The dad of three has since had parts in Corrie, Casualty and Vera as well as film roles in The Real Full Monty and Downton Abbey. I've enjoyed every moment of my career and I certainly don't have any plans to give up work. The actor spent more than 60 years in showbiz. His other credits include Lovejoy, The Bill and The Royal. Often appearing cynical, suspicious and bad-tempered and very serious and hard, he has mellowed somewhat with age. Bernie was the Yorkshire-based drama's funeral director and he also ran a garage in Aidensfield. Muriel died of cancer in 1983. Jacqueline Reddin, who is also an actor, said: He was larger than life and he just loved showbiz. Who is Derek Dietrichs wife? Being confined to the hospital certainly hasn't prevented him from getting up to mischief. His reputation as a borderline criminal appeared to be common knowledge among the villagers and police but nobody in particular showed any real dislike towards him. With what little cash he had left, Bill flew to New York and toured its comedy clubs just to watch up-and-coming American comics. The actor took part in a COVID-19 vaccine trial earlier this year after his mum died of the virus in 2020. His father, Walter, worked as a gardener, and his mother, Edith, worked as a laundry worker. Tricia Penrose, who portrayed Gina on the soap opera Heartbeat and competed against Bill on the game show Pointless, also paid tribute to Bill. The Sunday evening favourite was set in a fictional Yorkshire village, Get our ultimate guide on things to do in Berkshire with our What's On email. The opportunities may be a little more limited in a hospital, but he's still able to get up to his old tricks.". "He's still the same old rogue that he ever was. In 2012, at the age of 68, he lost his battle with prostate cancer. Beetroot in the 1980s television comedy Worzel Gummidge, he went on to appear in the spinoffs of Heartbeat, The Royal and The Moorside, which were both released more recently. Appeared from 1992 - 2005. In real life, actor Derek Fowlds had a long and lustrous acting career, appearing in everything from Yes Minister to Inspector Morse. WHILE Bill Maynard is fondly remembered as the crafty old rogue Claude Greengrass in Heartbeat (1992-2010), his career as an actor and entertainer goes back over 75 years By Tony Padman 08:00, Sat . He was best known for his on/off relationship with barmaid Gina, who he eventually married before Phil was killed off. "Ian Carmichael auditioned me for my first professional job in the theatre in 1949," recalls Bill. He was a wonderful actor and a good friend, and he was also a snooker fanatic who lived nearby in Leicester. Advertisement ITV Studios in the UK produced the historical drama series Heartbeat from 1992 to 2010. In the episode "Bringing It All Back Home", Greengrass is investigated by the Inland Revenue, and it is revealed that he had sold a piece of his land to the Ministry of Defence for 25,000 which explains his financial security, although he hadn't paid any Income Tax for at least the previous 12 years! Every night Id dash back to my fleapit of a hotel, The Bristol on 48th and Broadway, and write down all their material, admitted Bill. Although he often had troubles with the police, he did come to have a (slightly grudging) respect for Nick Rowan (or "Ronan" as he habitually mispronounced it), who would often warn him in advance to keep a low profile if there was any kind of trouble brewing. ITV Studios in the United Kingdom was responsible for producing the historical drama series Heartbeat from 1992 until 2010. . All Rights Reserved. Therell never be another like you - talented, kind and gentle in equal measure. The actress went on to have a recurring role as Trish Davidson in Coronation Street in 2012. On the show, he was constantly getting in trouble for stealing animals from other farms, which was one of the reasons why he was there. I think Nick Berry started on about 1,600 an episode, he was thrilled at first because that was three times more than he got on EastEnders, then he heard what I was getting and was furious., Even after his first stroke in 2000 Bill continued to work: Yorkshire TV made The Royal as a spin off from Heartbeat. In 1957, he tried his hand at singing - coming second in the British heat of. You'll have to find the ghoul in under 11 seconds, so can you do it? He also had a regular role as Daz Spencer in Emmerdale from 2017 until 2019. Appearing in 259 episodes of Heartbeat, David Stockwell was a classic comedy character with a heart of gold. But Heartbeat isnt actor David Lonsdales only claim to fame. He even tried his hand at pub ownership later on in the show. After the show came to an end he had a role in Casualty as Jacob Hinter in a 2014 episode. Bill, who will be celebrating his fiftieth anniversary on British television in 2003, relished the chance to return to work and has no plans to retire just yet. She also appeared in the shows medical spin-off. and Dont Wanna Be Alone. I started on 5,000 an episode and each series the money would go up, I think I finished on 25,000. Want all the jaw-dropping stories from the world of showbiz and up to the minute news from TV and soaps? Bill Maynard, one of Britain's best loved comedy actors, was a founder member of the cast of Heartbeat. The Heartbeat actor Bill Maynard has died at the age of 89, his family has confirmed. 26 Feb Feb Actor Bill Maynard, who had a career spanning eight decades and played the role of Heartbeat, passed away at the age of 89. Greengrass had been written as a minor background character, but -- given a fair amount of latitude for interpreting his part -- Maynard was able to infuse the old rascal with outsize personality and humour which resulted into his becoming a popular mainstay. The optical illusion will leave you stumped as it's asking people to spot the ghost hiding inside the room. I was 10 years old when I recall him trying to dissuade me from pursuing a career in the entertainment industry. Bill Maynard, the actor best known as Claude Greengrass in Heartbeat, has died aged 89.The actor, whose real name was Walter Williams, starred in the TV police drama from 1992 to 2000 and in its . After a hiatus from television work in the late 1980s, Maynard starred as Claude Jeremiah Greengrass in the long-running television series Heartbeat from 1992 to 2000, reprising his role for the spin-off The Royal from 2002 to 2003. From the first to the tenth season, Bill played the role of the witty Claude Greengrass. Known for her singing appearances on Heartbeat, Tricia also had a real life singing career, releasing two singles - Where Did Our Love Go? The actor was best known as Greengrass in the TV series Heartbeat Mr Maynard had a varied career across 81 years. Claude Greengrass is the new lollipop man outside the village school, and PC Rowan gets a complaint from Walter Pettigrew that he suddenly and without warning jumped out onto the street just in front of Pettigrew's car. The landlady at the Aidensfield Arms, Ginas life was full of drama - from complicated romances to dealing with the death of her fianc Phil. Bill is thrilled that the viewing public are happy to see him back on their screens. Maynard was born in Heath End, Farnham, Surrey. Unfortunately, the actor who performed the role passed away in 2018 as a result of injuries incurred in an accident with a mobility scooter. In Chistmas episodes he was traditionally dressed up like a tiny reindeer, with fake antlers. He played Coronation Street regular Peter Barlow in 1986, before being replaced by current actor Chris Gascoyne. As the citation explains: In 2002, Tricia even reached the final of Eurovision selection contest A Song for Europe. So Derek Fowlds, who played Oscar Blaketon, was in with Bill Symons and Jason Durr. His other credits included A Touch of Frost, The Bill and Coronation Street, in which he played the recurring role of Mr Murdoch. There's MUCH more where that came from! Meet The GB Diver Hoping To Bring Gold At Commonwealth. After a near-fatal heart attack in Series 7 which forced his retirement from the police force, Blaketon . Ash Percival. "Acting is a wonderful way of earning a living. Claude also briefly owned a bright pink Chrysler Imperial which he bought after making the money off the land he sold to the MOD, this car was later stolen and torched. After the show came to an end he had a role in Casualty as Jacob Hinter in a 2014 episode. The jack-of-all-trades did everything from car repairs to funeral directing during his time in the show, and eventually was able to meet with his long lost daughter Ruth. How did Claude Greengrass leave Heartbeat? David Stockwell's aunt (known as "Aunt Peggy"). Then there was money from all the repeats. Bill Maynard, who played lovable rogue Claude Greengrass in ITV's Heartbeat, left more than 1 million in his will. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Id tell the producers, I shall be in a small village in Leicestershire when you change your mind and decide to do things my way. Greengrass's schemes often went wrong when it came to making money but he always managed to come up with another idea or two. His other credits included A Touch of Frost, The Bill and Coronation Street, in which he played the recurring role of Mr Murdoch. Jason has also appeared in shows like Midsomer Murders, New Tricks and Holby City. Peter himself appeared in programmes like The Bill, Jeeves and Wooster and Tenko. ". Bill Maynard was proud of the fact he had worked in showbiz for 81 years, his family said. He died in June last year at the age of 78. LAMDA-trained Jason was PC and DC Mike Bradley in Heartbeat from 1997 until 2003. He was charged later that year with grievous bodily harm and assault after biting a pensioner who called his teen daughter a slag in a pub beer garden. 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Bernie was the drama's funeral director and he also ran a garage in Aidensfield. He became David's constant companion and appeared in numerous episodes. Bless you and rest well sir.". "I've received lots of letters since it was announced that Greengrass would be returning. In the 1970s and 1980s he was best known for his roles as Twiggy in The Royle Family, Onslow in Keeping Up Appearances and Eddie Yeats, the garbage man on Coronation Street. Vernon Scripps, a Liverpool actor who took over for Greengrass in his role as the charming rogue of the village, was portrayed by Geoffrey Hughes. We also may change the frequency you receive our emails from us in order to keep you up to date and give you the best relevant information possible. He would often call Nick's replacement, PC Mike Bradley, by his full name, Michael, whenever they sometimes met. Greengrass (Bill Maynard), the main character of this episode, has trouble getting paid for the gardening he did for Stringer. Unfortunately, the actor who played the role passed away in 2018 as a result of injuries sustained in an accident involving a mobility scooter. Following his passing, he has received tributes from a variety of people, including athletes, fans, and other performers. His exit story saw him departing the village for Canada. In my first episode I only had five lines. He leaves a son and daughter, five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Unlike everyone else I had a double who stood in for me during rehearsals. Appeared in 155 episodes from 1992 - 2000. Sadly, the actor who played the role died in 2018 as a result of a scooter accident. Walter Frederick George Williams (8 October 1928 - 30 March 2018), better known by his stage name Bill Maynard, was an English comedian and actor. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. His father, Walter, worked as a gardener, while his mother, Edith, worked as a laundry worker. Ive been a bit of a bugger all my career, admitted comic actor Bill Maynard in his last major interview before his death on Friday, aged 89. Actor Bill Maynard died at 89: What illness did he have? Bills debut came aged eight, singing in a working mens club, perched on a plank balanced between two buckets so he could be seen. After moving to Leicestershire with his family, Maynard enrolled at the Kibworth Beauchamp grammar school. The most recent appearance of Claude Jeremiah Greengrass came in the episode of Heatbeat titled Cold Turkey. Bill Maynard had to cut short his appearance at the performance because he was unwell. Saying that, she rules her ward with a rod of iron and Greengrass certainly has to watch his step to make sure that he doesn't get on the wrong side of her. Oh, and your daily fix of Piers, Katie Price, Demi Rose and all your other Daily Star favs. The Crow Road star Joe played PC Joe Mason in Heartbeat from 2007 until 2010. Brenda Bowman (daughter, introduced in The Royal). The hit show even took to the stage back in 2016, but didn't live up to its predecessor and drew negative reviews from critics. William starred as PC Alf Ventress through the entire series. The star, who played Claude Jeremiah Greengrass in the series between 1992 and 2000, died in hospital in. Nikki appeared as the popular Dawn Bellamy from 2008 to 2009. Since the series finished, shes been a reality TV regular with appearances on Celebrity MasterChef and the 2013 series of Celebrity Big Brother, and has popped up on daytime shows including Whos Doing the Dishes? William also had brief stints in Coronation Street and Emmerdale. Sadly, the actor who played the role died in 2018 as a result of a scooter accident. However, he did make an appearance in the Heartbeat spinoff series titled . Beloved ITV drama Heartbeat came to an end 10 years ago, but what happened to the cast? File photo from 1996 of the cast of ITV's Heartbeat. For the first seven series of Heartbeat, he was a sergeant before a heart attack forced him to retire and take on other jobs, including becoming the owner of the Aidensfield Arms pub. Rachel was known for being one of the female few officers and had an affair with PC Joe Mason. (1955-56). Maynard went on to reprise his popular role of Greengrass in the first series of The Royal. A rotund, colourful, larger-than-life . This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. Bill caused outrage among the Heartbeat cast when he was quoted by a national newspaper describing actor Nick Berry, the shows lead character PC Nick Rowan, as average. Sign up for the Daily Star TV newsletter for the biggest TV news. Get the biggest TV headlines, recaps and insider knowledge straight to your inbox. The actor spent more than 60 years in showbiz. His other popular acting roles included playing Simon Wicks in EastEnders from 1985 to 1990. Yes Minister and Heartbeat star Derek Fowlds dead at 82, Derek Fowlds (right) with William Simons (left) in Heartbeat, Bill Maynard as Claude Jeremiah Greengrass with Peter Benson as Bernie Scripps. His last acting job was appearing as Trevor Lambert in Casualty back in 2013. Greengrass was best known for driving a maroon 1956Morris truck that he would use for his day to day business, he later left this vehicle to David Stockwell. He appeared in 87 episodes from 2001 - 2005 and a one-off episode in 2007. After Heartbeat, he appeared in Casualty and then became a Holby City favourite as Raffaello Raf di Lucca. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Early episodes of the series consistently drew an audience of more than 10 million people, with the series eventually attaining its highest-ever audience of 13.82 million in 2001 and 12.8 million in 2003. Nick played Sgt Nick Rowan from series one to series seven. We also may change the frequency you receive our emails from us in order to keep you up to date and give you the best relevant information possible. At the age of 11, Bill was already earning more money than his father through his stand-up comedy performances in clubs. He also made a cameo appearance in Run for Your Wife, which starred Danny Dyer and Sarah Harding. But he was so determined to prove he could become a serious actor that he dropped the comedy bookings and took theatre roles for just 9 a week. The former Coronation Street actress - who was Candice on the cobbles - is now best known for playing Maxine Minnver in Hollyoaks, making her debut in 2012. But then, in 2010 Heartbeat was axed amid falling ratings, leaving both its fans and the village where it was filmed devastated as an entire tourist industry had developed in the filming locations.