Nicholas loves flying and is still best friends with Only Fools and Horses co-star David Jason...
Nicholas Lyndhurst is known to millions of Only Fools and Horses fans as "plonker" Rodney Trotter.
Alongside David Jason as Del Boy, Nicholas struck up one of television's greatest ever comedy double acts.
He also enjoyed comedy hits with Butterflies and Goodnight Sweetheart, while he also starred in hugely popular BBC crime drama New Tricks. But, how much do you know about the man himself?
Most fans of the actor will know that:
- He has appeared in various films throughout his career
- He won a BAFTA for his role in adverts for WH Smith
- He's appeared in David Copperfield with Daniel Radcliffe and Dame Maggie Smith
Nicholas Lyndhurst: little known facts about the acting legend
1. Nicolas Lyndhurst is married to a former ballerina
Nicholas is married to Lucy, a former ballerina. When he recently starred alongside Kelsey Grammer at the London Coliseum theatre, Nicholas told the Irish News that he’d seen his wife dance there. “I watched my wife dance here for the first time in 1992 when she was with the English National Ballet – so it’s a special place for me.”
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2. Nicholas Lyndhurst and David Jason wore cunning disguises…
Yep, to evade enthusiastic Only Fools and Horses fans, Nicholas and David took to wearing… erm, hats! “David had a pork pie hat and sunglasses and I had a baseball cap and sunglasses,” he recalled in an interview with the Daily Mail. “It obviously worked, because one day in Bristol we walked right past one another in the street!”
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3. He loves flying and has his own pilot’s licence
Like his Only Fools and Horses co-star David Jason, Nicholas has a love of flying. Asked for his best piece of travel advice, he once told The Daily Telegraph: “If you possibly can, fly yourself, which I do whenever I can. I have a private pilot’s licence and have flown around England quite a bit.” His other hobbies include beekeeping and underwater diving.
4. Nicholas was a child actor
Before finding fame in Butterflies and Only Fools, Nicholas enjoyed early career success as a young teenager. He popped up in the TV series Heidi in 1974 and also in the BBC series The Prince and the Pauper in 1976.
5. Nicholas was once told he’d be fired from Only Fools and Horses if he laughed…
Who can forget the legendary scene in Only Fools and Horse when they’re cleaning chandeliers and dopey granddad sends one of them crashing to the floor?! “I was nearly fired because of that scene,” Nicholas recalled in a Gold documentary once. “I’m a bit of a giggler when it comes to that sort of stuff.
“So Ray Butt our producer came up to me and he said, ‘This chandelier cost six grand, we’ve only got one, we can only afford one, if you laugh that’s the entire scene blown. If we blow the scene the BBC won’t buy the series and that will be down to you. If you laugh I will fire you.” So, Nicholas didn’t laugh!
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6. Nicholas grew up by the sea
Talking about things he couldn’t live without to the Express, Nicholas said the sea. “I grew up in West Wittering [West Sussex] which has the most amazing beach. As a youngster I spent a lot of time in the water, either swimming or on my board.”
He added: “For years I lived in cities and as much as I enjoyed the buzz, I know that the coast is where I truly belong.”
Nicholas Lyndhurst's Fact File
Answers to the most frequently asked questions about the actor....
How old is he?
Nicholas Lyndhurst's age is 59. His date of birth is 20th April 1961.
Is he in a relationship?
Nicholas Lyndhurst's been married to wife, Lucy Smith, since 1999.
Does he have kids?
Nicholas Lyndhurst and wife Lucy had a son called Archie who was born in 2000 and sadly died in September 2020.
Where was he born?
Nicholas Lyndhurst was born in Emsworth, Hampshire.
How tall is he?
Nicholas Lyndhurst's height is 1.87m.
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.
Main picture of Nicholas Lyndhurst: Dave Benett/Getty Images
