John Walter Lawrence Clegg (born 9 July 1934) is an Indian-born English actor, best known for playing the part of Gunner 'Paderewski' Graham in the BBC sitcom It Ain't Half Hot Mum. Early life and career Clegg was born on 9 July 1934 in Murree, British India (present-day Pakistan) to English parents. When he and his parents arrived back in England, Clegg became a student at RADA. After leaving RADA Clegg joined the Watford Palace Theatre Company, where he met Jimmy Perry, who would go on to cast Clegg in the role for which he is best known. It was there that he also met many of his future co-stars, including Michael Knowles, Donald Hewlett, and Mavis Pugh (whom he married in 1959). Pugh appeared in Croft and Perry sitcoms including Dad's Army, It Ain't Half Hot Mum and Hi-de-Hi!, but she is best known for playing Lady Lavender Southwick in You Rang, M'Lord?. Due to the twenty year age gap between Clegg and Pugh many were sceptical as to whether the marriage would last, apart from Jimmy Perry and his wife Gillian. After the wedding there was a whip-round at the theatre which collected enough money to buy what Clegg described in an interview as ‘lots of practical things, like sponges and cloths - the most practical things you could imagine.’ During his time at Watford, Clegg appeared in many performances including farces such as Charley's Aunt and The Happiest Days of Your Life. He also appeared in thrillers such as Gas Light. Later television and film career Clegg's first television role was as D.C. Greaves in Dixon of Dock Green in 1961. Clegg’s first film appearance was as a minor role in the 1967 musical film Half a Sixpence, playing a shop assistant. He then went on to make many television appearances including the dramatised documentary The Gunpowder Plot in which he playing Francis Tresham, during the documentary he started alongside Martin Shaw which he later featured alongside in Death in Holy Order in 2003. In 1973 he was cast in the BBC sitcom It Ain't Half Hot Mum as Gunner Graham, the concert party’s pianist. The show ran for eight series and Clegg appeared in all 56 episodes, however Clegg did not appear in the 1979 stage adaptation of the series. Instead, the role was taken up by David Rowley, who was able to play the piano