Brian Charles Hall (20 November 1937 – 17 September 1997) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), lit ...

. He is best remembered for his role as hotel chef Terry Hughes in the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ...

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 ...

''.

Career

Hall played many hard-boiled tough guy Cockney roles: his role as the amiable chef Terry in ''

'' was a casting against type. He played leading roles in police drama '' Softly, Softly: Taskforce'' (1971–72), crime drama '' McVicar'' (1980), and sitcom '' You Must Be The Husband'' (1987). He also had several guest-starring roles in '' The Professionals'', '' The Long Good Friday'', ''

The Bill ''The Bill'' is a British police procedural television series, first broadcast on ITV from 16 August 1983 until 31 August 2010. The programme originated from a one-off drama, '' Woodentop'', broadcast in August 1983. The programme focused o ...

'', '' London's Burning'', ''

The Sweeney ''The Sweeney'' is a 1970s British television police drama focusing on two members of the Flying Squad, a branch of the Metropolitan Police specialising in tackling armed robbery and violent crime in London. It stars John Thaw as Detective Insp ...

'' and ''

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 ...

'' in Series 1 episode '' You Gotta Have Friends''. He also played the Dad in Billy Webb's Amazing Story by Steve Attridge (1991 BBC)Billy Webb's Amazing Story, BBC Drama, by Steve Attridge

Personal life

Hall became friends with

John Cleese John Marwood Cleese ( ; born 27 October 1939) is an English actor, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. Emerging from the Cambridge Footlights in the 1960s, he first achieved success at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and as a scriptwriter and ...

when they appeared together in ''Fawlty Towers''. Some years after the series had finished, Cleese sent Hall a personally signed autographed picture as a joke. Hall wrote back and demanded a "signed Rolls-Royce car" instead. Three days later, one arrived by mail – a children's toy. Hall died on 17 September 1997, aged 59, after a three-year battle with

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

. Commenting on his friend's death, John Cleese said: "I am very upset. I was particularly fond of Brian and had several conversations with him this year. I admire profoundly the way in which he dealt with his cancer. I do not know where he found the strength." A year before his death, Hall told the ''

Mirror A mirror or looking glass is an object that reflects an image. Light that bounces off a mirror will show an image of whatever is in front of it, when focused through the lens of the eye or a camera. Mirrors reverse the direction of the im ...

'': "Cancer is a bully and I hate bullies. This old boy cancer will get about as much change out of me as all the other bullies I've met – nothing."

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hall, Brian 1937 births 1997 deaths Male actors from Brighton English male film actors English male television actors Deaths from cancer in England 20th-century English male actors British male comedy actors