The Only Fools and Horses actor who ‘regretted’ not killing Hitler and whose sudden death sent shockwaves throughout the show
Fans of Only Fools and Horses will recognise Lennard Pearce as the cantankerous character of grandad. He was one of the key characters in the show during its meteoric rise in the 1980s. Edward Kitchener ‘Ted’ Trotter, as grandad was otherwise known, became the nation’s grandad with fans loving his crafty personality and habit of watching multiple TV sets at once.
Although Pearce’s most famous role was the one he would play on the programme from 1981 until 1984 the actor had a career that spanned several decades. One of his very earliest jobs was working as a stage actor and touring Europe back in the 1930s.
It was revealed by his colleague Nicholas Lyndhurst, who played Rodney Trotter on Only Fools and Horses, that during Lennard’s time acting abroad he had met German dictator Adolf Hitler.
In an interview in 2017, Nicholas recalls the story Lennard told him about the encounter. “He was a young actor touring Europe and they were playing some German city and the Nazis walked in,” the veteran actor said.
“The top honchos of the Nazi party had seen the play and came to congratulate them afterwards. Lennard shook hands with Adolf Hitler.
“He only ever told me once, but he said, ‘Had I known then what I know now, I would have drawn the pistol from one of the bodyguards and I’d have done my best to kill him.’”
Steve Clark, author of Only Fools and Horses – The Official Inside Story, added: “We’re used to hearing Uncle Albert’s stories about his rather dubious wartime service in the navy, but it’s incredible that Lennard Pearce actually met Hitler during his rise to power and could have put a stop to him before he was able to do so much evil.”
Pearce died suddenly from a heart attack aged 69 in December 1984 during the fourth Only Fools and Horses series. His death threw production into disarray with many of the pre-recorded scenes featuring grandad being reshot with Buster Merryfield’s Uncle Albert.
