Gary Only Fools And Horses Actor

Let’s talk about Gary. Not the bloke next door. The one from Only Fools and Horses.

You know the face. That weasel grin. The dodgy suits that screamed “market trader.” Gary was the ultimate small-time crook with a big-time ego.

Here’s the kicker: the actor who played Gary is a total legend. His name is John Challis. And he made that character just impossibly brilliant.

Gary wasn’t just a sidekick. He was a walking disaster. Every scheme he touched turned to dust, and we loved him for it.

Let’s get into the weird stuff. Did you know John Challis hated the character at first? He thought Gary was too one-dimensional. A right nasty piece of work.

Then he leaned into the vanity. The perma-tan. The combover. The way he’d strut like a peacock with a hernia. Suddenly, Gary became comedy gold.

Here’s a juicy fact: John Challis was a real actor. Serious theatre. Shakespearean stuff. Then he became the man who sold Robin Reliants with a dodgy handshake.

He once said playing Gary felt like “falling into a bucket of custard.” But he owned that bucket.

The Hair That Deserved Its Own Credit

Gary’s hair was a national treasure. That slicked-back, Brylcreemed helmet of ambition. It looked like a dead ferret glued to his head.

John Challis wore a toupee for the role. Yes, a piece. He’d glue it on every morning. One time it flew off during a scene. The director kept it in the cut. Pure magic.

People still argue: was Gary’s hair real? No. Was it brilliant? Absolutely. It had more personality than some of the guest stars.

The Cars He “Sold”

Gary’s greatest hits were his dodgy car deals. Remember the three-wheeled Robin Reliant? He sold Del Boy a lemon. Literally a broken heap of junk.

The joke was that Gary’s cars always had “one careful owner.” That owner was usually a raccoon. Or a ghost.

John Challis once admitted he couldn’t drive a three-wheeler for real. So they just wobbled the camera. It looked like a crash waiting to happen. Perfection.

The Feud That Wasn’t

Rumor has it John Challis and David Jason (Del Boy) hated each other. Total nonsense. They were best mates off-screen. They’d crack up between takes constantly.

But here’s the fun bit: John Challis improvised most of Gary’s best lines. The script would say “Gary makes a rude comment.” He’d just wing it. Pure filth from a polite posh man.

He once said, “I just thought, what would a complete git say?” And thus, Gary’s entire persona was born.

The Secret Family

Gary had a wife on the show. Marlene. Played by Sue Holderness. She was a vision of leopard print and cigarette smoke. They had zero chemistry—and that was the joke.

In real life, John Challis and Sue Holderness were best friends. They’d have tea together between scenes. Then put on the tacky personas.

The show hinted Gary and Marlene had a wild sex life. Off-screen, they just talked about gardening. Glorious.

The “Only Fools” Curse

John Challis never escaped Gary. Not that he tried. People would stop him in the street and offer him actual dodgy goods. “Fancy a watch, Gary?”

He met a man who claimed to own a cement mixer. The man said, “You sold it to me.” John just smiled and signed an autograph. The line between actor and character was paper-thin.

He loved it, though. Every single moment. “It’s better than being forgotten,” he said.

The Later Years

John Challis kept playing Gary in spin-offs and specials. Even into his 70s. The hair got greyer. The suits got louder. The schemes got worse.

He died in 2021. The world lost a proper comic genius. But Gary? Gary lives on. Still trying to sell a stolen microwave from the back of a van.

Here’s a weird fact: John Challis left his actual toupee to a museum. The National Comedy Museum, no less. It sits in a glass case. People pay to see it. I’m not joking.

Why Gary Matters

Gary was a supervillain of suburbia. He didn’t want world domination. He just wanted to make a tenner on a dodgy VCR.

He was the friend who always lets you down. But you keep him around because he’s funny. He’s us at our most ridiculous.

John Challis once said, “Gary is the man we all pretend we aren’t. But we all have a little Gary inside.”

And that’s the truth. So next time you see a bloke in a shiny suit selling a “bargain” toaster, smile. Wave. Say hi to Gary.

He’s still out there. Scheming. Hair perfect. Forever dodgy.