Sir David Jason is best known for playing Derek "Del Boy" Trotter in Only Fools and Horses and Granville in Open All Hours on BBC One.
During his legendary career, David has also starred in a huge number of other hits including The Darling Buds of May and A Touch of Frost.
But how much do you know about David Jason himself? Most fans of the actor will know that:
- He trained as an electrician before becoming an actor.
- His first-ever TV role was in Crossroads in 1964.
- He's acted in radio comedies and voices children's TV characters.
- He was knighted in 2005 for services to acting and comedy.
But what else do we know about David Jason? Here are several things you probably don't know about the acting legend...
1. David Jason’s real name isn't David Jason!
David Jason was actually born David John White on February 2 1940 in Edmonton, Middlesex. And like many actors, he took a stage name. He once revealed during a television interview that he picked out the name David Jason due to his love of the classic 1963 film Jason and the Argonauts. David started out in amateur theatre in North London. “I just found, for some reason, that I identified with it, I was actually quite good at it, I enjoyed it” he once told us.
2. David Jason was convinced The Darling Buds of May was going to either be a huge hit or a big flop!
David famously starred as Sidney "Pop" Larkin alongside future Hollywood movie star Catherine Zeta-Jones in ITV’s The Darling Buds of May, which was based on the books by H.E. Bates.
David once told us: "When I first read the book when I was first offered the part I think it’s fair enough to say I said to my agent at the time, ‘Well this will either be a huge success or it will be a huge flop' and she said: 'Why?’ and I replied: 'Because there’s nothing in it'." It turns out David needn't have worried!
3. He is a qualified helicopter pilot
David is an experienced helicopter pilot. He once told the Daily Telegraph that he started flying when he was only 28. “I never thought I was academically gifted at school. But when I started flying I found you didn’t need an academic mind — you just needed determination and dedication.”
4. David Jason has one daughter
David became a dad for the first time aged 61 in 2001 when his partner, now wife, Gill Hinchcliffe gave birth to a baby girl.
Talking about why they called their daughter Sophie Mae, David revealed at the time: "We didn’t choose her name until after she was born. She’s not named after anyone in either of our families, but we just liked the name and it seemed to suit her perfectly."
5. David Jason kept some very special souvenirs from Only Fools and Horses
Who can forget the episode of Only Fools when Del Boy "discovered" Peckham Spring on his allotment and started selling tap water to the nation?! Well, David revealed that he kept some as a souvenir! "I’ve got a couple of bottles of Peckham Spring water," he once told The Mirror. "I’ll keep them for ever. I won't drink them. After all, it's BBC water and not only that, would you drink something Del Trotter had made?"
We can't mention Only Fools of course without mentioning the famous falling through-the-bar scene (below). A poll by TV channel Gold once named it as the funniest scene in British sitcom history.
6. David believes making Del and Rodney millionaires led to the show ending
David thinks that the episode "Time On Our Hands", the 1996 Christmas special, where Del and Rodney finally become millionaires ultimately led to the end of the beloved comedy. He believes it created an issue where the characters had nowhere to go and many fans aren't as fond of the last few episodes after "Time On Our Hands".
Speaking at a fan convention (quotes via The Mirror), David said: "There was nowhere to go after the Trotters became millionaires and it all worked out. It was the end of a journey and the journey was that struggle for survival the struggle for the family, the way that they behaved, that interaction and all of that stuff that made the Trotters ceased to exist once they had become millionaires, if you like."
7. David’s older brother is also an actor
David, whose twin brother sadly died during childbirth, has an older brother Arthur White, who’s also an actor. Must be in the blood! Arthur appeared alongside David in 27 episodes of A Touch of Frost as archivist Ernie Trigg and he worked alongside David again in the comedy fantasy The Colour of Magic. Arthur’s enjoyed numerous other parts in shows like Crossroads and The Professionals.
7. Don't panic! David almost played Lance-Corporal Jones in Dad’s Army!!
David was a whisker away from playing Lance-Corporal Jones in classic comedy Dad’s Army. Clive Dunn, who famously ended up playing Jones, had been approached but initially couldn’t take the role due to a filming clash.
David recalled on This Morning once: "I came up for the part in the morning and at 12 o’clock they said, 'You’ve got the part’. I was elated. This was going to be a big deal for me.” But later David discovered he’d been ditched for Clive, who’d found out he was free after all. “They dumped me,” David recalled. It didn’t work out badly for David or Clive though!
David Jason's Fact File
Answers to the most frequently asked questions about the actor....
How old is he?
David Jason's age is 84. His date of birth is 2 February 1940.
Is he in a relationship?
David Jason has been married to wife Gill Hinchcliffe since 2005.
Does he have kids?
David Jason has a grown-up daughter called Sophie Mae.
Where was he born?
David Jason was born in Edmonton, Middlesex.
How tall is he?
David Jason's height is 1.68 metres tall.
We work hard to ensure that all information is correct. Facts that change over time, such as age, will be correct, to the best of our knowledge, at the time of the last article update.
