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", he had a "string of roles playing tough guys and criminals". He once said, "You play to your strengths in this game, and my strength  is as a bald-headed, rough-looking Yorkshireman". Glover was also known as the voice of the Tetley tea commercials. "The Independent" described him upon his death as "one of Britain's best-loved actors". Early life and wrestling career. Glover was born in Sheffield, West Riding of Yorkshire, and grew up in Barnsley. His father, Charles Glover, was a wrestler, performing as "the Red Devil". He attended Barnsley Grammar School and the University of Sheffield, 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". In 1954 he married his first wife Elaine, 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, Zurich and Barcelona. 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). Although untrained, Glover proved to be a skilled and flexible character actor, using techniques learnt during his wrestling career. 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 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 "". 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", 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), "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")(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. Glover wrote a horror themed episode of "Theatre Box" called "Death Angel", which aired in 1981. 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". 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. Personal life. Glover was married twice, secondly  to television producer Tara Prem, the daughter of TV actor Bakhshi Prem. He had two children, one daughter from his first marriage and one son from his second marriage. Glover developed a brain tumour and died in a London hospital on 24 July 1997. He is buried in Brompton Cemetery, London.