  harry "buster" merryfieldhttp://www.imdb.com/name/nm0581467/biohttp://www.filmous.com/person175050/actorhttp://www.freebmd.org.uk/cgi/search.pl (27 november 1920 â 23 june 1999) was an english actor best known for starring as uncle albert in the bbc comedy only fools and horses. ==early life== 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 (nÃ©e stone), was a part-time waitress. his sister irene merryfield died when she was 8 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. ==career== 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.woking drama festival - best play he also won the best actor trophy for his roles in the entertainer and the world-my canvas.[http://www.wok
1920_births 1999_deaths British_military_personnel_of_World_War_II Cancer_deaths_in_England Deaths_from_brain_tumor English_male_television_actors People_from_Battersea