Actor From Auf Wiedersehen Pet With The Most Prolific Career

[dav]

Couldn't fit a question mark on the end, that'll bother me.

Anyhow, Auf Wiedersehen Pet was a British dramedy from the 1980's about several brickies and other construction workers moving to Germany when they were unable to find jobs in the UK at the time and the many misadventures that came from that.



The show is perhaps notable for how some of its cast members went on to have starring roles in other shows and several of them also broke into the movies as well with roles ranging from Batman to Harry Potter to all three Indiana Jones movies. Save for Gary Holton, who sadly passed away early, they would have strong careers, but who stands out to you when looking at the cast members?

[Gravedigger's Biscuits]

I'd say Timothy Spall.

He's been in a lot of things over the years.

[thirteen3]

One of those Iconic British shows that I've just never watched. Need to get around to it.

[Zombie Mod]

fame wise?

Timothy Spall probably had the best career, Kevin Whatley probably had the next best career, then Jimmy Nail.

that said they've all seemingly had turns at being popular amongst casting directors to get them regular work with Spall being the one to crack Hollywood the most.

[clodhopper]

Don't know about acting but Jimmy Nail had two genuinely excellent hit singles in Ain't No Doubt and Crocodile Shoes so he'll always be a winner in my eyes.

[Mighty Attack Tribble]

Mar 26, 2022 11:22:17 GMT -5 Zombie Mod said:

fame wise?

Timothy Spall probably had the best career, Kevin Whatley probably had the next best career, then Jimmy Nail.

that said they've all seemingly had turns at being popular amongst casting directors to get them regular work with Spall being the one to crack Hollywood the most.

None of them have had bad careers, but Tim Spall has definitely gotten the most work and the highest profile roles, though Christopher Fairbank's small roles and cameos in the likes of Batman, Alien 3, Hamlet, Fifth Element, Guardians of the Galaxy, and two Pirates of the Caribbean movies is nothing to be sniffed at.

[DiBiase is Good]

My favourite ever TV show!

It’s either Timothy Spall or Christopher Fairbank. The two “boring bastards”.

As others have said. Timothy Spall has had the most appearances where he’s one of the main cast. Christopher Fairbank has as many appearances but it’s usually in smaller roles.
There’s also some actors in supporting roles who have had decent careers too. Bill Paterson and Ray Winstone most notably.

Fun fact no one asked for : Three of them have featured on UK Number One singles. Jimmy Nail had a solo #1 and Tim Healy and Gary Holton were part of the charity ensemble, The Crowd.

[Futureraven: Beelzebruv]

Mar 26, 2022 11:24:50 GMT -5 clodhopper said:

Don't know about acting but Jimmy Nail had two genuinely excellent hit singles in Ain't No Doubt and Crocodile Shoes so he'll always be a winner in my eyes.

Bbc 4 have been showing old Top of the Pops, a week or 2 ago they had Ain't No Doubt, you could tell how much studio magic was used on that track. The "live" version he was using was SO bad.

[DiBiase is Good]

Mar 26, 2022 14:28:13 GMT -5 Futureraven: Beelzebruv said:

Mar 26, 2022 11:24:50 GMT -5 clodhopper said:

Don't know about acting but Jimmy Nail had two genuinely excellent hit singles in Ain't No Doubt and Crocodile Shoes so he'll always be a winner in my eyes.

Bbc 4 have been showing old Top of the Pops, a week or 2 ago they had Ain't No Doubt, you could tell how much studio magic was used on that track. The "live" version he was using was SO bad.

He was singing live over the backing track. In this period, Top of the Pops wouldn’t let anyone play their instruments live but insisted they sang live. It made for some infamous appearances.

[Futureraven: Beelzebruv]

Mar 26, 2022 14:38:08 GMT -5 DiBiase is Good said:

Mar 26, 2022 14:28:13 GMT -5 Futureraven: Beelzebruv said:

Bbc 4 have been showing old Top of the Pops, a week or 2 ago they had Ain't No Doubt, you could tell how much studio magic was used on that track. The "live" version he was using was SO bad.

He was singing live over the backing track. In this period, Top of the Pops wouldn’t let anyone play their instruments live but insisted they sang live. It made for some infamous appearances.

Ahhh thanks for clarifying the set up, might have been an off night but he was terrrrible and I like the song.

[Jaws the Shark]

Mar 26, 2022 14:22:11 GMT -5 DiBiase is Good said:

Fun fact no one asked for : Three of them have featured on UK Number One singles. Jimmy Nail had a solo #1 and Tim Healy and Gary Holton were part of the charity ensemble, The Crowd.

Gary Holton had actually had a pretty decent music career, not as successful as his acting career but he'd been in the Heavy Metal Kids and I think was one of the people considered to replace Bon Scott in AC/DC. My uncle was actually mates with him at one time before Auf Wiedersehen, Pet, my grandparents managed a pub in Maida Vale in the seventies and eighties and a lot of its clientele was musicians who lived around pre-gentrification Maida Vale. Unfortunately like a lot of those people he got caught up with heroin.

[DiBiase is Good]

Mar 26, 2022 19:58:07 GMT -5 Jaws the Shark said:

Mar 26, 2022 14:22:11 GMT -5 DiBiase is Good said:

Fun fact no one asked for : Three of them have featured on UK Number One singles. Jimmy Nail had a solo #1 and Tim Healy and Gary Holton were part of the charity ensemble, The Crowd.

Gary Holton had actually had a pretty decent music career, not as successful as his acting career but he'd been in the Heavy Metal Kids and I think was one of the people considered to replace Bon Scott in AC/DC. My uncle was actually mates with him at one time before Auf Wiedersehen, Pet, my grandparents managed a pub in Maida Vale in the seventies and eighties and a lot of its clientele was musicians who lived around pre-gentrification Maida Vale. Unfortunately like a lot of those people he got caught up with heroin.

How dare you forget that he also sang the theme to Murphy’s Mob!
Shame what happened to him. I was really young when the first couple of series were shown, so I didn’t really know what was happening but I did know he was the youngest and therefore coolest of the gang. Jenny Eclair was in one episode of AWP and years later she told the story of how she saw Gary Holton in one go do the longest line of cocaine she’d ever seen. When you read about the excesses of his younger days, it’s a miracle he managed to live as long as he did.

[Jaws the Shark]

Mar 26, 2022 20:13:12 GMT -5 DiBiase is Good said:

Mar 26, 2022 19:58:07 GMT -5 Jaws the Shark said:

Gary Holton had actually had a pretty decent music career, not as successful as his acting career but he'd been in the Heavy Metal Kids and I think was one of the people considered to replace Bon Scott in AC/DC. My uncle was actually mates with him at one time before Auf Wiedersehen, Pet, my grandparents managed a pub in Maida Vale in the seventies and eighties and a lot of its clientele was musicians who lived around pre-gentrification Maida Vale. Unfortunately like a lot of those people he got caught up with heroin.

How dare you forget that he also sang the theme to Murphy’s Mob!
Shame what happened to him. I was really young when the first couple of series were shown, so I didn’t really know what was happening but I did know he was the youngest and therefore coolest of the gang. Jenny Eclair was in one episode of AWP and years later she told the story of how she saw Gary Holton in one go do the longest line of cocaine she’d ever seen. When you read about the excesses of his younger days, it’s a miracle he managed to live as long as he did.

Yeah, a lot of people in that scene got caught up in smack, and a lot of them, like Gary Holton, didn't make out. Sid Vicious was part of it and was obviously one of them, and I think Phil Lynott was on the periphery too. It's all pretty tragic really, people who thought they could handle the excess, until they couldn't.