Brian Glover was an English character actor, writer and wrestler who played Harold Andrews, Superintendent of the Fiorina 161 correctional unit, in Alien 3. By his own admission, he was known for portraying "bald-headed, rough-looking Yorkshiremen".
Alien franchise credit[]
Andrews[]
- Alien 3 (1992)
Filmography[]
- Kes (1969) ... Mr Sugden
- On the House (1971) TV ... Bagley
- Paul Temple (1971) TV ... Waites
- Joy (1972) TV film ... Extra
- Coronation Street (1972) TV ... Fred Henshaw
- Sez Les (1972) TV ... Extra
- A Day Out (1972) TV film ... Boothroyd
- Thirty-Minute Theatre (1973) TV ... Extra
- Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads? (1973) TV ... Flint
- The Regiment (1973) TV ... Sergeant Dyke
- O Lucky Man! (1973) ... Plantation foreman/Bassett (Power station guard)
- The Protectors (1973) TV ... Allen
- You'll Never Walk Alone (1974) TV Short ... Maurice Pouncey
- Porridge (1974) TV ... Heslop
- Centre Play (1974) TV ... Nobby
- The Sweeney (1975) TV ... Moose
- Not on Your Nellie (1975) TV ... Battling Bill
- Dixon of Dock Green (1975) TV ... Chuck Windell
- Brannigan (1975) ... Jimmy-the-Bet
- Quiller (1975) TV ... Sergeant
- The Wild West Show (1975) TV ... Extra
- The Old Curiosity Shop (1975) ... Furnaceman
- Jabberwocky (1977) ... Armourer
- Sweeney! (1977) ... Mac
- Minder (1980) ... Yorkie
- An American Werewolf in London (1981) ... Chess Player
- The Company of Wolves (1984) ... Amorous Boy's Father
- Last of the Summer Wine (1985) TV ... Ogden Butterclough
- Doctor Who: Attack of the Cybermen (1985) ... Griffiths
- Bottom (1991) ... Mr. Rottweiler
- Alien 3 (1992) ... Harold Andrews
- Stiff Upper Lips (1998) ...Eric
Biography[]
Glover's first acting job and probably his most memorable came playing Mr Sugden, the comically overbearing sports teacher in Ken Loach's film Kes. Barry Hines, a fellow teacher who wrote the film, suggested Glover to the director.. Although untrained, Glover proved to be a skilled and flexible character actor, using techniques learnt during his wrestling career. While his trademark bald head, stocky build, and gruff Yorkshire accent garnered him many roles as tough guys and criminals, he also played Bottom in A Midsummer Night's Dream and had a recurring role in the classic sitcom Porridge as dim witted prison inmate Cyril Heslop who utters the memorable line "I read a book once, green it was".
He played Quilp in The Old Curiosity Shop, and lent his voice to a number of animated characters, including the "gaffer" of the "Tetley Tea Folk" in a long-running series of television advertisements for Tetley tea and as the voice behind the slogan, 'Bread with nowt taken out' for Allinson's bakery. He also appeared in An American Werewolf in London, The First Great Train Robbery, Jabberwocky, Alien 3, Leon the Pig Farmer and as General Douglas in a Bollywood hit 1942: A Love Story. He appeared seven times in Play for Today, in three of them as part of a recurring trio of Yorkshiremen: The Fishing Party, Shakespeare or Bust and Three for the Fancy.
Glover's performance in Kes led to parts at the Royal Court Theatre, London, notably in Lindsay Anderson's The Changing Room (1971). A season with Britain's Royal Shakespeare Company followed, where appropriately enough his roles included Charles the wrestler in As You Like It, and a robust Peter in Romeo and Juliet. For the Royal National Theatre he appeared in The Mysteries (as God, creating the world with the help of a real fork-lift truck), Saint Joan and Don Quixote.
His performance in The Mysteries secured additional work in the commercial theatre. The Canterbury Tales (West End) was followed by a return to television and the Play for Today series, both as writer and performer and, in turn, more screen roles. Glover went on to play "Lugg", the endearing rogue manservant to Albert Campion in the series Campion and the role of a crook, "Griffiths", in the Doctor Who story Attack of the Cybermen in 1985. He played Edouard Dindon in the original London cast of La Cage aux Folles. In 1991 he starred in the second episode of Bottom – "Gas" – as "Mr Rottweiler". His last film was John Godber's rugby league comedy Up 'n' Under (1998).
Glover also wrote over 20 plays and short films. In 1982 he was a guest presenter in series six of Friday Night Saturday Morning, a late-night BBC chat show.
Personal life[]
Glover was married twice, secondly to television producer Tara Prem, the daughter of TV actor Bakhshi Prem. He had two children, one son and one daughter. Glover developed a brain tumour and died in a London hospital on 24 July 1997. He is buried in Brompton Cemetery, London.