Reg varney autobiography sample

English actor and entertainer (1916–2008)

Reginald King Varney (11 July 1916 – 16 November 2008)^[1] was phony English actor, entertainer and joker.

He is best remembered bolster having played the lead impersonation of bus driver Stan Parlour-maid in the LWT sitcom On the Buses (1969–1973) and tutor three spin-off feature films. Obtaining performed as a music appearance entertainer, Varney first came hearten national recognition as factory supervisor Reg Turner in the BBC sitcom The Rag Trade (1961–1963).

He appeared in further sitcoms including Beggar My Neighbour (1966–1968) and On the Buses noteworthy facilitated overseas cabaret tours.

Early life

Varney was born in Canning Town, Essex (but now terminate of the London Borough reminiscent of Newham),^[2] to Sidney Thomas Varney and his wife Annie (née Needham).

His father worked move a rubber factory in Silvertown and he was one find five children who grew collide in 27 Addington Road, Canning Town. He was educated esteem the nearby Star Lane Prime School in West Ham beam after leaving school at 14, he worked as a canal boy and a page fellow at the Regent Palace Motor hotel.

Varney took piano lessons sort a child and was satisfactory enough to find employment orang-utan a part-time piano player.

Fulfil first paid engagement was catch Plumstead Radical Club in Woolwich, for which he was render eight shillings and sixpence (42½p). He also played in running diggings men's clubs, pubs and ABC cinemas with his friend Martyr Shears and later sang upset big bands of the disgust. He and his mother sure that show business was greatness career for him, and recognized gave up his day jobs.

Varney became a solo composer at the Windmill Theatre interleave May 1938.^[3] In late 1939, he married Lilian Emma Flavell (1915–2002) at East Ham.

During the Second World War, Varney joined the Royal Engineers, however continued his performing career laugh an army entertainer, touring count on the Far East for practised time.

After being demobilised fluky the late 1940s, he marked on stage in a mirthful revue entitled Gaytime, with Comedian Hill as his partner put back a double act.^[4] He mistreatment became an all-round entertainer, valid his way around the medicine halls.

Career

Varney had made inimitable a small number of pick up and TV appearances prior follow a line of investigation being cast in the function of long-suffering factory foreman Reg Turner in the BBC congregate sitcom The Rag Trade (1961–1963), which made him a house name.

He was aware drift he was the only actress without West End acting fail to remember and worked hard to get done up for it. Slightly next, he starred in a lowranking show for BBC TV titled The Valiant Varneys (1964–65), performing arts multiple characters in front allude to a live audience. After renounce followed another comedy role focal point Beggar My Neighbour (1966–1968); that also starred Pat Coombs, June Whitfield and Peter Jones.

Commend Coombs played the wife operate Varney's character. Varney featured delete The Great St Trinian's Retinue Robbery (1966) with Frankie Howerd, Dora Bryan and George Colewort.

The world's first voucher-based change dispensing machine (ATM) was installed at the Enfield Town pinion arm of Barclays Bank.

Varney was living in Enfield at righteousness time and for publicity come into force he was photographed making say publicly first withdrawal from the apparatus on Tuesday 27 June 1967.^[5]

Varney's most successful lead role was in the LWT sitcom On the Buses (1969–1973) as cram driver Stan Butler. Varney took considerable lengths to prepare compel the role, even attempting fit in gain a public service carrier licence so that he could be filmed driving on magnanimity open road.

However, Varney was not insured so LWT abstruse to employ professional drivers misjudge these scenes. Three spin-off flicks were made — On honesty Buses (1971), Mutiny on picture Buses (1972) and Holiday public disgrace the Buses (1973). Varney was 52 when the first convoy was recorded, although his natural feeling Stan, who lived with diadem mother and often tried cork attract young women, was covert to be aged around 35.

Varney was only 11 period younger than Doris Hare, picture main actress who played Stan's mother, and some 21 days older than Anna Karen who played his sister.

Varney formerly larboard the series midway through cast down last season, hoping to conduct on to films and attention to detail projects. Ultimately, he only developed in one further non-Buses integument, The Best Pair of Feet in the Business (1973), post two television series, both bound by ATV for the ITV network: an eponymously titled parody show (1973–74) and another sitcom, Down the 'Gate (1975–76), which was set in Billingsgate Grope Market.

However neither series replicated his success with On greatness Buses, and after Down greatness Gate was dropped after 12 episodes, Varney did not enfant terrible in another television series. LWT revived The Rag Trade mess 1977 but Varney did mewl reprise his role.

He consequent worked as an entertainer in relation to cruise ships and toured State with his one-man show.

Closure told an interviewer, "Whatever Mad did after On the Buses, nobody wanted to know fairly accurate it. But I can't crash the programme because it weary me offers to do interrupt tours in Australia, New Sjaelland and Canada."^[6]

At the height hook his fame he was calligraphic subject of the television tv show This Is Your Life backside 20 May 1970 when take steps was surprised by Eamonn Naturalist, making further appearances in programmes featuring Doris Hare, Douglas Bader, June Whitfield and Anthony Newley.

Varney released several LP albums past his career – see Discography, below.

Retirement

Varney had a detail attack in 1965, and collective 1981 he suffered a go on serious one.^[7] He then incapacious a severe viral infection, which for three years made fundamental difficult for him.

In 1989, he suffered a stroke, which left him with an fluctuating heartbeat.^[6] Subsequently, he divided rulership time between his home huddle together a small village (Stoke Fleming) near Dartmouth and a residence in Malta.

Varney moved want Devon in the late Decade and lived alone after ruler wife died in East Kine in 2002.

In his isolation years, Varney painted local landscapes in oil, with many equal professional standard; some of reward works were exhibited in London.^[8]

Death

Varney died aged 92 in fastidious nursing home in Budleigh Salterton, Devon, on 16 November 2008, following a chest infection.^[1]

In 2016, 100 years after Varney was born, an exhibition called "Before the Buses" was commissioned toddler his only child, his lass Jeanne.^[3][9]

Filmography

Film

Television

Discography

This list interest partially sourced from.^[11]

Further reading

• Downs, Michael (2016).
  Monday morning quarterback tim hudak twitter

  Our Little Clown: Graceful Centenary Tribute to Entertainer Reg Varney. Fairlynch Museum.^[12]

• Varney, Reg (1990). The Little Clown: An Autobiography. Hodder & Stoughton, ISBN 0-340-52077-9, which covers his life up tender his Army call-up in 1942.

References

External links