="odnb" /> where he supplemented his student grant with appearances as a professional wrestler, going under the ring name "Leon Arras the Man From Paris". He adopted that name from a wrestler who did not turn up to a match one night, for whom Glover stood in. His wrestling style incorporated a lot of comedy, including the catchphrases "ask 'im, ref" and "'ow about that then".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Garfield, Simon. The Wrestling (1996)</ref>

In 1954 he married his first wife, Elaine Foster, and became a teacher at the same Barnsley school where he had been a pupil. He taught English and French from 1954 until 1970, some of it at Longcar Central School, Barnsley, where he met Barry Hines, who was also teaching there. He managed to combine this with regular performances as "Leon Arras", whose appearances included bouts on World of Sport, and in Paris, Milan, Zürich and Barcelona.<ref name="odnb">Template:Cite book</ref>

Acting career

Glover's first acting role came playing Mr Sugden, the comically overbearing sports teacher in Ken Loach's film Kes (a job offered to him when Barry Hines, who wrote the film, suggested him to the director).<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Although untrained, Glover proved to be a skilled and flexible character actor,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> using techniques learnt during his wrestling career.<ref name="odnb" /> His large bald head, stocky build, and distinctive voice, with his Yorkshire accent, garnered him many roles as tough guys and criminals.

He played Bottom in A Midsummer Night's Dream (BBC TV, 1981) and had a recurring role in the classic sitcom Porridge as dim-witted prison inmate Cyril Heslop<ref name=Porridge>Template:Cite book</ref> who, when accused of being illiterate, utters the memorable line "I read a book once! Green, it was." He played Quilp in The Old Curiosity Shop, and lent his voice to a number of animated characters, including the "gaffer" of the "Tetley Tea Folk" in a long-running series of television advertisements for Tetley tea, the voice behind the advertising slogan "Bread wi' nowt taken out" for Allinson bread, and the voice of "Big Pig", the mascot for the long-running Now That's What I Call Music! album series, appearing on the TV adverts for Now 3, Now 4 and Now 5. He also appeared in An American Werewolf in London, The First Great Train Robbery, Jabberwocky, Alien 3, Leon the Pig Farmer and as General Douglas in a Bollywood hit 1942: A Love Story. He appeared seven times in Play for Today, in three of them as part of a recurring trio of Yorkshiremen: The Fishing Party, Shakespeare or Bust and Three for the Fancy.

Glover's performance in Kes led to parts at the Royal Court Theatre, London, notably in Lindsay Anderson's The Changing Room (1971). A season with Britain's Royal Shakespeare Company followed, where his roles included Charles the wrestler (and, drawing on his wrestling experience, the fight arranger) in As You Like It,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and a robust Peter in Romeo and Juliet. For the Royal National Theatre he appeared in The Mysteries (as God, creating the world with the help of a real fork-lift truck),<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Saint Joan and Don Quixote.

In the film Brannigan he claimed to have lost the only fight in his acting career, fighting John Wayne.

His performance in The Mysteries secured additional work in the commercial theatre. The Canterbury Tales ("Chaucer wi' nowt taken owt"<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>)(West End) was followed by a return to television and the Play for Today series, both as writer and performer and, in turn, more screen roles.<ref name="odnb" /> Glover wrote a horror themed episode of Theatre Box called Death Angel,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> which aired in 1981.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He went on to play Lugg, the endearing rogue manservant to Albert Campion in the series Campion, and the role of a crook, Griffiths, in the Doctor Who story Attack of the Cybermen in 1985. He played Edouard Dindon in the original London cast of La Cage aux Folles.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 1991 he guest starred in the second episode of Bottom, in the episode "Gas", as the hostile neighbour Mr Rottweiler. At the end of his life he acted in John Godber's rugby league comedy Up 'n' Under (1998). He was also the voice for the UNO Upholstery TV adverts in 1995 and 1996.

Glover also wrote over twenty plays and short films. In 1982 he was a guest presenter in series six of Friday Night Saturday Morning, a late-night BBC chat show.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

File:BrianGloverBrompton.jpg

Gravestone

Personal life and death

Glover was married twice, secondly to television producer Tara Prem, the daughter of TV actor Bakhshi Prem, on 2 October 1976. He had two children, one daughter from his first marriage and one son from his second marriage. In September 1996, Glover developed a brain tumour and underwent an operation for it. The tumour was removed and it appeared he had made a full recovery but it returned in the summer of 1997<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and Glover died in his sleep in a London hospital on 24 July 1997. He was buried in Brompton Cemetery, London, on 30 July 1997.<ref name="independent"/>

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1969	Kes	Mr. Sudgen
1972	Joy	Extra
1973	O Lucky Man!	Plantation Foreman/Bassett
1975	Brannigan	Jimmy-the-Bet
	Mister Quilp	Furnaceman
1976	Trial by Combat
1977	Sweeney!	Mac
	Joseph Andrews	Gaoler
	Jabberwocky	Armourer
1978	The First Great Train Robbery	Captain Jimmy
	Absolution	First Policeman
1981	An American Werewolf in London	Chess Player
1982	Britannia Hospital	Painter: The Works
1984	Ordeal by Innocence	Executioner
	The Company of Wolves	Amourous Boy's Father
1988	To Kill a Priest	Judge
1991	Kafka	Castl Henchman
1992	Alien 3	Andrews
	Leon the Pig Farmer	Brian Chadwick
1994	Prince of Jutland
	1942: A Love Story	General Douglas
1997	Snow White: A Tale of Terror	Lars
	Stiff Upper Lips	Eric
1998	Up 'n' Under	Jack

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1971	On the House	Bagley	Episode: "Will the Real Harvey Micklethwaite Please Stand Up?"
	Paul Temple	Waites	Episode: "Party Piece"
1971-1974	Play for Today	Art/Mr. Warboys	5 episodes
1972	Coronation Street	Fred Henshaw	2 episodes
	Sez Les
1973	Thirty-Minute Theatre	The Guard	Episode: "Playthings"
	Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?	Flint	Episode: "No Hiding Place"
	The Regiment	Sgt. Dyke	Episode: "Courtship"
	The Protectors	Allen	Episode: "Quin"
1974	Porridge	Heslop	3 episodes
1975	The Sweeney	Moose	Episode: "Thin Ice"
	Not On Your Nellie	Battling Bill	Episode: "Requiem for a Heavyweight"
	Dixon of Dock Green	Chuck Windell	Episode: "Baubles, Bangles and Beads"
	Quiller	Sergeant	Episode: "Any Last Requests"
1977	Secret Army	Corporal Emil Schnorr	Episode: "Growing Up"
1978	The Famous Five	Tiger Dan	Episode: "Five Go Off in a Caravan"
	Target	Labour Party Agent	Episode: "Queen's Pardon"
	Return of the Saint	Sam Plackett	Episode: "Signal Stop"
1980	Sounding Brass	Horace Gilbert Bestwick	Miniseries: Six episodes
	Minder	Yorkie	Episode: "The Beer Hunter"
1981	BBC Television Shakespeare	Nick Bottom	Episode: A Midsummer Night's Dream
1983	Red Monarch	Khruschev	TV film
1984-1985	Bottle Boys
1985	Doctor Who	Charles Griffiths	Serial: "Attack of the Cybermen"
	Last of the Summer Wine	Oogie Buttercluff	Episode: "Keeping Britain Tidy"
1986	Lost Empires	Tommy Beamish	Miniseries: 4 episodes
1989	All Creatures Great and Small	Mr. Dawson	Episode: "Here and There"
1989-1990	Campion	Magersfontein Lugg	16 episodes
1991	Bottom	Mr. Rottweiler	Episode: "Gas"
1992	Press Gang	Dr. Threeways	Episode: "UnXpected"
1993	The Bill	Ken Farley	Episode: "Broken"
1994	Anna Lee	Selwyn Price	Miniseries: 5 episodes

External links

• Template:IMDb name
• Biography
• Brian Glover at the National Portrait Gallery, London