Reg Varney

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Reg Varney (1972)

Reginald Alfred Varney (born July 11, 1916 in Canning Town , Essex , † November 16, 2008 in Budleigh Salterton , Devon ) was a British actor . He was best known in the UK in the 1970s for his role as Stan Butler on the sitcom On the Buses . In 1967 he was the first person to withdraw money from an ATM .

Career

Varney was born one of five children to a rubber factory worker. At the age of 14 he left school and worked as an errand boy and page at the Regent Palace Hotel . At the age of 15 he was hired as a singer by the owner of a Working men's club after they heard him sing.

In May 1938, Varney made his debut in London's West End theater district when he appeared as a solo pianist at the Windmill Theater . During the Second World War he served with the Royal Engineers and appeared as an army entertainer in the Far East . After the war he appeared with Benny Hill on the revue show Gaytime . In doing so, he laid the foundation for his career as a vaudeville artist .

Although Varney made his cinema debut in 1950 in the film Miss Robin Hood , it was not until 1961 before he could celebrate his breakthrough on television in the sitcom The Rag Trade . This was followed by his own show The Valiant Varneys , several films and a role in the sitcom Beggar My Neighbor . The actor's fame was used on October 27, 1967 to make the device popular with him as the first person to withdraw money from an ATM.

In 1969, Varney took on the role of Stan Butler in On the Buses . The series became a huge hit and ran for seven seasons and three spin-off films. In 1971, the first of these films topped the box office of the Bond film Diamond Fever . After giving up the role in 1973, his career slowly began to decline. With the series Down the Gate he returned to television in 1976, but could not celebrate any success.

In 1988 he tried a comeback with an Australian version of On the Buses , after health problems he had to end his career for good in the 1990s. He then wrote a few books about his career. After a brief illness, he succumbed to a chest infection in November 2008 at the age of 92.

Filmography (selection)

  • 1969–1973: Nothing but trouble in the depot (On the Buses)
  • 1972: Riots in the bus depot (On the Buses)
  • 1972: Mutiny on the Buses
  • 1973: A crazy trip on the Wahnsinnsbus (Holiday on the Buses)
  • 1973: My legs are the most beautiful (The Best Pair of Legs in the Business)

Web links

Commons : Reg Varney  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ "The man who invented the cash machine" - Article on BBC News (accessed November 30, 2008)
  2. ↑ "ON THE BUSES STAR REG VARNEY DIES, AGED 92" - article on Sunday Express (accessed November 30, 2008)
  3. ↑ a b c d e "Reg Varney" - Article at the Telegraph (accessed November 30, 2008)
  4. ^ "" On The Buses "actor Reg Varney dies" - message from Reuters (accessed November 30, 2008)
  5. ↑ a b c d "On the Buses star Reg Varney dies at 92" - article in the Mirror (accessed November 30, 2008)
personal data
SURNAME Varney, Reg
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Varney, Reginald Alfred (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British actor
DATE OF BIRTH July 11, 1916
PLACE OF BIRTH Canning Town , Essex
DATE OF DEATH November 16, 2008
Place of death Budleigh Salterton , Devon