Andreas Siegfried Sachs (7 April 1930 – 23 November 2016), known professionally as Andrew Sachs, was a German-born British actor and writer. He made his name on British television and found his greatest fame for his portrayal of the comical Spanish waiter
Manuel in ''
Fawlty Towers
''Fawlty Towers'' is a British television sitcom written by John Cleese and Connie Booth, broadcast on BBC2 in 1975 and 1979. Two series of six episodes each were made. The show was ranked first on a list of the 100 Greatest British Televisio ...
''.
Sachs had a long career in acting and
voice-over
Voice-over (also known as off-camera or off-stage commentary) is a production technique where a voice—that is not part of the narrative (non- diegetic)—is used in a radio, television production, filmmaking, theatre, or other presentation ...
work for television, film and radio. He was successful well into his eighties, with roles in numerous films such as ''
Quartet'', and as
Ramsay Clegg
The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street'' in 2009, in order of first appearance.
Martha Fraser
Martha Fraser, portrayed by Stephanie Beacham, made her first appearance on 26 Janu ...
in ''
Coronation Street''.
Early life
Sachs was born in Berlin, Germany, the son of Katharina (née Schrott-Fiecht), a librarian, and Hans Emil Sachs, an insurance broker.
His father was Jewish and his mother was Lutheran, with Austrian ancestry. The family moved to Britain in 1938 to escape the
Nazis
Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in N ...
. They settled in north London,
and he lived in
Kilburn for the rest of his life.
In 1960, Sachs married the actress, writer, and fashion designer Melody Lang, who took his surname. He adopted her two sons from a previous marriage, who became known as
John Sachs
John Sachs (born 3 May 1957) is a British television presenter, voiceover and commentator. He narrated the original series of ''Gladiators (1992 British TV series), Gladiators'', and was a longtime DJ on London's radio station Capital London.
...
and William Sachs, and the couple had one daughter, Kate Sachs, in 1961. Lang appeared in one episode of ''Fawlty Towers'', "
Basil the Rat", as Mrs. Taylor.
Career
Early work
In the late 1950s, whilst still studying
shipping management at college, Sachs worked on radio productions, including ''Private Dreams and Public Nightmares'' by
Frederick Bradnum
Frederick Bradnum (8 May 1920 – 25 December 2001), was a British radio dramatist, producer, and director who penned over 70 plays and 140 dramatisations of novels for the BBC. Along with the likes of Tom Mallin, Jennifer Phillips, Peter Tegel ...
, an early experimental programme made by the
BBC Radiophonic Workshop
The BBC Radiophonic Workshop was one of the sound effects units of the BBC, created in 1958 to produce incidental sounds and new music for radio and, later, television. The unit is known for its experimental and pioneering work in electroni ...
.
Sachs began in acting with
repertory theatre and made his
West End debut as Grobchick in the 1958 production of the
Whitehall farce
The Whitehall farces were a series of five long-running comic stage plays at the Whitehall Theatre in London, presented by the actor-manager Brian Rix, in the 1950s and 1960s. They were in the low comedy tradition of British farce, following the ...
''
Simple Spymen
''Simple Spymen'' is a farce by the English playwright John Chapman (screenwriter), John Chapman. The story concerns two street musicians who are mistakenly appointed by negligent army officers to act as bodyguards to protect a scientist from a ...
''.
He made his screen debut in 1959 in the film ''
The Night We Dropped a Clanger
''The Night We Dropped a Clanger'' is a 1959 black and white British comedy film directed by Darcy Conyers and starring Brian Rix, Cecil Parker, William Hartnell and Leslie Phillips; Andrew Sachs made his screen debut.
The title comes from th ...
''.
He then appeared in numerous television series throughout the 1960s, including some appearances in
ITC productions such as ''
The Saint
The Saint may refer to:
Fiction
* Simon Templar, also known as "The Saint", the protagonist of a book series by Leslie Charteris and subsequent adaptations:
** ''The Saint'' (film series) (1938–43), starring Louis Hayward, George Sanders an ...
'' (1962) and ''
Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)
''Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)'' is a British private detective television series, starring Mike Pratt and Kenneth Cope respectively as the private detectives Jeff Randall and Marty Hopkirk. The series was created by Dennis Spooner and p ...
'' (1969).
''Fawlty Towers''
Sachs is best known for portraying
Manuel, the Spanish waiter on the iconic sitcom ''Fawlty Towers'' (1975 and 1979), a role for which he was nominated for a
BAFTA award
(the award went to co-star
John Cleese).
He claimed in 1981 that Manuel was "really a very small part. In fact there was only one episode of ''Fawlty Towers'' – the one with the hamster – in which I had anything much to do."
[Sachs quoted in Fred Morony, "13 Fawlty Weeks changed Andrew Sachs's life", ''Sydney Morning Herald'', 15 August 1981, p. 41.]
Sachs recorded three singles in character as Manuel; the first was "Manuel's Good Food Guide" in 1977, in which he appeared, in character, on the cover. Sachs was co-author of the tracks.
This was followed in 1979 by "O Cheryl" with "Ode to England" on the B side, under the name "Manuel and Los Por Favors".
Sachs shares the writing credits for the B side with "B. Wade", who also wrote the A side. In 1981, at the urging of
Elton John, "Manuel" released a cover version of
Joe Dolce
Joseph Dolce (born October 13, 1947) (, originally ) is an American-Italian singer/songwriter, poet and essayist.
Dolce achieved international recognition with his multi-million-selling song, " Shaddap You Face", released worldwide under the ...
's worldwide hit "
Shaddap You Face
"Shaddap You Face" is a novelty song written and performed by Joe Dolce (released under the name Joe Dolce Music Theatre) about a rebellious Italian boy. Released in late 1980, it set a number of sales and longevity records.
It was released by ...
", with "Waiter, there's a Flea in my Soup" on the B side. When finally released it reached 138 in the UK Chart.
Dolce prohibited Sachs from releasing his version until the original had been a hit.
He was the subject of ''
This Is Your Life'' in 1980, when he was surprised by
Eamonn Andrews
Eamonn Andrews, (19 December 1922 – 5 November 1987) was an Irish radio and television presenter, employed primarily in the United Kingdom from the 1950s to the 1980s. From 1960 to 1964 he chaired the Radio Éireann Authority (now the RTÉ ...
while making a personal appearance as Manuel at the HMV store on London's Oxford Street.
Sachs, who had himself experienced life as a 'foreigner' in Britain, denied allegations that the character was based on racist stereotypes, arguing that Manuel could have been any 'foreign' worker.
During the shooting of the ''Fawlty Towers'' episode "
The Germans
"The Germans" (named on some releases as "Fire Drill") is the sixth episode of the BBC sitcom '' Fawlty Towers''. In the episode, while suffering the effects of concussion, Basil Fawlty repeatedly offends some German guests. Despite warning ...
", Sachs was left with second degree acid burns due to a fire stunt. He was also hit with a faulty prop on the set of the show by Cleese and suffered a severe headache.
Voice work and narration
Sachs was frequently heard as a narrator of television and radio
documentaries
A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a historical record". Bill Nichols has characterized the documentary in term ...
, including all five series of BBC's
BAFTA Award
The British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTA Film Awards is an annual award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to honour the best British and international contributions to film. The cer ...
-winning business television series ''
Troubleshooter'' presented by Sir
John Harvey-Jones
Sir John Harvey-Jones MBE (16 April 1924 – 9 January 2008) was an English businessman. He was the chairman of Imperial Chemical Industries from 1982 to 1987. He was best known by the public for his BBC television show, '' Troubleshoote ...
and
ITV
ITV or iTV may refer to:
ITV
*Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of:
** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
's ''
...from Hell'' series.
He also narrated several audio books, including
C. S. Lewis
Clive Staples Lewis (29 November 1898 – 22 November 1963) was a British writer and Anglican lay theologian. He held academic positions in English literature at both Oxford University (Magdalen College, 1925–1954) and Cambridge Univers ...
's
Narnia
''The Chronicles of Narnia'' is a series of seven high fantasy novels by British author C. S. Lewis. Illustrated by Pauline Baynes and originally published between 1950 and 1956, ''The Chronicles of Narnia'' has been Adaptations of The Chron ...
series and
Alexander McCall Smith
Alexander "Sandy" McCall Smith, CBE, FRSE (born 24 August 1948), is a British writer. He was raised in Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and formerly Professor of Medical Law at the University of Edinburgh. He became an expert on medical law an ...
's first online book, ''Corduroy Mansions'', as well as two audiobooks of the popular children's TV series ''
Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends
''Thomas & Friends'' (originally known as ''Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends'' and later ''Thomas & Friends: Big World! Big Adventures!'') is a British children's television series that aired across 24 series from 1984 to 2021. Based on ''The ...
'' "Thomas and the Tiger" and "Thomas and the Dinosaur". He provided the voice of Puzzle the Donkey in the Focus on the Family production of ''
The Last Battle
''The Last Battle'' is a high fantasy novel for children by C. S. Lewis, published by The Bodley Head in 1956. It was the seventh and final novel in ''The Chronicles of Narnia'' (1950–1956). Like the other novels in the series, it was illustr ...
'' by C. S. Lewis. In 2000, Sachs narrated the
spoof
Spoof, spoofs, spoofer, or spoofing may refer to:
* Forgery of goods or documents
* Semen, in Australian slang
* Spoof (game), a guessing game
* Spoofing (finance), a disruptive algorithmic-trading tactic designed to manipulate markets
__NOTOC__ ...
documentary series ''
That Peter Kay Thing
''That Peter Kay Thing'' is a series of six spoof documentaries shown on Channel 4 in 2000. It was written by Peter Kay, Dave Spikey, Neil Fitzmaurice and Gareth Hughes, and was directed by Andrew Gillman. The series was narrated by Andrew Sachs ...
''.
He also narrated the documentary series ''
Eyewitness'', based on the children's books of the same name.
Sachs performed all the voices in the English-language version of
Jan Švankmajer
Jan Švankmajer (; born 4 September 1934) is a Czech filmmaker and artist whose work spans several media. He is a self-labeled surrealist known for his stop-motion animations and features, which have greatly influenced other artists such as Ter ...
's 1994 film ''
Faust
Faust is the protagonist of a classic German legend based on the historical Johann Georg Faust ( 1480–1540).
The erudite Faust is highly successful yet dissatisfied with his life, which leads him to make a pact with the Devil at a crossroa ...
''. He also did voices for children's animation, including ''
William's Wish Wellingtons
''William's Wish Wellingtons'' is an animated BBC children's television series produced by Hibbert Ralph Entertainment (who had previously created '' Spider!''), which was originally aired on BBC One from 25 October to 30 December 1994 ...
'', ''Starhill Ponies'', ''
The Gingerbread Man
The Gingerbread Man (also known as The Gingerbread Boy) is a fairy tale about a gingerbread man's escape from various pursuers until his eventual demise between the jaws of a fox.
"The Gingerbread Boy" first appeared in print in the May 1875, is ...
'', ''
Little Grey Rabbit'', ''
The Forgotten Toys
''The Forgotten Toys'' is a 1997-1999 British animated comedy television series based on the children's book ''The Night After Christmas''. It was made by Hibbert Ralph Entertainment, featuring the voices of Joanna Lumley and Bob Hoskins. It is a ...
'', ''
Asterix and the Big Fight
''Asterix and the Big Fight'' is a French comic book, the seventh in the Asterix comic book series. It was written by René Goscinny and illustrated by Albert Uderzo. Its original French title is ''Le Combat des chefs'' ("The Battle of the Chief ...
''.
and the horse in the English-language version of 1970's cult TV show ''
Monkey''.
Roles for radio include
G. K. Chesterton's
Father Brown
Father Brown is a fictional Roman Catholic priest and amateur detective who is featured in 53 short stories published between 1910 and 1936 written by English author G. K. Chesterton. Father Brown solves mysteries and crimes using his intui ...
, 1984–1986,
Dr. John Watson in four series of original
Sherlock Holmes stories for BBC Radio 4,
Jeeves
Jeeves (born Reginald Jeeves, nicknamed Reggie) is a fictional character in a series of comedic short stories and novels by English author P. G. Wodehouse. Jeeves is the highly competent valet of a wealthy and idle young Londoner named Berti ...
in ''
The Code of the Woosters
''The Code of the Woosters'' is a novel by P. G. Wodehouse, first published on 7 October 1938, in the United Kingdom by Herbert Jenkins, London, and in the United States by Doubleday, Doran, New York. It was previously serialised in ''The Sa ...
'',
Edmond Dantès
Edmond Dantès () is a title character and the protagonist of Alexandre Dumas's 1844 adventure novel '' The Count of Monte Cristo''. Within the story's narrative, Dantès is an intelligent, honest and loving man who turns bitter and vengeful af ...
in ''
The Count of Monte Cristo'' on
BBC Radio 7
BBC Radio 4 Extra (formerly BBC Radio 7) is a British Digital radio in the United Kingdom, digital radio broadcasting, radio station from the BBC, broadcasting archived repeats of comedy, drama and documentary programmes nationally, 24 hours a ...
's "Young Classics" series, and Tooley in
Neil Gaiman's ''
Neverwhere
''Neverwhere'' is an urban fantasy television miniseries by Neil Gaiman that first aired in 1996 on BBC 2. The series is set in "London Below", a magical realm coexisting with the more familiar London, referred to as "London Above". It was d ...
''.
Later work
Although no other role gained him the same attention as Manuel, Sachs continued to star in a range of productions, both comedic and dramatic. In a reversal of his ''Fawlty Towers'' role, he was the hotel manager Don Carlos Bernardo in the 1977 ''
Are You Being Served?
''Are You Being Served?'' is a British sitcom created and written by executive producer David Croft (Croft also directed some episodes) and Jeremy Lloyd, with contributions from Michael Knowles and John Chapman, for the BBC. Set in London ...
'' movie, and in 1980 starred in the title role of a four-part BBC adaptation of the
H. G. Wells
Herbert George Wells["Wells, H. G."]
Revised 18 May 2015. ''The History of Mr Polly
''The History of Mr. Polly'' is a 1910 comic novel by H. G. Wells.
Plot summary
The protagonist of ''The History of Mr. Polly'' is an antihero inspired by H. G. Wells's early experiences in the drapery trade: Alfred Polly, born circa ...
''. The following year, he portrayed a French Revolution
The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in coup of 18 Brumaire, November 1799. Many of its ...
ary in Mel Brooks
Mel Brooks (born Melvin James Kaminsky; June 28, 1926) is an American actor, comedian and filmmaker. With a career spanning over seven decades, he is known as a writer and director of a variety of successful broad farces and parodies. He began ...
's ''History of the World, Part I
''History of the World, Part I'' is a 1981 American comedy film written, produced, and directed by Mel Brooks. Brooks also stars in the film, playing five roles: Moses, Comicus the stand-up philosopher, Tomás de Torquemada, King Louis XVI, an ...
''.
In 1990, he appeared as a contestant on ''Cluedo
''Cluedo'' (), known as ''Clue'' in North America, is a murder mystery game for three to six players (depending on editions) that was devised in 1943 by British board game designer Anthony E. Pratt. The game was first manufactured by Waddin ...
'', facing off against fellow actor Keith Barron
Keith Barron (8 August 1934 – 15 November 2017) was an English actor and television presenter who appeared in films and on television from 1961 until 2017. His television roles included the police drama ''The Odd Man'', the sitcom ''Duty Free ...
.
In 1994 Sachs appeared in the popular Thames Television
Thames Television, commonly simplified to just Thames, was a franchise holder for a region of the British ITV television network serving London and surrounding areas from 30 July 1968 until the night of 31 December 1992.
Thames Television broa ...
comedy drama series ''Minder
A minder is the person assigned to guide or escort a visitor, or to provide protection to somebody, or to otherwise assist or take care of something, i.e. a person who " minds".
Government-appointed persons to accompany foreign visitors are of ...
''. He played Sidney Myers in the episode''" All Things Brighton Beautiful"''.
In 1996, Sachs portrayed Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein ( ; ; 14 March 1879 – 18 April 1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist, widely acknowledged to be one of the greatest and most influential physicists of all time. Einstein is best known for developing the theory ...
in an episode of the American PBS series '' NOVA'' entitled "Einstein Revealed". In 1997, Sachs played opposite Shane Richie
Shane Patrick Paul Roche (born 11 March 1964), known as Shane Richie, is a British actor, comedian, television presenter and singer. Following initial success as a stage and screen performer, he became best known for his portrayal of the charac ...
in Chris Barfoot's ''Dead Clean
Death is the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain an organism. For organisms with a brain, death can also be defined as the irreversible cessation of functioning of the whole brain, including brainstem, and brain ...
'': in a tale of mistaken identity, Sachs plays airport window cleaner Kostas Malmatakis who is hired to assassinate a businessman by his greedy partner ( Mark Chapman); the British short won a Gold Remi at the Houston Worldfest in 2001.
Sachs has had several roles in ''Doctor Who'' productions. He played "Skagra" in the webcast/audio version of the '' Doctor Who'' story '' Shada'', completed by Big Finish Productions and in 2008 he played the elderly version of former companion Adric, in another ''Doctor Who'' story for the same company, '' The Boy That Time Forgot''. In the 1980s, Sachs had submitted his name to be considered for the part of the Seventh Doctor
The Seventh Doctor is an incarnation of the Doctor, the protagonist of the BBC science fiction television series '' Doctor Who'', and the final incarnation of the original Doctor Who series. He is portrayed by Scottish actor Sylvester McCoy.
...
in the television series.
In 2005, Sachs served as the performer for the audiobook version of ''Urchin of the Riding Stars'', the first book of '' The Mistmantle Chronicles''. In 2007, the BBC broadcast an adaptation of ''Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency
''Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency'' is a humorous detective novel by English writer Douglas Adams, published in 1987. It is described by the author on its cover as a "thumping good detective-ghost-horror-who dunnit-time travel-romantic- ...
'' with Sachs portraying Reg (Professor Urban Chronotis, the Regius Professor of Chronology). He would later appear in another Adams adaptation as the Book in the live tour of ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'' (sometimes referred to as ''HG2G'', ''HHGTTG'', ''H2G2'', or ''tHGttG'') is a comedy science fiction franchise created by Douglas Adams. Originally a 1978 radio comedy broadcast on BBC Radio 4, it ...
'' during its run at Bromley's Churchill Theatre
The Churchill Theatre in Bromley, southeast London was built by the London Borough of Bromley to designs by its borough architect's department. The Churchill is an example of a repertory theatre built in the style of European opera houses, wit ...
.
On 17 November 2008, it was announced that Sachs had been approached to appear in ITV
ITV or iTV may refer to:
ITV
*Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of:
** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
soap '' Coronation Street''. He later confirmed on 14 December that he was taking up the offer, saying "My wife was such a fan that I've been watching it since 1962". In May 2009 he made his debut on the street as Norris' brother, Ramsay. He appeared in 27 episodes and left in August 2009.
Sachs toured with the Australian pianist Victor Sangiorgio in a two-man show called "Life after Fawlty", which included Richard Strauss's voice and piano setting of Alfred, Lord Tennyson's poem "Enoch Arden
''Enoch Arden'' is a narrative poem published in 1864 by Alfred, Lord Tennyson, during his tenure as England's poet laureate. The story on which it was based was provided to Tennyson by Thomas Woolner. The poem lent its name to a principle i ...
". 2012 saw his last major role, as Bobby Swanson in the movie '' Quartet''.
Writing
Between 1962 and 1985 Sachs wrote a number of plays for theatre and radio, in parallel with his acting career. His first radio play, in 1962, was ''One Man and His Dog''. ''Till Death Do Us Join'', concerning Ernest Wire's desire to murder his wife, and Ruby Drab's hope to 'dispose of her spouse', was produced by the BBC in 1964 and broadcast in Australia as ''So You Want to Get Rid of Your Wife'' the following year. In 1978, BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...
broadcast ''The Revenge'', a ground-breaking 30-minute play totally without dialogue (an experiment in binaural stereo recording), written and performed by Sachs. It was dismissed by playwright Jonathan Raban
Jonathan Raban (born 14 June 1942, Hempton, Norfolk, England) is a British travel writer, critic, and novelist. He has received several awards, such as the National Book Critics Circle Award, The Royal Society of Literature's Heinemann Award, t ...
as a "wordless sequence of noises" and "a well-puffed curiosity". The play has however subsequently been repeated a number of times on BBC Radio 4 Extra.
''Made in Heaven'', which had starred Sachs's future ''Fawlty Towers'' co-star Prunella Scales
Prunella Margaret Rumney West Scales (''née'' Illingworth; born 22 June 1932) is an English former actress, best known for playing Sybil Fawlty, wife of Basil Fawlty (John Cleese), in the BBC comedy '' Fawlty Towers'', her nomination for a ...
when produced for radio in 1971, was brought to the stage in 1975. As performed at the Chichester Festival it starred Patrick Macnee. Though it was a popular success, Sachs said in 1981, "the critics really slaughtered it ... Actually, I had to agree with the critics. There was a lot wrong with the play." He professed his intention to rewrite the work and stage it again.
Sachs claimed he would "concentrate on writing if anything happened to impair my acting. But I'm very much a part-time writer."
Prank phone call controversy
On 25 October 2008, the BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
apologised to Sachs and his agent after they had been informed that
Russell Brand and
Jonathan Ross had made several obscene phone calls to him during an episode of ''
The Russell Brand Show'' recorded on 16 October and broadcast two days later, on which Sachs had agreed to appear.
Both presenters had left explicit messages on Sachs's telephone answering machine stating that Brand had had sex with his granddaughter,
Georgina Baillie.
Gordon Brown
James Gordon Brown (born 20 February 1951) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 to 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in Tony B ...
, the then Prime Minister, criticised Ross and Brand's actions, saying that it was "clearly inappropriate and unacceptable behaviour", and the television watchdog,
Ofcom, launched an inquiry into the matter.
Afterwards, Brand and Controller of Radio 2
Lesley Douglas
Lesley Douglas (born 7 June 1963) is a British former radio executive. She was the Controller of BBC Radio 2 and 6 Music from early 2004 until her resignation in October 2008 over The Russell Brand Show prank calls row.
Early life
Lesley Doug ...
resigned, with Ross soon suspended.
In February 2014, Sachs was interviewed by the BBC about his autobiography. He spoke of how the scandal still affected him.
Illness and death
Sachs was diagnosed with
vascular dementia
Vascular dementia (VaD) is dementia caused by problems in the supply of blood to the brain, typically a series of minor strokes, leading to worsening cognitive abilities, the decline occurring piecemeal. The term refers to a syndrome consisti ...
in 2012, which eventually left him unable to speak and forced him to use a wheelchair. He died on 23 November 2016 at the
Denville Hall
Denville Hall is a historic building in Northwood, a town in the London Borough of Hillingdon, England, which is used as a retirement home for professional actors, actresses and members of other theatrical professions. The present building inc ...
nursing home in
Northwood, London
Northwood is an affluent area in northwest London, England. It is located within the London Borough of Hillingdon on the border with Hertfordshire and from Charing Cross. Northwood was part of the ancient parish of Ruislip, Middlesex and has f ...
.
His funeral took place on 1 December, the same day his death was publicly announced. Melody Sachs died the following year.
On 2 December 2016,
BBC One
BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...
broadcast the ''Fawlty Towers'' episode "
Communication Problems
''Fawlty Towers'' is a British television sitcom written by John Cleese and Connie Booth, broadcast on BBC2 in 1975 and 1979. Two series of six episodes each were made. The show was ranked first on a list of the 100 Greatest British Televisio ...
" in his memory. John Cleese paid tribute to Sachs, describing him as a "sweet, sweet man".
Legacy
In July 2021 the BBC Two television series ''Secrets of the Museum'' featured the conservation and installation of the waiter's white outfit, worn by the Manuel character in ''Fawlty Towers'', which had been donated to the
Victoria and Albert Museum
The Victoria and Albert Museum (often abbreviated as the V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.27 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and nam ...
by his daughter Kate, as part of the museum's permanent costume exhibition.
Selected filmography
Books
*2015, ''I Know Nothing! The Autobiography'', The Robson Press, (shortlisted for The
Sheridan Morley Prize
Sheridan may refer to:
People
Surname
*Sheridan (surname)
*Philip Sheridan (1831–1888), U.S. Army general after whom the Sheridan tank is named
*Richard Brinsley Sheridan (1751–1816), Irish playwright (''The Rivals''), poet and politician
...
, 2015)
References
External links
*
Radio Plays by Andrew SachsImperial War Museum InterviewObituary: Andrew SachsFrom BBC News
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sachs, Andrew
1930 births
2016 deaths
20th-century British male actors
21st-century British male actors
Audiobook narrators
British male comedy actors
British male film actors
British male radio actors
British male stage actors
British male television actors
British male voice actors
British people of Austrian descent
British people of German-Jewish descent
Deaths from dementia in England
Deaths from vascular dementia
German emigrants to England
German people of Austrian descent
Jewish emigrants from Nazi Germany to the United Kingdom
Male actors from Berlin
People educated at William Ellis School
People from Kilburn, London