Buster Merryfield (1921-1999) was a British actor who became a national institution after joining the hit BBC comedy Only Fools and Horses in 1984, as the sea faring Albert Trotter, affectionately known as "Uncle Albert."
Merryfield served in World War II as a physical training and jungle warfare instructor. As sports and entertainment’s officer he organized shows for the troops and it is believed that this is where his passion for acting originated. However, it was to be many years before yhe became an actor at the age of 57, working in banking for 40 years previously.
He always prided himself on his fitness, following a strict fitness regime of daily press-ups and swimming sessions. Unlike his TV character, Merryfield never smoked. 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.
In 1997 he famously fell over at the British National Television Awards whilst walking up the stairs the stage to collect an award for Only Fools and Horses, flanked by co-stars David Jason and Nicholas Lyndhurst. Despite cutting his forehead open, he soldiered on and collected the award.
Prior to his death, he was being treated for a brain tumour at Poole General Hospital, Dorset. His wife Iris - to whom he was married for 57 years - was at his bedside when he died.