John Clegg (actor)
John Walter Laurence Clegg was an English actor, best known for playing the part of 'La Di Da' Gunner Graham in the BBC sitcom It Ain't Half Hot Mum.
Early life
Clegg was born on 9 July 1934 in Murree, British India to English parents, John and Barbara Clegg. His father was in the army, a Lieutenant Colonel in Royal Hampshire Regiment and fought in the second world war and his mother was a teacher. He had two sisters, Anne and Mary, one older and one younger who both died before him. Clegg's mother wrote pantomime plays for a local drama group, and sometimes cast Clegg to play small roles, starting at age four. When Clegg was eighteen months old, the family moved to Lowestoft, Suffolk, and then to Shawford, a village in Hampshire.After he and his parents returned to the United Kingdom, Clegg was educated at The Pilgrims' School, Winchester, and Canford School, near Bournemouth. During the second world war, Clegg's father was badly wounded and was advised to no longer be stationed in the east, and after he was moved to a base in Winchester, John's family followed. When Clegg did National Service he served as a private in the Wiltshire Regiment in Hong Kong, followed by a commission as a second lieutenant in the Royal Hampshire Regiment. Clegg later became a student at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art for two years; Clegg attended RADA at the same time as Peter O'Toole, Albert Finney and Richard Briers.
Career
After leaving RADA, Clegg joined the Watford Palace Theatre Company, where he met Jimmy Perry, who would go on to cast Clegg in the role for which he is best known. It was there that he also met many of his future co-stars, including Michael Knowles, Donald Hewlett, and Mavis Pugh. During his time at Watford, Clegg appeared in many performances including farces such as Charley's Aunt and The Happiest Days of Your Life. He also appeared in thrillers such as Gas Light.In 1973 he was cast in the BBC sitcom It Ain't Half Hot Mum as Gunner Graham, the concert party's pianist. The show ran for eight series and Clegg appeared in all 56 episodes. Despite playing the pianist in the concert party of the show, John could not actually play piano and as a result did not appear in the 1979 stage adaptation of the series; instead, the role was taken up by David Rowley, who was able to play the piano live on stage.
Since It Ain't Half Hot Mum he has made numerous television and film appearances including Dad's Army, Are You Being Served? and Bless This House. Between 2 August and 17 August 1978 Clegg appeared as Clifford Howes in the soap opera Crossroads. In 1979, he made an appearance in the BBC Television Shakespeare production of Measure for Measure, in which he played Froth, the foolish gentleman. In 1982, Clegg made a return to the theatre, co-producing with his wife a one-man show about Rudyard Kipling which achieved success at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, winning a Fringe Award.
In 2001, he had a background role as an elderly man in Bridget Jones's Diary. His last role was in the 2006 film Tommy the Kid, as a police officer but in 2009 appeared in the Dad's Army podcast.