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",[1] he had a "string of roles playing tough guys and criminals".[2] He once said, "You play to your strengths in this game, and my strength is as a bald-headed, rough-looking Yorkshireman".[3] Glover was also known as the voice of Gaffer in the Tetley tea commercials.[4]The Independent described him upon his death as "one of Britain's best-loved actors".[4]
Early life and wrestling career
Glover was born at the Women's Hospital, Sheffield, West Riding of Yorkshire[5] 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,[6] 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 didn't 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".[7][8]
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.[6]
Acting career
Glover's first acting job 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).[9] Although untrained, Glover proved to be a skilled and flexible character actor,[10] using techniques learnt during his wrestling career.[6] 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[11] 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.
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"[14])(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.[6] Glover wrote a horror themed episode of Theatre Box called Death Angel,[15] which aired in 1981.[16] 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.[17]
In 1991 he starred in the second episode of Bottom, in the episode "Gas", as the perpetually angry 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 20 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.[18]
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[19] 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.[4]
