Brian Glover

Brian Glover was an English character actor, writer and wrestler. Glover was a professional wrestler, teacher, and finally a film, television and stage actor. 

He played Griffiths  in the 1986 story Attack of the Cybermen.

Glover was born in Sheffield, but grew up in Barnsley. He attended Barnsley Grammar School and the University of Sheffield, where he supplemented his student grant by appearances as a professional wrestler, going under the ring name "Leon Aris the Man From Paris". 

In 1954 he married and became a teacher at the same Barnsley school where he had been a pupil. Glover worked as a school teacher (teaching English and French) from 1954 until 1970.

Glover's first acting job and probably his most memorable came playing Mr Sugden, the sports teacher in Ken Loach's film Kes. 

He also played Bottom in A Midsummer Night's Dream, had a recurring role in the classic sitcom Porridge, 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 and as the voice behind the slogan, 'Bread with nowt taken out' for Allinsons bakery. 

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 1942: A Love Story.

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 appropriately enough his roles included Charles the wrestler 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.

His performance in The Mysteries brought work in the commercial theatre. The Canterbury Tales (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 went on to play "Lugg", the endearing rogue manservant to Albert Campion in the series Campion. He played Edouard Dindon in the original London cast of La Cage aux Folles. 

In 1991 he starred in the second episode of Bottom � "Gas" � as "Mr Rottweiler". His last film was John Godber's rugby league comedy Up 'n' Under (1998).

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.

Glover developed a brain tumour and died in a London hospital on 24 July 1997. He is buried in Brompton Cemetery, London.