Heartbeat actor Bill Maynard dies
Burbage actor, 89, died in hospital after fall from his mobility scooter
HEARTBEAT actor Bill Maynard has died at the age of 89, his family has confirmed.
The Burbage star, who played Claude Jeremiah Greengrass in the series between 1992 and 2000, died in hospital in Leicestershire shortly after breaking his hip in a fall off his mobility scooter, his daughter-in-law said.
Jacqueline Reddin, who is also an actress, told the Press Association: “He was larger than life and he just loved showbiz.
“He was so proud of the fact that he had been working for 81 years and he would have been 90 in October.
“He leaves a son and daughter, five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.”
Twice-married Bill, who lived in Burbage, had the real name of Walter Williams. He chose his stage name as a reference to the sweet company, Ms Reddin said.
The actor also played the title role in Oh No, It’s Selwyn Froggitt, and starred in Carry On films Carry On At Your Convenience, Carry On Matron and Carry On Dick.
In 1980 he played Sergeant Beetroot in the TV series Worzel Gummidge and more recently made appearances in The Royal and The Moorside.
Ms Reddin said he had recently visited her and her husband in France and had also filmed an episode of the game show Pointless and was looking forward to watching it when it aired.
In 2013 the actor celebrated 60 years since his first TV appearance by releasing a version of What A Wonderful World.
He will be best remembered for the eight years in which he brought to life the curmudgeonly king spiv of Aidensfield, Claude Jeremiah Greengrass, in Heartbeat.
Bill played the role late in a career, which spanned seven decades. He was the dishevelled rogue operating on the fringes of the law opposite Nick Berry and others for eight series of the drama.
At its peak it was watched by up to 18 million and the comedy actor was loved for his scams in the heartwarming series set on the North Yorkshire moors in the 1960s.
He finally hung up Greengrass’s tatty hat in 2000 aged 72, following a stroke in 1997 that led to scripts being rewritten to accommodate his recovery.
Post Heartbeat he continued to work on other projects into his final years, including reprising the role in Heartbeat spin-off The Royal, and film work.
The actor also had a BBC Radio Leicester show that ran for five years, from 2003 to 2008.
Bill’s career spanned television, film, comedy and music.
Born in 1928, he made his first appearance on TV in the BBC’s Face The Music on September 12 1953, although he began performing even earlier.
In the mid-50s he made Great Scott It’s Maynard for the BBC with fellow comic Terry Scott, who would go on to become a household name in Terry And June.
The pair had started out together with a revue company at Butlins in Skegness, where they topped up their salary by an extra 50 shillings a week doing the company’s laundry.
In 1957, he attempted unsuccessfully to become the UK’s Eurovision entry.
As recently as 2013 he recorded a version of What A Wonder- ful World on iTunes to coincide with the 60th anniversary of his first TV appearance.
Speaking at the time he said that “making people laugh and smile brings me a lot of personal satisfaction”.
He went on: “I am delighted to be still in the entertainment industry doing what I love most - 76 years since I began my career. I have had an amazing career and I consider myself to be very lucky to still have the energy and enthusiasm to take on new work.”
He joined Heartbeat from its launch in 1992. The show ended after 18 series, in 2010.