# Doug Fisher (actor)

Douglas Marjoribanks Fisher (London, England, 20 September 1941 – 9 July 2000) was an English actor best known for playing Larry Simmonds in Man About the House (1973–1976), Sammy in the films The Stud (1978) and The Bitch (1979) and Jim Medhurst in London's Burning (1988–1993).

## Early life

He graduated from St Edmund Hall, Oxford in 1966, with a degree in French and Russian.

## Career

He portrayed Larry Simmonds, the lovable rogue who occupied the attic apartment in the ITV sitcom Man About the House and played Sammy in the films The Stud (1978) and The Bitch (1979), opposite Joan Collins. He also appeared in All Our Saturdays, Yes Minister, Home to Roost, Sorry!, Haggard, Close to Home, Goodnight Sweetheart, The Upper Hand and Heartbeat. His final role was a clergyman in the 1999 miniseries adaptation of Oliver Twist.
He also played the role of Jim Medhurst (Kevin Medhurst's father) In TV series London's Burning from 1988 until the character was killed off in series 6 in 1993. Fisher appeared as habitual criminal Stephen Grismal in the Jonathan Creek episode The Wrestler's Tomb, in 1997.

## Personal life

Fisher had a relationship with actress Susan Penhaligon in the early 1980s.

## Death

On 9 July 2000, Fisher died of a heart attack aged 58.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role |
| 1969 | The Smashing Bird I Used to Know | Young Man |
| 1974 | Man About the House | Larry Simmonds |
| 1978 | The Stud | Sammy |
| 1979 | The Bitch | Sammy |
| 1996 | Street Gun | Big G |
| 1999 | The Naked Man | Viking |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1966 | Blackmail | Cedric Delamore | Episode: "Boys and Girls Commute to Play" |
| 1970 | Father, Dear Father | Leslie | Episode: "A Man About the House" |
| 1970 | His and Hers | Landlord | Episode: "Morals" |
| 1971 | That's Your Funeral | Alf | Episode: "Unholy Deadlock" |
| 1971 | Take Three Girls | Henry | Episode: "The Private Sector" |
| 1971 | Comedy Playhouse | Tom Potts | Episode: "The Importance of Being Hairy" |
| 1972 | The Strauss Family | Girardi | 2 episodes |
| 1972 | Cheap at Half the Price | Charlie | TV film |
| 1973 | The Adventurer | Don Merrick | Episode: "Make It a Million" |
| 1973 | All Our Saturdays | Ronnie Rendell | 5 episodes |
| 1973 | Hunter's Walk | Dennis Kenwright | Episode: "Disturbance" |
| 1973–1976 | Man About the House | Larry Simmonds | 19 episodes |
| 1973 | Helen: A Woman of Today | Larry | Episode: "Harold" |
| 1973 | Thirty Minutes Worth | Various | Episode: #3.8 |
| 1974 | The Protectors | Tom Watt | Episode: "The Tiger and the Goat" |
| 1975 | Whodunnit? | Dennis Rogers | Episode: "Beware, Wet Paint" |
| 1978 | A Soft Touch | Len | Episode: "I Wanna Be like You" |
| 1978 | Play for Today | Terry | Episode: "A Touch of the Tiny Hacketts" |
| 1978 | BBC2 Play of the Week | Pilkington | Episode: "The Vanishing Army" |
| 1979 | Feet First | Hamilton Defries | All 6 episodes |
| 1979 | The Other One | Don | Episode: #2.6 |
| 1981 | BBC2 Playhouse | The Man | Episode: "The Man Who Almost Knew Eamonn Andrews" |
| 1982 | BBC2 Playhouse | James | Episode: "Keeping in Touch" |
| 1982 | Yes Minister | Ben Stanley | Episode: "The Challenge" |
| 1984 | Singles | Rickie | Episode: "Singles' Night" |
| 1984 | Ellis Island | Harry Epstein | Episode: #1.1 |
| 1985 | Full House | Workman | Episode: "May the Best Man Win" |
| 1987–1988 | Sorry! | Wurzo | 2 episodes |
| 1987 | Home to Roost | George | Episode: "Paper Chase" |
| 1988 | All in Good Faith | Sam | Episode: "Where My Caravan Has Rested" |
| 1988 | Streets Apart | Man in Wine Bar | Episode: #1.5 |
| 1988–1993 | London's Burning | Jim Medhurst | 9 episodes |
| 1989 | Close to Home | Ted Woods | Episode: "Helen the Receptionist" |
| 1991 | Prime Suspect | Edward Harvey | Episode: "Price to Pay: Part 2" |
| 1991 | Singles | Hargreaves | Episode: "Fourth Time Lucky for Dennis Duval" |
| 1991 | The Upper Hand | Dan | Episode: "Wheels" |
| 1992 | Haggard | Elusive Edward | Episode: "Condemned" |
| 1992 | The Bill | Mellor | Episode: "On the Record, Off the Record" |
| 1993 | The Detectives | Cabbie | Episode: "Studs" |
| 1993 | Fool's Gold: The Story of the Brink's-Mat Robbery | Solicitor | TV film |
| 1994 | Pie In The Sky | Mr. Barnet | Episode: "An Innocent Man" |
| 1994 | Silk Stalkings | Gunman | Episode: "Reluctant Witness" |
| 1996 | The Bill | John Fry | Episode: "Going Guilty" |
| 1997 | Goodnight Sweetheart | Stanley | 2 episodes |
| 1997 | Jonathan Creek | Stephen Grismal | Episode: "The Wrestler's Tomb" |
| 1997 | Heartbeat | Trevor Lammas | Episode: "In on the Act" |
| 1999 | Oliver Twist | Clergyman | Episode: "Containing Fresh Discoveries" |