1945 - 2017
Bobby Knutt
Robert Andrew Wass, known professionally as Bobby Knutt, was a British television actor who started in entertainment as a stand-up comedian. He is best known for playing Albert Dingle in Emmerdale and Eddie Dawson in Benidorm as well as his nuerous pantomime appearances
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Bobby was born in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. After passing the eleven-plus in 1957 he went to Abbeydale Grammar school in Sheffield. Whilst still at school, he started out in showbusiness as a singer in a group called Bob Andrews and the Questors in 1961. He then moved on to another group, the Whirlwinds, in 1963, and in 1964 formed a comedy double act called Pee & Knutt. His partner Geoff Morton refused to turn professional, so in 1965 he went on his own calling himself Bobby Knutt, one of the youngest pro comedians in the country. He was first known for his performances on the Granada Television show The Comedians and The Wheeltappers and Shunters Social Club. In 1977, he was given the lead role in the BBC's The Price of Coal directed by Ken Loach, allowing him to move beyond comedy. He has since acted in many British television comedies and dramas including Last of the Summer Wine, Heartbeat, Hetty Wainthropp Investigates, All Creatures Great & Small, Our Friends in the North, Emmerdale as Albert Dingle and Coronation Street as garage boss Ron Sykes.
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Knutt was married to Donna Hartley-Wass, bronze medalist in the 1980 Olympic Games in the 4x400m relay, from 20 January 1986 until her death in 2013. On his 25th wedding anniversary he was quoted as saying, "I wish I'd married my third wife first".
He has had regular roles in 14 pantomimes at Sheffield's Crucible and Lyceum theatres. In 2008, he published his autobiography Eyup Knutty followed by the sequel Eyup Again in 2010. He later worked as a comedian on cruise ships and provided the voice of "Gaffer" on Tetley Tea Folk TV ads. In 2012, he had a shoulder replacement operation which went badly wrong, disabling his right arm thus depriving him of his ability to play guitar which was a regular finale to his cabaret act on the cruise ships. Owing to this he had reluctantly retired from live entertainment and stuck to acting.
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In September 2017, Knutt planned to take a break after heavily touring since May 2016, with The Grumbleweeds, as the opening act on their Laughter Show. His original plans were for him and his girlfriend to go travelling around Scotland in their motorhome, from September 2017 to the middle of December 2017, in order to be back home in time for Christmas 2017. According to The Grumbleweeds, he was really looking forward to it, but evidently, the whole trip was a disaster. So, at the last minute, they booked a holiday in Southern France, which was planned to last from September 2017 to the middle of December 2017, in order to back home in time for Christmas 2017. On 25 September 2017, whilst still on holiday in the south of France, Knutt suffered a major heart attack and was rushed to hospital. He later died at the age of 71, being survived by his two children.
PANTOMIME HISTORY
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1981/82 Cinderella - Crucible Theatre, Sheffield
1985/86 Dick Whittington - Crucible Theatre, Sheffield
1986/87 Jack & the Beanstalk - Crucible Theatre,Sheffield
1987/88 Cinderella Crucible Theatre, Sheffield
1988/89 Mother Goose - Crucible Theatre, Sheffield
1989/90 Babes in the Wood - Crucible Theatre, Sheffield
1991/92 Babes in the Wood at the Doncaster Dome
1993/94 Cinderella at the Sheffield Crucible
1994/95 Snow White at the Sheffield Lyceum
1995/96 Babes in the Wood - Sheffield Lyceum
1997/98 Goldilocks and the Three Bears - Billingham
1998/99 Goldilocks and the Three Bears - Southport Theatre
1999/00 Goldilocks and the Three Bears - Charter Theatre Preston
2000/01 Aladdin at the Pomegarante Theatre Chester
2001/02 Jack & The Beanstalk at the Pomegranate Theatre
2003/04 Cinderella - Bridlington Spa
2004/05 Snow White - Bridlington Spa
2006/07 Sleeping Beauty - Doncaster Civic
2007/08 Cinderella - Sheffield Lyceum
2008/09 Aladdin - Sheffield Lyceum
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TV ROLES
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2016-2017 - Benidorm (ITV) as Eddie Dawson
2013 - The Syndicate
2000 - City Central as Freddie Fletcher
2000 - Last of the Summer Wine (BBC) as Stanley
2000 - Doctors (BBC) as Jimmy
1998 - The Bill (ITV) as Santa
1996 - Hetty Wainthrope Investigates
1996 - Our Friends in the North
1995-2004 - Emmerdale (ITV) as Albert Dingle
1994 - Common as Muck
1994 - Earthfasts as Frank Watson
1993-1996 - Heartbeat (ITV) In various roles
1993-1994 - Three Seven Eleven as Councillor Bamber
1990 - Stay Lucky
1989 - All Change
1987 - How We Used to Live as Albert Selby
1985 - All Creatures Great and Small (BBC)
1980-1983 - Coronation Street (ITV) as Ron Sykes
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