Harry "Buster" Merryfield (27 November 1920 – 23 June 1999) was an English actor best known for starring as Uncle Albert in the BBC comedy Only Fools and Horses. Early life Merryfield was born and raised in Battersea, London, England. His father, also called Harry Merryfield, was a fitter, and his mother Lily (née Stone) was a part-time waitress. His sister Irene died when she was eight years old. He was given the name "Buster" by his grandfather, as he weighed nine pounds at birth, and it stuck throughout his entire life. He refused to divulge his real name, which only became known after his death. He followed a strict fitness regime of daily press-ups and swimming sessions. As a boxer, he was a British schoolboy champion in the 1936 and Southern Command army champion in 1945. He was also an amateur football player and Millwall supporter, regularly attending games at the Old Den. In contrast to his pipe-smoking and rum-drinking character Uncle Albert, Merryfield was a teetotaler and nonsmoker his entire life. Career Before turning professional as an actor Merryfield was a keen amateur actor and director. His productions of John Osborne's The Entertainer (1966), The World–My Canvas (1968) by Ruth Dixon and A View from the Bridge (1969) by Arthur Miller, for the now-defunct amateur theatre group the Characters, won Best Play at the Woking Drama Festival in 1966, 1968 and 1969 respectively. He also won the Best Actor trophy for his roles in The Entertainer and The World–My Canvas. Merryfield became a professional actor at the age of 57 after having worked for the Westminster Bank for nearly 40 years. He began work there on 11 July 1938 and passed his banking exams in 1939. During his time with the bank, he reached the position of senior area manager, but his banking career was interrupted by his war service. He spent the war in the army, where his physique allowed him to become a PT and jungle-warfare instructor. Awarded an emergency commission in the Royal Artillery on 13 March 1942, Merryfield was promoted to the rank of second lieutenant. It was during the war that he discovered his love of acting when he served as an entertainments officer staging shows for the troops. After the war, Merryfield married and returned to the bank. At NatWest he rose through the ranks, and by the time of his early