John Dair
John Dair | |
|---|---|
| Born | 3 March 1933 |
| Died | 25 November 2005 (aged 72) |
| Cause of death | Lung cancer |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Spouse | Gina Dair (m. 1957–2015; his death) |
| Children | 2 |
John Dair (3 March 1933 – 25 November 2005) was a Scottish actor who appeared in many television productions over a 25 year period. Large and burly in appearance, he is perhaps best remembered for his roles as Harry Grout’s bodyguard ‘Crusher’ in the sitcom Porridge and as Charlie Dawson in the drama Our Friends in the North.
Although born in Dundee, Scotland, he had been a resident of London, England, for many years.
He drove mobile cranes and bulldozers on building sites and then worked as a singer until he was offered the part in Porridge whilst performing at the Lyceum Theatre, London. He then went on to appear in one of the most memorable scenes in the sitcom in which his character displays a 'sense of humour failure' when a joke is repeated to him. He also had small parts in films, the most memorable of which was in Batman as crime boss Vinnie Ricorso, who is fatally stabbed in the throat with a quill pen by the Joker.
In 1984 he appeared in the iconic music video for the Frankie Goes to Hollywood song Relax as a man dressed as a Roman emperor in a gay nightclub. He also appeared in commercials including the acclaimed 1985 advertisement for Levi Strauss & Co. jeans with Nick Kamen that was set in a Laundromat. He died of lung cancer in 2005.[1][2]
References
- ^ Richard Webster, Dick Clement, Ian la Frenais (2001). Porridge The Inside Story. Headline Book Publishing. ISBN 0-7472-3294-6.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ http://www.porridge.org.uk/john-dair.html John Dair at Porridge The Unofficial Home Page. Retrieved 8 May 2012