Nicholas Simon Lyndhurst (born 20 April 1961) is an English actor. He began his career as a child actor and became best known for his role as Rodney Trotter in the sitcom Only Fools and Horses (1981–2003). He also had major roles in other sitcoms including Goodnight Sweetheart (1993–1999, 2016) (as Gary Sparrow), Going Straight (1978), Butterflies (1978–1983), The Two of Us (1986–1990), The Piglet Files (1990–1992) and After You've Gone (2007–2008). He starred in the comedy-drama series Rock & Chips (2010–2011) and co-starred in the procedural crime drama series New Tricks (2013–2015).

Lyndhurst won two National Television Awards for his role in Goodnight Sweetheart, as well as being nominated for a British Comedy Award and three British Academy Television Awards for his role in Only Fools and Horses.

Contents

• 1 Early life
• 2 Career
• 3 Personal life
• 4 Filmography
  • 4.1 Television
  • 4.2 Film
• 5 References
• 6 External links

Early life

Lyndhurst was born and raised in Emsworth, Hampshire. He is the grandson of Francis Lyndhurst, a theatrical scenery painter and film director, who set up an early film studio at S*ham Fort, S*ham-by-Sea. He attended East Wittering Primary School. He also attended Corona Theatre School in Hammersmith, London.

Career

Lyndhurst appeared in various television adverts and children's films in the 1970s, before winning the starring role of Tom Canty/Prince Edward in a BBC Television version of The Prince and the Pauper, directed by Barry Letts and transmitted in January 1976.

Lyndhurst gained increased national recognition two years later in two BBC sitcom roles, Raymond Fletcher, the teenage son of Ronnie Barker's Norman Stanley Fletcher in Going Straight, and Adam Parkinson, a son of Wendy Craig and Geoffrey Palmer in Carla Lane's Butterflies. This was followed by playing Dobson in the BBC drama series To Serve Them All My Days in 1980–81.

Lyndhurst achieved national stardom in another BBC sitcom, Only Fools and Horses, in which he played Rodney Trotter, the younger brother of the main character Derek "Del Boy" Trotter, played by David Jason. Only Fools and Horses first aired in 1981 and increased in popularity until it reached its peak in 1996 with its Christmas Day show in the UK. In a BBC poll in 2004, it was voted Britain's Best Sitcom by television viewers. Lyndhurst appeared in the show from the very start, right up to its final airing at Christmas 2003.

In 1986, Lyndhurst had a minor part in the film Gunbus/SkyBandits. The film went straight to video and was never seen in British cinemas. During the mid 1980s and 1990s, Lyndhurst also played Ashley Phillips in ITV's The Two of Us which co-starred Janet Dibley and MI5 agent Peter "Piglet" Chapman in The Piglet Files, as well as in a number of stage performances.

From 1993 to 1999, he played the lead character of Gary Sparrow in the time travelling sitcom Goodnight Sweetheart. At around the same time, he was the face and voice on the TV and radio commercials for the telecommunications chain People's Phone. Lyndhurst also admits declining an opportunity to play the lead role of Gary in the 1997 British film The Full Monty.

From 1997 to 1999, Lyndhurst was the public face of the stationery chain store WH Smith, starring in their adverts as all four members of one family. He won a BAFTA for his acting in the adverts. In 1999, he played the villainous Uriah Heep opposite Daniel Radcliffe and Dame Maggie Smith in David Copperfield.

In 2006, he appeared as Cruella de Vil's chauffeur, Reg Farnsworth, at the Children's Party at the Palace.

In 2007, Lyndhurst returned to the BBC with his first new sitcom in fourteen years, After You've Gone, in which he plays a divorced dad moving back into the marital home to look after his daughter (Dani Harmer) and son (Ryan Sampson) together with his mother-in-law, played by Celia Imrie, after his ex-wife goes to work as a recovery nurse on a third world disaster relief mission.

Lyndhurst played Freddie Robdal, the 1960s gangster father of Rodney Trotter, in Rock & Chips, the prequel to Only Fools and Horses. The show centres on Del Boy, Robdal and Joan Trotter in early 1960s Peckham. It was first broadcast on 24 January 2010, with another special transmitted on 29 December 2010, and the final episode at Easter 2011.

In 2013 he joined the cast as a regular of Series 10 of New Tricks. In 2014 Lyndhurst revived his Only Fools and Horses character Rodney Trotter in a return Sport Relief Special, which aired on 21 March 2014.

In 2016, Lyndhurst revived his Goodnight Sweetheart character Gary Sparrow in a one-off special episode, which aired on 2 September 2016. The episode was supposed to lead into a new series as Marks and Gran had written a new series however BBC p*ed on idea, a decision that really upset the fans of the show and the general public.

In 2017, Lyndhurst played the role of Star Keeper in Rodgers and Hammerstein's Carousel at the English National Opera.

In 2019 he played the Governor/Innkeeper in Man of La Mancha for English National Opera at the London Coliseum opposite Kelsey Grammer as Cervantes/Quixote, Danielle de Niese as Aldonza/Dulcinea and Peter Polycarpou as Sancho.

Personal life

Lyndhurst lives in West Wittering, West Sussex, with his wife Lucy, a former ballet dancer. The couple married in Chichester, West Sussex, in 1999. Their son, Archie Lyndhurst (4 October 2000 - 22 September 2020) was an actor and appeared in So Awkward. On 22 September 2020, Archie died from acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. In a statement, Lyndhurst said he and his wife were "utterly grief stricken and respectfully request privacy".

Lyndhurst's hobbies include underwater diving, beekeeping and piloting his own aeroplanes.

Filmography

Television

Film

• Bequest to the Nation (1973)
• Bullshot (1983)
• Sky Bandits / Gunbus (1986)
• Endless Nights
• L*ie (2005)
• A United Kingdom (2016)

Radio

• My First Planet (2012-2014)

References

External links

• Nicholas Lyndhurst at IMDb
• Nicholas Lyndhurst at the BFI's Screenonline