Kenneth MacDonald
Encyclopedia
Kenneth MacDonald was an English
actor
who was best known for the parts of Gunner
Nobby Clark in It Ain't Half Hot Mum
and Mike Fisher
in Only Fools and Horses
.
, the son of Scottish heavyweight wrestling champion Bill MacDonald
, who died of kidney failure at the age of 43, when Kenneth was 13.
He attended St Anthony's preparatory school in Stony Stratford, Buckinghamshire and went on to St Bernardine's Franciscan College in Buckingham where he took part in school productions, notably in 'Arsenic and Old Lace
'. Ken left school at eighteen to help support his mother Emily. He took a job at a Kellogg's cornflakes factory
. During night shifts he would perform Hamlet
and other Shakespeare plays that he had learned at school, earning him the nickname "Hamlet". MacDonald met his wife Sheila while he was appearing in panto
in Crewe
in 1976. She was the costume designer at the time.
Kenneth MacDonald died shortly after midnight on 6 August 2001 at age 50 after suffering a massive heart attack, whilst on holiday with his family in Hawaii
. Eight days after his death, MacDonald's guest appearance on BBC TV drama Merseybeat
aired, with the episode dedicated to his memory. He was buried three days later.
, and then a year later he moved to London and joined the National Youth Theatre. His first television role was Benny in Softly, Softly
in 1972.
Macdonald featured regularly in the BBC sitcom It Ain't Half Hot Mum
, running from 3 January 1974 to 3 September 1981. Set in the jungles of Indonesia during World War II
, MacDonald played the character Gunner 'Nobby' Clark, a member of a Royal Artillery Concert Party.
When he landed the part of pub landlord Mike in the Only Fools and Horses episode Who's a Pretty Boy?
in 1983, it was initially assumed to be a one episode role. However, the character made regular appearances until Christmas 1996, when the show seemingly ended.
MacDonald had also appeared in the Granada Television Rentals television adverts of the late 1970s and made a cameo appearance in one episode of Goodnight Sweetheart
, starring his "'Only Fools and Horses'" co-star Nicholas Lyndhurst, with MacDonald playing Mr Jones. He also appeared in an episode of The Thin Blue Line
as a club owner. In 1996 MacDonald played DI McCluskey in Crocodile Shoes II
alongside Jimmy Nail
. In 1992, he had a brief appearance on the Channel 4
soap Brookside
as the racist owner of the petrol station, George Webb.
His last role was as Stephen Pearce in The Last Detective
, which was aired just after his death, later in 2001.
His character Mike was not killed off in Only Fools and Horses, which was revived for three episodes in 2001, in which he is reported to be in prison for fraud..
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
who was best known for the parts of Gunner
Gunner (rank)
Gunner is a rank equivalent to Private in the British Army Royal Artillery and the artillery corps of other Commonwealth armies. The next highest rank is usually Lance-Bombardier, although in the Royal Canadian Artillery it is Bombardier....
Nobby Clark in It Ain't Half Hot Mum
It Ain't Half Hot Mum
It Ain't Half Hot Mum was a British sitcom about the adventures of a Royal Artillery Concert Party, broadcast on the BBC between 1974 and 1981, and written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft, the creators of Dad's Army...
and Mike Fisher
Mike Fisher (Only Fools and Horses)
Michael "Mike" Fisher was a fictional character in the BBC sit-com Only Fools and Horses. He was publican of the Nag's Head and appeared in the show from 1983 to 1996...
in Only Fools and Horses
Only Fools and Horses
Only Fools and Horses is a British sitcom, created and written by John Sullivan. Seven series were originally broadcast on BBC One in the United Kingdom between 1981 and 1991, with sporadic Christmas specials until 2003...
.
Personal life
He was born in ManchesterManchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, the son of Scottish heavyweight wrestling champion Bill MacDonald
Bill MacDonald
William "Bill" MacDonald was a Scottish heavyweight wrestling champion. He died in 1964, and was the father of actor Kenneth MacDonald ....
, who died of kidney failure at the age of 43, when Kenneth was 13.
He attended St Anthony's preparatory school in Stony Stratford, Buckinghamshire and went on to St Bernardine's Franciscan College in Buckingham where he took part in school productions, notably in 'Arsenic and Old Lace
Arsenic and Old Lace (play)
Arsenic and Old Lace is a play by American playwright Joseph Kesselring, written in 1939. It has become best known through the film adaptation starring Cary Grant and directed by Frank Capra. The play was directed by Bretaigne Windust, and opened on January 10, 1941. On September 25, 1943, the...
'. Ken left school at eighteen to help support his mother Emily. He took a job at a Kellogg's cornflakes factory
Factory
A factory or manufacturing plant is an industrial building where laborers manufacture goods or supervise machines processing one product into another. Most modern factories have large warehouses or warehouse-like facilities that contain heavy equipment used for assembly line production...
. During night shifts he would perform Hamlet
Hamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
and other Shakespeare plays that he had learned at school, earning him the nickname "Hamlet". MacDonald met his wife Sheila while he was appearing in panto
Pantomime
Pantomime — not to be confused with a mime artist, a theatrical performer of mime—is a musical-comedy theatrical production traditionally found in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Jamaica, South Africa, India, Ireland, Gibraltar and Malta, and is mostly performed during the...
in Crewe
Crewe
Crewe is a railway town within the unitary authority area of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. According to the 2001 census the urban area had a population of 67,683...
in 1976. She was the costume designer at the time.
Kenneth MacDonald died shortly after midnight on 6 August 2001 at age 50 after suffering a massive heart attack, whilst on holiday with his family in Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
. Eight days after his death, MacDonald's guest appearance on BBC TV drama Merseybeat
Merseybeat (TV series)
Merseybeat is a British police procedural television series shown on BBC One, with a total of four series broadcast between 2001 and 2004. The series follows the personal and professional lives of one shift of police officers from the fictional Newton Park police station on Merseyside, England.In...
aired, with the episode dedicated to his memory. He was buried three days later.
Career
In 1975 he appeared in Last of the Summer WineLast of the Summer Wine
Last of the Summer Wine is a British sitcom written by Roy Clarke that was broadcast on BBC One. Last of the Summer Wine premiered as an episode of Comedy Playhouse on 4 January 1973 and the first series of episodes followed on 12 November 1973. From 1983 to 2010, Alan J. W. Bell produced and...
, and then a year later he moved to London and joined the National Youth Theatre. His first television role was Benny in Softly, Softly
Softly, Softly (TV series)
Softly, Softly is a British television drama series, produced by the BBC and screened on BBC 1 from January 1966. It centred around the work of regional crime squads, plain-clothes CID officers based in the fictional region of Wyvern - supposedly in the Bristol and Chepstow area of the UK...
in 1972.
Macdonald featured regularly in the BBC sitcom It Ain't Half Hot Mum
It Ain't Half Hot Mum
It Ain't Half Hot Mum was a British sitcom about the adventures of a Royal Artillery Concert Party, broadcast on the BBC between 1974 and 1981, and written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft, the creators of Dad's Army...
, running from 3 January 1974 to 3 September 1981. Set in the jungles of Indonesia during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, MacDonald played the character Gunner 'Nobby' Clark, a member of a Royal Artillery Concert Party.
When he landed the part of pub landlord Mike in the Only Fools and Horses episode Who's a Pretty Boy?
Who's a Pretty Boy?
"Who's a Pretty Boy?" is an episode of the BBC sitcom, Only Fools and Horses. It was the final episode of series 3, and was first screened on 22 December, 1983.-Synopsis:...
in 1983, it was initially assumed to be a one episode role. However, the character made regular appearances until Christmas 1996, when the show seemingly ended.
MacDonald had also appeared in the Granada Television Rentals television adverts of the late 1970s and made a cameo appearance in one episode of Goodnight Sweetheart
Goodnight Sweetheart
Goodnight Sweetheart is a sitcom that ran for six series on BBC1 from 1993 to 1999. It stars Nicholas Lyndhurst as Gary Sparrow, an accidental time traveller who leads a double life after discovering a time portal allowing him to travel between the London of the 1990s and the same area during the...
, starring his "'Only Fools and Horses'" co-star Nicholas Lyndhurst, with MacDonald playing Mr Jones. He also appeared in an episode of The Thin Blue Line
The Thin Blue Line (TV series)
The Thin Blue Line is a British sitcom starring Rowan Atkinson set in a police station that ran for two series on the BBC from 1995 to 1996...
as a club owner. In 1996 MacDonald played DI McCluskey in Crocodile Shoes II
Crocodile Shoes II
Crocodile Shoes II is a British six part television series made by the BBC and screened on BBC One in 1996. The follow-up to Crocodile Shoes, it was written by Jimmy Nail with Nick Mead as script associate....
alongside Jimmy Nail
Jimmy Nail
James Bradford "Jimmy" Nail is an English singer-songwriter, actor, musician, film producer, film score composer and television writer....
. In 1992, he had a brief appearance on the Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
soap Brookside
Brookside
Brookside is a defunct British soap opera set in Liverpool, England. The series began on the launch night of Channel 4 on 2 November 1982, and ran for 21 years until 4 November 2003...
as the racist owner of the petrol station, George Webb.
His last role was as Stephen Pearce in The Last Detective
The Last Detective
The Last Detective is an ITV drama starring Peter Davison as Dangerous Davies. The first series aired in 2003 with three more seasons succeeding this...
, which was aired just after his death, later in 2001.
His character Mike was not killed off in Only Fools and Horses, which was revived for three episodes in 2001, in which he is reported to be in prison for fraud..