 |
He sadly had been suffering from Alzheimer's disease in the last years of his life and was said not to be able to recognise himself from the show that made him famous as a waiter from Barcelona when it was played to him.
His co star in the Fawlty Towers cast, John Cleese is said to be devastated about his side kicks death
and called him a delight to work with.
The ever modest actor was said to have been insecure by his son and never expected to be called back for the second series of the show.But the Barcelona waiter not appearing on the show would have been like Messi not appearing for Barcelona or Michael Jackson not being part of the Jackson 5.It's in inconceivable,isn't it?
The waiter who became known for his legendary line,"i know nothing",knew much more when it came to the art of comedy.He made millions laugh and till today,new generations are still discovering him and cracking their ribs with laughter.The modest actor once described his part as a part he played that seemed to make people laugh.Is he serious?Those that have it really don't know like the famous saying goes.
His combination with John Cleese who played his manager Basil Fawlty was a deadly one and he suffered at his hands from being hit constantly.There was once a famous scene where the waiter was getting hit by his manager with a frying pan.In rehearsal there were to pans.One was padded while the other was not.But during filming something must have gotten mixed up cos Cleese hit him Manuel with the pan that was not padded on the back of the head! It was later that he admitted this to his co star.But like a true pro,he plodded on and took the pain.
Manuel in a recent interview 2 years ago also admitted to have been hurt many times from the nags he took off his manager during the show which lasted only 12 episodes.
He looked very unlike a comedian according to Cleese,he said he looked more like a bank manager,but once he stuck on the famous beard and the waiter uniform,a light switched on and he became something else.
.
The two actors were often compared in terms of importance and art to the tag team of Laurel and Hardy.Amazing how they could have such an impact after only 12 episodes of Falwty.
He later attained another level of fame.Be it one he would not have envisaged or wanted when he got caught up in the now infamous Sachsgate involving him with Russel Brand and Jonathan Ross.
The Andrew Sachs Russel Brand was a a result of a phone prank go wrong in 2008 when Ross and Brand called the veteran actor to interview him.He was not attainable so the two young presenters decided to ahve fun by leaving lewd messages on his answerphone.The worst of being Brand talking about his relationship with the old man's grand daughter.Anyway,this all blew up,Russell ended up resigning while Ross was suspended for 12 weeks,oh and the BBC got fined as well.This was such an outcry that it was discussed in the house of parliament with then prime minister Gordon Brown also getting involved.
The German born British actor who came to London in 1938 with his family also had a later career in the famous British soap Coronation street.
Less than a year after Sachsgate,he made his first appearance in the street as the character Ramsay.He was the brother of the popular Ramsay.His stay funnily was much more than that of the hotel series that made him popular as he appeared in 27 episodes of Coronation.His stay was from May 2009 to August 2009.
Enjoy the video below to relieve one of the most famous parts of the dead actor...Que....RIP